Everyday, Filipinos living in the metro experience heavy traffic. Time wasted with it is definitely money wasted—We lose 3 billion pesos a day.
The Philippines is the fastest booming country in Asia which is why in 2015, the total motor vehicles in Metro Manila alone has already peaked to 2.5 million. That’s a lot of cars for the city with only 1,032 kilometers of roads or 3.5% of the total 39,370 kilometers of roads nationwide. The ratio is one kilometer of road is to 424 vehicles. Not only it has a bad effect on the roads, but also to our environment because it contributes 85% of air pollution in the city.
We’re in constant research on the solutions that may help decrease the bad traffic but one of it is already in your hands—through your smart phone. Just this June, Uber, a technology platform that make cities more accessible by connecting riders to drivers with just a tap, launched uberPOOL in Metro Manila.
Basically, it’s a carpool that pairs you up with another rider from the same area, heading the same direction, at the same time and saves you up to 25% less on your fare. In just two months, this ride-sharing option has cut the number of kilometers driven by 578,000 or to 27,200 liters of fuel and 64,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide.
It is a win-win situation because it helps reduce emissions, a convenient and safe way for transportation and helps lessen cars in the city. There’s an ongoing promo of uberPOOL named “#POOLSquad” in which a rider can win up to Php10,000 Uber credits. Simply join a squad and the squad who has the most saved trips will win. At the end of the day, whichever squad wins, Manila wins.
Today, the CEO and co-founder of Uber, Travis Kalanick, shared his story in the digital edition of Philippine Daily Inquirer. Read more – Pooling: more people in fewer cars
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