Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 1) — Motorcycle ride-hailing company Angkas apologized on Thursday for its tweet where it likened its service to sex.

"Safety has always been our brand's priority and we apologize for how our recent tweet has made users feel unsafe and cast doubt on the integrity of our service," Angkas said in a statement.

The apology came after netizens and the Philippine National Police (PNP) Hotline called out the firm for promoting its promo code with the tweet, "Angkas is like sex. It's scary the first time pero masarap ulit-ulitin."

The police said the tweet of Angkas, known for its witty social media posts, is not acceptable to commuters.

"Matatakot ang tao sa Angkas pag ganito. This is not promoting public safety in transport business anymore," PNP tweeted on Wednesday.

Angkas CEO Angeline Tham acknowledged that the company missed the message that it wanted to convey, which is that its service is safe and can be trusted.

"In Angkas, we tell it like it is. But precisely because of that, we must admit that we made a misstep today. We would like to emphasize that making our riders feel uncomfortable is the last thing we want to do," the statement read.

Angkas also apologized to its bikers, assuring passengers that they are respectful.

Transportation officials in May allowed motorcycle taxis, including Angkas, to operate in the country for a six-month test run starting June.