Uber Technologies Inc., a transport solutions provider, has launched a new ride-sharing option in Metro Manila that enables commuters heading in the same direction to share a ride during rush hour for a flat fare.
“Since our launch in the Philippines, we’ve been working hard to tackle one of the biggest challenges cities like Manila face: congestion. By making it convenient and affordable for people to share riders, we can get more people into fewer cars. With uberHOP we are providing even more viable alternatives to car ownership that can improve quality for life for everyone,” Uber general manager for the Philippines Laurence Cua said.
Uber said with the launching, Manila became the third city in the world after Toronto and Seattle, and the first in Asia, to introduce the service.
Uber estimated that the average Filipino commuter was spending 1,000 hours a year stuck in traffic in Metro Manila.
“By empowering commuters with smarter mobility choices and operating within areas that are chronically underserved, uberHOP is able to save people valuable time and money,” Uber said.
It said uberHOP would enable commuters to save up to 70 percent from what they would spend on a typical uberX ride.
uberHOP is currently available on weekdays between 7 to 10 in the morning and 4 to 9 in the evening in Makati and Bonifacio Global City.
“All of Uber’s standard product safety features that are active before, during and after the ride, like live GPS tracking, 2-way feedback and the ability to share trip details with family and friends to let them know you’re on your way will always be in effect, even on every uberHOP ride,” the company said.
Uber is available in almost 400 cities in 68 countries.
Meanwhile, European carpooling app, Wunder also launched its services targeting passengers from Quezon to Makati.
According to Wunder, over 20,000 people in Quezon City were using a car to commute downtown and 65 percent of them were driving by themselves.
“It’s no secret that driving in a car by yourself is the most expensive way to travel for individuals and society at large” Wunder’s chief operating officer Sam Baker said.
“An average household in Metro Manila can easily spend over P20,000 per year on fuel alone, not to mention the hours of time lost waiting in traffic,” he said.
Wunder, founded in Germany in 2013, has launched carpooling communities across several large cities in Europe, now totaling over 200,000 members.