MANILA, Philippines - Commuters’ perennial complaints against erring cab drivers may soon be a thing of the past with the launch of the first professionally designed digital taxi meter with thermal printer by a local electronics company. Alexan Commercial, a Filipino-owned and operated electronics company known for its extensive range of electronic products and services, has come up with the innovative Pinoy Road Runner taxi meter in response to the industry demand for an affordable and effective alternative to other taxi meters imported from foreign countries.
Pinoy Road Runner is a compact, sturdy, and user-friendly taxi meter with ingenious features including an anti-tampering capability through an advanced micro-controller chip that safeguards consumers from fast metering. When the unit senses abnormal speeds that exceed the preset maximum vehicle allowable km. per hour, an alarm will sound and the fare increment will freeze at the same time. Sophisticated hardware design also ensures accurate and stable operation of the unit.
Developed by the Alexan R&D engineering team in early 2010, Pinoy Road Runner has already been evaluated by the Metrology Laboratory of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and certified in its accuracy besides meeting government requirements. It was approved and accredited by both the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in the same year. The Pinoy Road Runner taxi meter was launched in Cebu last November together with Alexan Cebu distributor, CBX Corporation and December in Davao with distributor Davao Times Trading.
“The first taxi meter with printer that entered the local market was from Korea, which then was sold at P18,000 per unit. Even if the government tries to enforce the law for taxis to install a taxi meter with receipt since year 2005, the implementation was postponed because of the prohibitive prices, as protested by the taxi operators. Taiwan came up with a more affordable version at less than P8,000 per unit last year. However, all imported models have technical support and maintenance problems. This inspired us to design a low-cost taxi meter that is specifically suitable for taxis in the Philippines which will be durable and reliable in operations. It has always been the expertise of Alexan to convert ideas and designs into commercialized products at low costs without sacrificing quality and meeting international standards,” said engineer Alex S. E. Sy of Alexan.
The Pinoy Road Runner has a large, easily viewable LCD display that displays the distance, speed and fare. It can also provide instantaneous car battery voltage readings to alert drivers about battery condition — another first in the taximeter industry. In accordance with government regulations, Pinoy Road Runner has a built-in thermal printer that issues official receipts for passengers and can store at least three years of individual transaction information. This printer uses the standard two-inch low-cost POS thermal paper rolls. Installation of replacement paper rolls can be done in seconds with its cleverly designed mechanism, an advanced improvement as compared to most of the imported units.
Each individual transaction is stored in a non-volatile memory device and can be accessed to print daily, shift, monthly, and yearly summaries. Each transaction can be individually recalled if needed. Since the receipt contains the name of the taxi operator, the taxi plate number, and the transaction information, it can be used for reimbursement purposes by the customers and also used to contact the taxi operator or driver if passengers leave personal items in the cab, Sy noted.
He added: “The Pinoy Road Runner taxi meter was designed based on 15 years of Alexan’s involvement in taxi meter products. It protects the commuters and taxi operators from unscrupulous drivers from tampering with the meter. At the same time, the shift summary feature will enable the taxi operator to monitor the income per shift. With all its features, the unit still is the most affordable on the market. It also underscores the fact that Filipinos have the capability to produce a world-class product that is not only competitive with imported brands but also meets local government regulations and international standards. In the future, we plan to export the Pinoy Road Runner to other countries.”
Alexan, established in 1972 by Sy, is well known in the electronics industry, earning a reputation for quality and customer satisfaction over 30 years. At present, the company carries an extensive line of electronic components, production tools, test instruments, and measurement equipment from leading manufacturers. Alexan produces electronic kits and trainers for students and schools. It also partnered with the Department of Agriculture in producing and commercializing Shega III Grain Moisture Meter. Last November, FA507 Digital Wood Moisture Meter, produced in collaboration with both Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) and Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) of DOST, won the first prize in Outstanding Utility Model Award at the 2010 National Invention Contest held in Cebu City.
For inquiries, bulk/special orders, and information on other products, call 241-9493, 243-3327, SMS (0917) 533-3835 or e-mail: sales@alexan.com.ph.
Alexan stores are located at 631 Sales St., Quiapo, Manila, and 12 Timog Ave., Quezon City. The meter is also available through various dealers in Metro Manila, Cebu City, Davao City, Iloilo City, Baguio City, etc.