SWAT Mobility, a Singapore-based mobility solutions provider, has recently forged an operations partnership contract with Hagibis Ventures Inc., (HVI) to jumpstart its expansion in the Visayas region.
According to SWAT Mobility Country Business Head for the Philippines Maria Theresa Busmente, Visayas is among the areas of growth for the company as business process outsourcing continues to thrive in the region.
“Cebu is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. It is also home to the biggest BPO companies in the region which really fits our business appetite,” she said.
Busmente said like all metro regions, Cebu’s transport situation is one of the most affected when the pandemic struck.
“Like the busiest metros in other regions, Cebu has also slowed down due to mobility constraints and the rising number of active cases in the past months. So, moving people has been a challenge for some companies, because when employees cannot go to work then the company suffers,” Busmente said.
SWAT Mobility is the largest transport solutions provider in Southeast Asia that is working with huge corporations to digitize employee transportation, helping companies navigate high-capacity vehicle pooling services.
Under the partnership with SWAT, HVI will serve as the digital delivery provider to allow the smart mobility technology to function optimally within the local setting.
In particular, HVI will deal with passenger registration, driver communications, command center monitoring and emergency response.
“Any new adoption of processes or technology takes time and effort. Our role allows us to translate the merits of smart mobility to Filipinos and facilitate smooth adoptions. With this partnership, we are determined to show that efficient and safe commuting is possible despite the pandemic,” HVI CEO Bernie Marquez said.
For its part, Virtual Business Partners (VBP), a Cebu-based Australian business processing outsourcing company, said the SWAT Mobility service supported by HVI has provided a venue for the company to ferry their workers safely amid the pandemic.
“Through the service, we are able to minimize the exposure of our team members to the virus, especially when they commute to and from work,” said Nath Moyes, VBP General Manager.
HVI’s participation allowed the company to focus on its core business, instead of manning the driver-passenger communications, route-planning, monitoring, and passenger safety.
Currently, the SWAT Mobility App has 95 percent user utilization from the VBP team members. VBP found its transportation and fleet management cost has reduced by 20 percent since being onboard the platform.
“That ultimately helped us to increase our productivity because our team members arrive at work on time without the stressful commute and from work and they are brought home safely as well the same way, which practically helped everyone to have peace of mind – that we are all helping each other in maintaining a safe environment for everyone," Moyes added.
To date, SWAT Mobility has operations in Luzon and Visayas, carrying employees from various industries including BPOs, manufacturing, and other enterprise accounts. SWAT Mobility is currently looking at possible expansion in other regions in the future.