I remember back in the day, or even as recently as before the pandemic, when I could find a random taxicab and go for a ride from Manila all the way to Quezon City for 200 pesos. This was back when I was in high school over more than a decade ago, when traffic wasn’t as bad as it is now, and gas was way cheaper.
These days, the same ride would cost around 400 to 500 pesos, with a kickback just because the cab driver said it was too far or you looked “desperate.” Try taking a cab during the holiday season and watch a 100-peso ride magically turn into a 300-peso ride when you’re coming from the mall. It’s a good thing there are ride-hailing apps now though, right?
The Rise of Ride-Hailing Apps
For over a decade, ride-hailing apps have been a mainstay in the Philippine ecosystem, with Grab, known as GrabTaxi at the time, being the first to operate in August 2013. Eventually, GrabTaxi would have its known competitor at the time, Uber, in February 2014. With healthy competition came friction and the need to innovate. There were two consumer-friendly (at the time) apps at your beck and call, and not only did they grant you a ride at a price they advertised, but down the line, they even expanded to delivery too!
The common Filipino finally had a transport win for private transport, with options beyond the greedy taxi drivers of the time, offering a transparent platform at an albeit slightly higher price point. Life was good, being able to guarantee a ride from destination to destination with little to no complaint. Drivers were compliant and didn’t demand exorbitant amounts, and with Grab and Uber prices being more practical than random taxis, they followed suit too! It was a fun time filled with adventure and a budget to boot—but a lot can change in over a decade.
Ride-Hailing Now
Not even half a decade later, the unthinkable happened, with Grab (formerly GrabTaxi) and Uber merging here in Southeast Asia. Maybe it was an operational consideration, or maybe another reason altogether, but while the merger meant improvements all around, it also meant there was no competition. Competition is what makes a business thrive, especially if it wants to continue generating revenue from a certain demographic. With just one non-government governing body dictating prices, there’s nowhere to go but up.
Time and time again, competitors would pop up, but at the end of the day, the Grab machine kept chugging along. I remember back then, competitors popped up left and right, offering alternative taxi or ride-sharing options instead of taking Grab. But Grab expanded to the point where it wasn’t just a ride-sharing app, but a lifestyle and transport network app too. There was a stranglehold in this space, but something that hadn’t been tapped into until recently was the MotoTaxi apps.
Rise of MotoTaxi
There was a space between taking a cab and wanting something affordable for a single passenger, and that’s when motorcycle taxi or MotoTaxi apps showed up. Thinking about it, for the price of a taxi a decade ago, a single passenger could take a motorbike across the metro to get to their destination. It makes sense, seeing as how motorbikes were already being used for delivery—so why not deliver people, right?
What started with Angkas continued with JoyRide, and recently Move It, backed by Grab, joined the party. It’s funny how things come full circle, with Angkas offering cars with Angkars and JoyRide offering 4WD options. But with the need to earn and the various jobs and opportunities brought about by these platforms, there’s really no reason not to partake in them one way or another.
There and Back Again
All these options would make you think things would get better. But in reality, with the transport situation being as it is in the Philippines, traffic became a factor. The initial problem of not having rides available for affordable prices reared its ugly head yet again. Here we are, back at square one, only with higher prices, way too many vehicles, and now private riders behaving the same way those taxi drivers did before.
Ride Hail or Ride Hell?
Are we really in ride heaven or hell? The reality of the situation is we’re in ride limbo as we all go through the same Philippine traffic. Gas prices are soaring, so higher prices are unavoidable, but at least we have more alternatives in the transport metagame. MotoTaxi apps are cheaper, albeit more dangerous, while traditional car-based transport is safer but pricier. The transport game changed, and the traffic did too. But on the bright side, at least we’re not on the highway to hell—just the Luzon limbo. BGC to BGC in 1 hour? Say what?
