4 Ride-Hailing Services That You Can Use Today Other Than Grab

Written by Marc Adrian

Uber once led the competition in the ride-sharing business due to their highly efficient business model. Now that they’re gone, commuters are once again faced with the same dilemma before ride sharing took off. While Grab does offer almost the same services as Uber, it can’t really fill the vacuum that Uber has left behind.

Fortunately, a new breed of homegrown Transport Network Companies (TNC) aka ride-sharing apps has risen to the occasion. In the midst of Grab’s domination in the transportation scene, these ride-hailing apps provide a better variety of options for commuters to choose from. While they may not necessarily provide a cheaper fare, they can at least give the riding public more options for their transportation needs.

MiCab

The name of the company is a shortcut for Mobile Internet Cab. MiCab Systems Corporation is a taxi-hailing company which started in Cebu City back in 2012. Their service has been contained all throughout Cebu, modernizing the city’s taxi operations. With the rising popularity of this service and the increasing demand, they have expanded their operations to major cities in the country, like Manila and Davao.  

They were granted an accreditation by Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in April this year, and has started their operation in Metro Manila since then.

Here’s a breakdown of the fees for their services:

MiCab prides itself on not imposing booking fees to passengers, and commissions to taxi drivers. What they do for revenue is they offer advertising banners on their taxis. With that being said, their fees follow the government approved fare structure for taxi cabs in the country which is the following:

Booking fee	₱0
Base fare rate	₱40
Per minute travel charge	₱2
Per distance charge	₱13.50 every 300 meters

Vehicle options: Taxi sedans

HirNa

Hirna is a transposed form of the taglish term “Here Na.” This company is another taxi hailing solution that aims to bridge passengers and taxi drivers easily. Their services are pretty much similar with the MiCab, but they just have extra features to enrich the booking and riding experience of passengers.

The company started in Davao City in 2017 as part of the city’s transportation master plan. They were granted accreditation by the LTFRB in April and is fully operating in Davao City. HirNa is now looking at expanding to Metro Manila, Iligan City in Lanao del Norte, and Cagayan de Oro in Misamis Oriental.

Just like MiCab, Hirna follows the government approved fare structure for taxi cabs in the country which is the following:

Booking fee	₱0
Base fare rate	₱40
Per minute travel charge	₱2
Per distance charge	₱13.50 every 300 meters

Vehicle options: Taxi sedans or taxi AUVs

Other features

1. Hirna also extends their services to people who does not have the app or a smartphone for that matter. They have a 24/7 hotline service for bookings to cater to commuters who need their service but are unable to book it through the app.
2. Their app can also connect commuters directly to the hotline of the LTFRB with just a tap of a button

Owto

Owto is a TNC from Ipara Technologies and Solutions Incorporated, which was founded by former Grab and Uber drivers who wanted to make the ride-hailing platform affordable for commuters and profitable for drivers. Owto recently launched on May 18.

According to their Chief Operating Officer, Paolo Libertad, Owto charges the least in terms of commission compared to other companies (Grab). Instead of the usual 20%, Owto only charges 15% of the driver’s earning. Their commission scheme spares incentives, too.

Like Uber and Grab, it offers transport network vehicle services for sedans around Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, and Cavite.

Their passenger related fees are closely similar to the government approved fare structure for taxi cabs, but with some minor adjustments. They also implement surges in rates according to the demand, and cancellation fees. Their fee structure is as follows:

Booking fee	₱0
base fare rate	₱40
Per minute travel charge	₱2
Per distance charge	₱12 every 1km
Cancellation (if done after 3 minutes from booking time)	₱50
Surge cap	Two times the fare and distance travelled

Vehicle options Private cars – AUVs and sedans

Other features: Pooling feature

Hype

Hype Transportation Systems Inc. is an all Filipino company that has developed a transport app primarily to provide pre-arranged transportation services between the passengers and duly enfranchised TNVS and taxi drivers and operators and help improve the value and experience to the riding public.

Among the TNCs, Hype Transport Systems focuses on the security of both drivers and commuters. Though the app is only available on Google Play Store, for now, Hype will feature an “SOS” button in times of emergencies.  

Unlike other ride-hailing services, their fees and fares will vary depending on the type of vehicle passenger books. Here’s a breakdown of the fees for their services:

Base fare
Sedans	₱40
SUVs	₱70
Vans	₱100
Meter charges
Per distance charge	₱14 per km travelled
Surge cap	Twice the estimated cost
Ride sharing
Base fare	₱30
Per distance charge	₱9.50 per km travelled

Vehicle options: Hype offers different vehicle types for commuters ranging from taxis and sedans to AUVs and SUVs. It will also offer a ride-sharing service for sedans.

Other features

1. SMS booking. This allows passengers to get a ride by simply texting their pick-up location, destination, and preferred HYPE product.
2. For added convenience, HYPE allows passengers to change their destination while on a trip without having to book another ride.

Public transport in the Philippines, especially in Metro Manila, can be a pain. While there isn’t a lack of vehicles that can take you around town, safe and comfortable transportation is most of the time inefficient. Gone are the days when taxicabs are the go-to public transport of commuters, because not only do they come with an extremely steep base fare rate, manila drivers don’t really hold a commendable reputation.

With these ride-hailing platform, commuters will now have the options for safe and efficient public transportation that are also affordable. This is a huge step towards innovation and modernization of today’s transportation scene in the Philippines.

Although not available for all providers, choosing to pay using your credit card will give you that added convenience on your daily commute. If you don’t have one yet, the card below is a great option to consider specially if you travel frequently to Hong Kong or China.