UberPool gets going in metro

LTRFB Chair Winston Ginez (fourth from left) with Uber Philippines General Manager Laurence Cua (fourth from right) during the soft launch of the UberPOOL in Quezon City. NESTOR CORRALES/INQUIRER.net

Uber Philippines on Wednesday officially launched UberPOOL, a carpool service that enables commuters heading to the same destination to share a ride for a cheaper fare.

“It’s already running,” Laurence Cua, Uber Philippines, General Manager said during its soft launch at the Land Transportation, Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) head office in Quezon City.

UberPOOL hit the road in the metropolis at 6 a.m. on Wednesday.

Cua said UberPOOL enables three passengers going to the same place to share a trip and split the cost of the fare.

BACKSTORY: Uber launches carpool service

He said the idea of UberPOOL is getting more people into fewer cars.

“It’s taking one car off the road,” Cua said, adding that he was excited to be part of the solution in solving traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

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He said passengers who want to use the service should choose the UberPool option in the application, enter their destination and request a ride.

Once the destination is chosen, UberPool will then match the passenger with another commuter heading in the same direction.

The other passenger could be in the car at the start of the trip or the driver will pick him or her along the way.

Longer travel time?

While it may take a little longer for passengers to reach their destination, Cua said the few minutes of delay is all worth it.

“It does change a little bit of behavior, but we do think overall, in the bigger scheme of things, that additional 5 to 10 minutes is worth the effort. It’s not too big of an inconvenience, and it will help in taking cars off the road,” he told reporters.

He said Uberpool would help decongest traffic in Metro Manila over time.

over 100 million rides have been taken in 40 cities worldwide with the UberPOOL service since its launch in 2014.

Safe and secure

Cua allayed the fears of commuters regarding their safety.

He said that passengers who used Uber have to register.

“You need a credit card (for) every person who is using Uber is actually validated. Everything is tracked,” he said.

“Drivers on Uber cannot just pick passengers off the street. When you register, you have to have a credit card, mobile number, email. So everything is tracked. And besides that, we have a support system in the backend. If a passenger has a complaint, they can email and we respond very quickly,” he added.

The launch of the UberPOOL coincided with the 29th anniversary of the LTFRB.

Winston Ginez, LTFRB chairman said, UberPOOL is a “first step in decongesting our cities.”

Ginez said no new franchise was issued since the UberPOOL service would use the existing cars used for UberX.

“UberPOOL will use UberX cars. This is not a new franchise. All those that were authorized already will be using the same authority, so no authority, no new license will be issued,” he said. IDL