It’s called competition for a reason
The love for all things Uber and Grab hasn’t necessarily been widespread, even if it may seem to be the case. On Dec. 4, a 20-day temporary restraining order was enacted against Grab and Uber ride-sharing services from processing any further applicants willing to be drivers and partners. Behind this dazzling TRO is an organization called Angat Tsuper Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator ng Pilipinas Genuine Organization Transport Coalition, also known as STOP and GO. There’s a solid chance you’ve never heard of them until now, but they are apparently a public utility vehicle advocate group that’s very angry about the way Uber and Grab have been allowed to operate.
The Philippine Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has been under fire from local citizenry for the suppression of these companies’ ability to provide further services, and from STOP and GO for supposedly giving the ride-sharing services special treatment. It’s been a three-way boxing match that’s finally coming to a head. Legally it seems complicated, but to the common commuter who has to sit through hours in traffic, it’s not really the case.
The stark difference
It’s a surprise to people who regularly ride taxis to get into a vehicle where they are a hundred percent certain of their safety, where it is clean and the upholstery doesn’t look extremely worn, where the driver doesn’t look as though he’s been driving 48 hours straight and living off of Cobra. When you get into a taxi, you have to prepare yourself for a certain amount of danger or possibility of incident, to be extremely on guard even when the driver may be completely honest and kind. There have been too many incidents of theft, of rape, of riders being drugged before being taken advantage of; of terrible service that includes but is not limited to the refusal of passengers if the destination is not somewhere the driver feels like going; yelling, hiking up the fare in the middle of the ride, incompetent driving, obnoxiously loud music, and smoking inside the vehicle. The numbers you can call to report these incidents are hardly ever answered, and when called, don’t lead to much in the way of due process. There is no accountability, the regulations outside of permits and franchises do not exist, and there is little consideration for the actual passenger. It is every man for himself and it is what makes commuting such a bitch.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, private ride-sharing facilities such as Grabcar and Uber make sure to keep their partners on point. Cars are clean, drivers are respectful, there is always Waze running in the background so both passenger and driver are aware of the route at all times. The app ensures that you know your driver’s name, see their photo, know their plate number, and have their contact information before you ever enter the vehicle. The app also makes sure that the passenger is aware of the maximum limit that they will be charged for the ride, and should there be a problem, one email usually gets the job done. There is a rating system for how smooth the ride is, so you can pinpoint exactly what the problem was — whether the driver was slow, mean, inefficient — or conversely, give props to an excellent driver, which then allows future riders to know what to expect when they get in his car. The apps also allow you to send your ETA and route to friends, and Grab has a button you click that says “I have arrived safely.” If you’re really lucky, you’ll get a vehicle that’s equipped with your own water bottle, candy selection, and sometimes WiFi. These are the little things that make the entire difference, when companies are there to press drivers to be at their best behavior, to provide excellent service, and to make sure that above all else, passengers are safe and comfortable at any given time.
I am certainly no expert on the laws that govern this industry or what keeps it running, and I most definitely would not begrudge anyone, especially public utility vehicle drivers and operators, from making a living. But the key thing to remember here is that the reason why these companies have made a sizeable dent in the taxis drivers’ — as STOP and GO puts it — “vested interests” is because they’ve met a need that was previously lacking. You can cry all you want, STOP and GO, but I have yet to hear about a mugging that’s taken place in an Uber, and that’s why this model has the support of the people you need — the actual passengers.
Competition, not obliteration
If an entity like STOP and GO can file a petition to suspend Uber and Grab because their income and livelihood are being threatened, certainly regular citizens’ actual lives and well-being are worth more than a glance and a call to some “problem with my driving?” number that rarely gets answers. It is important to note that while they are difficult to classify as your straightforward public utility vehicle services, companies like Uber and Grab do not operate in a fashion exempt from the Philippine rule of law. But it is equally important, if not more so, to look into all the criminal incidents that have ever occurred in a taxi, especially with full knowledge of the drivers. Taxi operators, in response, should also be encouraged to elevate their own services to meet the competition, instead of blocking competitors from the country altogether.
Instead of just telling the new kid to stop, how about actually making the service they provide safer? How about making it mandatory for all taxis to display the driver’s current information in full view of the passenger, as is the practice in other taxis the world over? How about presenting and regulating a limit for hours that a driver should be on the road taking passengers, instead of giving an impossible quota for them to meet? Instead of addressing it simply from the financial or legal side of things, how about understanding that happy passengers are most often repeat customers?
There are plenty of people with a myriad of needs when it comes to their choice in transportation, and it doesn’t have to be a one or the other sort of scenario. There is room for everyone, especially when the presence of the other forces one into a position to better their current offerings. That’s free market competition. The restraining order shouldn’t be against an expanding and growing business; it should be against lax service provision, existing monopolies, and the endangerment of passengers. The real solution is and has always been simple: provide the service, provide it well, and you won’t need to worry about any flashy private cars with excellent Waze-accessing capabilities.
