Riding shotgun
MANILA, Philippines - We’ve all been there: the cars in front of you haven’t budged in 15 minutes, the sun (or the rain) beats down on your windshield, and you painfully admit to yourself that you’re going to be late to wherever you’re heading. We all wish we could get out of our cars and walk the rest of the way, but the pollution keeps us confined to our vehicles. A voice on the radio articulates your frustrations, and you wish you could do something about all this. Guess what? You can! Uber has launched #POOLSquad, an uberPOOL contest promoting the positive impact that ridesharing can have on road congestion and the environment.
The campaign is headed by 15 local personalities — ranging from actors and artists to athletes and hosts — who have been split into three teams: Squad Move, Squad Change and Squad Impact. Uber users can use a unique uberPOOL code to side with a team of their choosing. Afterwards the app will track the number of trips taken by each team as well as the kilometers that each trip has saved. Uber users have until Sept. 4 to earn kilometers for their chosen teams. After which, the riders who have traveled the most using the uberPOOL service will win Uber credits as well as free uberPOOL rides. But of course the real winners at the end of the contest are all of us — as we get to enjoy fewer cars on the road and faster trips around the city.
Aside from continuing Uber’s advocacies of providing reliable transportation to the public and creating income for partner-drivers, the uberPOOL service has also made large contributions to reducing fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. And since the launch of #POOLSquad, a total of over 307,000 kilometers has been saved in Metro Manila. Most importantly, the campaign empowers all of us everyday riders by putting the power to change the Manila traffic situation directly into our hands. #POOLSquad may come to an end, but it just might start a ridesharing revolution that can help decongest our roads permanently. After all, the best way to beating traffic is to fight it together.
* * *
For more information, visit uberpoolsquad.ph.
