Uber launches carpool service

Uber Philippines introduces carpool service

UBER Philippines on Wednesday launched a carpool service that enables commuters heading to the same destination to share a ride during rush hour in the metropolis.

The service, called uberHOP, will have its trial route in Makati City and Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

The carpool service will have an introductory price of P75. The service will run from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.

According to Uber, each uberHOP request can only accommodate one person.

Additional riders will need to request their own uberHOP.

“We decided to launch uberHOP here because Manila suffers from some of the worst traffic congestions in the world. There is an appetite for smarter transportation options that provides more reliable, affordable and efficient ways to get to and from work, particularly around commuting routes underserved by public transit,” Uber said in a statement.

Uber Philippines said Manila is the third city in the world to launch uberHOP after Toronto in Canada and Seattle in USA.

In recent months, traffic jams on Edsa and other main roads have worsened, causing massive inconvenience to commuters even past rush hour.

A trip by car from Tandang Sora Avenue in Quezon City to Ayala Avenue in Makati City—a distance of 18 km—now takes two hours in the morning if one leaves between 5:45 a.m. and 6 a.m. The commute is longer by 45 minutes compared to 2010. Taking the same route just after 5 p.m. is another 2.5 hours, up from 1.5 hours five years ago.

The commute was so punishing that an executive of a telecommunications firm in Makati was forced recently to rent a condominium unit in the city where he could stay on weekdays for the sake of his health and sanity. His trip to the office now takes just 20 minutes.

Those without the means to rent a condo have to get up early and endure the productivity-busting traffic congestion by taking the Metro Rail Transit 3 that often conks out.

Traffic congestion is taking a toll on the economy and commuters. Economic losses due to the congestion in Metro Manila was estimated at P2.4 billion a day and could rise to P6 billion a day by 2030 if the government fails to intervene, according to a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.