Traffic has become a part of our daily lives that it feels so normal now but did you know that we spend 1,000 hours or 42 days per year sitting in traffic? According to the Japan International Cooperation Agency or JICA, traffic costs us Php 2.4 Billion a day and it causes 4.7 million tons of greenhouse gases emitted by vehicles. Just last year alone, 300,000 new cars hit the streets of our country and it is inevitable because of our booming economy.
With all these results, Uber Manila is once again giving the people a solution to save time, effort and money through their new service called uberPOOL and this will start on June 15, 2016.
uberPOOL is very simple. You share a ride with another person who happens to be requesting a ride along a similar route at the same time. Sharing a ride means sharing the fare and sharing a ride means reducing CO2 emmissions!
How uberPOOL works:
1. Open the Uber app.
2. Choose the uberPOOL option and enter your destination then request ride. You’ll see your driver’s detail straight away–name, photo and the details of the car.
3. uberPOOL will then match you with another passenger heading in the same direction. The passenger will either be in the car at the start of your trip, in which case you’ll see their name in advance or your driver will pick them up along the way, in which case Uber will notify you via the app.
4. At the end of the trip, you’ll pay just like a normal trip and receive an electronic receipt.
What are the benefits to the driver, rider and environment?
For the driver, less idle time between paying trips for drivers. It means more demand overall because as the cost of a trip falls, more people use the service which means more rides for drivers. The goal is every minute spent on the road is utilized.
For the rider, the fare is more affordable than uberX. It is discounted 25% –whether Uber pairs you up with another passenger or not.
For the environment, the uberPOOL will lessen the congestion in Metro Manila. Fewer cars on the road means a smaller environment footprint and reduced CO2 emmissions..
What kind of vehicles to be used on uberPOOL?
The vehicles are the same as the one used in uberX in which the drivers have undergone extensive screening process.
Is it safe?
Of course, it is. Everyone undergoes the extensive screening process.
Is the fare fixed?
A rider will see his or her fare at the start. It is guaranteed upfront.
Is there additional requirements for the driver?
There is no additional requirements needed.
What is the difference between uberPOOL and uberHOP?
uberHOP has fixed routes, limited service and limited time while uberPOOL is dynamic, not point-to-point.
Is the uberPOOL a proven model?
uberPOOL was launched in San Francisco in September 2014 and has expanded to 40 cities around the world including Austin, Bangalore, Boston, Chengdu, Chicago, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jakarta, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, New York City, Paris, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Shanghai, Shengzen, Toronto and Washington D.C. Over 100,000 people are taking pooled trips every week.
So now there’s four services you can choose at Uber: uberBlack, uberX, uberHop and uberPOOL. Happy riding!
To know more about uberPOOL and the company, visit their website at www.uber.com/cities/manila
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