A popular ride-hailing firm in the Philippines issued a public apology Thursday after touching off a social media firestorm with a claim that its motorcycle-based service was "like sex."

Angkas deleted the tweet and issued a disclaimer and apology after being called out by the Philippine police and other irate users of the mobile phone-based service.

"Angkas is like sex. It's scary the first time but fun to do over and over again," the company had posted in a mixture of English and Filipino on its official Twitter account on Monday.

Chief Executive Angeline Tham said in a statement on Thursday, "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.

"Sex should never be used to create shame, fear, or disgust, and certainly not used lightly for the sake of some buzz."

Angkas, literally pillion ­rider, ingeniously makes use of motorbikes to get its passengers through Manila's notorious traffic gridlocks, giving it an edge over its car-based ride-hailing app rivals.

While the post was later deleted, it did not escape the attention of the police, who ­posted a screenshot of it on Twitter with a call for regulators of the transportation industry to take action. "This is not promoting public safety in transport business anymore," the Philippine National Police said.