The Uber alternative to Metro Manila traffic

MANILA, Philippines - Mayor Enrique Peñalosa of Bogota, Colombia once said that a developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation. After all, all we really want is to get from point A to point B without looking, smelling, and feeling like we went jogging at noon along EDSA (especially for those whose jobs put a degree of importance on personal presentation). Many have claimed that if the government provided clean, efficient, safe and affordable means of commuting, they would gladly leave their cars at home.

Obviously this is not the case, what with mile-long MRT lines in the sun and regular defective trains. Buses are fairly comfortable on the inside — until they skid into a post, another vehicle, or over a cliff. Jeepneys will infuse your lungs, hair, and pores with smog, and will make sure you smell like a tambucho when you arrive. And FXes, like the former, will economize the space by squeezing your body in with everyone else. Malas mo na lang kung ’yung katabi mo hindi naligo. I get why anyone who had the option to hole up in a private vehicle would do so.

Cabs may be a viable alternative for those who neither have the salary nor the parents to shell out for such an investment. And the advantage they have over private cars: no parking and personal responsibility concerns. I personally prefer having a hi-bye relationship with my means of transport. With taxis, however, you never know what you’re gonna get. I once opened a cab door to reveal a small colony of baby cockroaches crawling all over the seat (I promptly shook my head at the driver and closed the door). Another time I realized too late that the seat was wet and ended up with God-knows-what on my shorts, wishing no one could smell whatever was on my butt.

Then there are the choosy cab drivers who balk if your chosen destination is “traffic.” As fellow Supreme writer Antoinette Jadaone put it, “Magtanim na lang kayo ng kamote. Walang traffic dun.” And the list goes on. Infinite taxi queues, those Fridays when you’re exhausted and just can’t seem to flag anything down, that on-edge fear of finding yourself in one of those hold-up modi operandi, and so on and so forth.

To be fair, most of the cab rides I’ve taken have gone smoothly and without glitch. But if you’re feeling indulgent and want a first class upgrade — without having to plunk down for a vehicle, insurance, and a driver’s monthly salary — there is Uber, an on-demand technology company that provides users with safe and comfortable private car services.

Hassle-free rides

The general idea is to simply click a button when you’re done with your meeting, have a sleek black car roll up as you walk out the door, a clean, safe ride arrive at your destination in style, and simply thank your driver as you step out. No need to fumble for change as the mobile app automatically charges your credit card and e-mails you the receipt. Riders also get to give immediate feedback and receive refunds if it seems they were charged too much.

The app itself is free and currently available in over 70 cities and 27 countries. No need to make adjustments when you land in Shanghai or Singapore. It automatically adjusts itself and provides you with the local rates. In Manila, Uber currently charges P90 for pick-up, an additional P12.10 per kilometer, and P2 per minute. It also comes with a fare estimator, so that there are no surprises, and a fare split option if you’re riding with friends.

All cars and drivers are thoroughly background- and quality-checked. And as soon as you get a match, you’re provided with information on the driver, as well as how he was rated by previous customers. You also get to track the car via GPS (i.e. no unnecessary turns to spike your bill).

In San Francisco, where the app has reached maturity, it takes around 90 seconds to get a ride, no matter where you are. Here in Manila where Uber just launched, it currently takes 10 minutes. Regional general manager Michael Brown aims to bring that number down as they’re able to partner with more private contractors with suitable vehicles, as well as achieving more competitive rates for their customers. For the drivers/partners, the pay they get is commission-based, and they get to keep the majority of the fees. Brown believes in a “shared economy.” If drivers make good money, it results in a safe, enjoyable ride, happy riders, and more customers. Actual rates and percentages weren’t disclosed, though.

“Our goal is to eliminate all that crap,” Brown says of the inconveniences today’s commuters and drivers face. “Luxury is about not having to worry; being able to just chill out and focus on your job.”

Uber is obviously not meant to be a solution to our bigger infrastructure issues, but it’s a luxurious, relatively affordable escape — which seems to be the only transportation improvement we’ll be having in a while. And hopefully with this new competitor on our streets, maybe, just maybe, others will be inspired to pick up the slack (instead of going after them for pseudo- and laughably ironic safety reasons).

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The Uber app is available on iOS, Android, and Blackberry. Tweet the author @catedeleon.