 "How U-Hop is taking on Uber in the Philippines")
Manila’s horrendous traffic is blamed on a combination of factors, with the sheer volume of vehicles topping the list. That’s to be expected – if bus and railway systems are overcrowded and deteriorating, people will opt for cars.
Uber and GrabCar make it easy to order cars and they’re comfortable too, persuading many to just order a ride and leave their own vehicles in the garage. Yet there’s a debate about whether these tech-based transport companies actually cut the number of cars plying on the streets since they often take only one passenger at a time.
We know one start-up in the Philippines that claims it can do more than Uber or GrabCar – U-Hop. “U-Hop because everyone deserves better,” reads its tagline.
Similar to Uber and its ilk, the company allows commuters to book rides through its website and app. It doesn’t own the vehicles, but partners with the owners or operators. However, unlike Uber, U-Hop makes use of shuttles, which can seat seven to 12 passengers per trip.
Shuttles are a popular mode of transport among Filipinos. The problem is, oftentimes, lines at terminals are too long.
On U-Hop, commuters book a ride, are picked up at a common point, and then dropped off where they intend to go. The system chooses the passengers who will ride together in a trip – matching those with the same route and same pick-up time.
At the moment, U-Hop takes on a B2B model: it deals with large enterprises, such as call centres, which provide shuttle services as a form of benefit to their employees.
