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Angkas pushes for inclusive mobility thru technology

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Angkas founder and CEO Angeline Tham believes that the new capabilities of digital technology will help in making mass transportation in the Philippines more inclusive while giving low-income family households sustainable livelihoods. 

Angkas pushes for inclusive mobility thru technology
Luminaries of the Go Negosyo Youth Entrepreneurship Summit 2019

Tham, speaking during the recent Go Negosyo Youth Entrepreneurship Summit 2019 held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, said that she founded Angkas a couple of years back as a response to the challenging state of mass transportation in the country and to somehow alleviate the problems that commuters face daily with the help of technology.

“People were having a difficult time commuting for a variety of reasons and we wanted a safe and reliable way to move people around,” Tham said in her talk. With this in mind, Tham turned to technology to create a service that would connect commuters to motorcycle riders willing to take them to their destination.

“Traditionally there’s been habal habal in this country that’s been used for forty years. But we wanted to professionalize the service, make it safer, and give our driver partners a livelihood,” Tham revealed. “And we did that with the help of digital technology,” she added.

However, Tham pointed out that the greatest challenge that Angkas has had to face since its inception was the stigma attached to motorcycles. “Motorcycles were seen as killing machines,” Tham pointed out. “And this stigma was something we had to erase by proving to everyone that motorcycles can be as safe, or even safer, than cars,” she added.

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Tham was invited to talk about technological disruption in business, particularly in the transport industry. “Technology allowed us to make mobility inclusive in the Philippines,” Tham revealed. “It should be for everyone, regardless of class, race, and gender,” she added.

She also noted that one out of three Filipino families own a motorcycle and half of the motorcycle owners depend on the motorcycle for livelihood. “Over 99% of motorcycle owners belong to low-income households. This is really the market Angkas wants to address,” Tham stressed.

Tham is no stranger to the tech industry, being a serial entrepreneur who launched one of the top online auction outfits in Singapore called Sold.sg.

After she sold her company, Tham joined a Softbank Affiliated Fund focused on investments in SEA and Philippines. She later joined Grab where she started Grab Bike and Grab Express in the Philippines. 

Armed with her experience in tech companies, she founded Angkas in 2017. Angkas, today, is the most popular ride-hailing and delivery service app for motorcycles in the country with over 27,000 partner drivers and over a million downloads. 

As a former JP Morgan banker-turned-entrepreneur, Tham is showing no signs of stopping with her advocacy for safety and regulation on motorcycle taxis, an issue that impacts the lives of millions of Filipinos every day. “Our advocacy is to train as many bikers as possible safely. We’ve shown that with proper training, we’re able to make motorcycle riding safe.”

Presidential Adviser on Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion, founder of GoNegosyo, in turn, declared his support for Angkas and the service’s contribution to alleviating the plight of Filipino commuters. 

“I think that Angkas is doing the right thing by training the motorcycle drivers to be safety conscious,” Concepcion declared. “Anybody can ride a motorcycle—they can just buy one and ride. But at least we have a platform that ensures the safety of both the driver and the passenger,” Concepcion added.

Angkas pushes for inclusive mobility thru technology
Angeline Tham

The Youth Entrepreneurship Summit is a yearly project of GoNegosyo. The last one was attended by 15,000 participants and as simulcast in 10 schools and universities.

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