Komsan Chiyadis
GrabFood delivery-partner, Thailand
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MOVE IT motorcycle taxis are gaining traction in the Philippines
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December 20, 2023
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Philippines
MOVE IT, Grab’s strategic partner for on-demand motorcycle taxi services in the Philippines, has taken big strides this year.
With the support of Grab’s technical infrastructure, the MOVE IT app now includes industry-leading safety features, such as facial authentication for drivers, a 24/7 Safety Centre which provides immediate emergency assistance round-the-clock for both rider-partners and passengers, and a Share-Your-Ride feature. The MOVE IT app went through a big update in May this year, and has since become even more reliable, achieving a 99.95 per cent uptime.
The partnership with Grab helped the homegrown motorcycle taxi-hailing company enhance the commute experience of passengers in many ways. Among these improvements is GrabMaps and Navigation, which operates with hyperlocal information that results in precise and efficient mapping. This lets MOVE IT’s passengers effortlessly find their destinations, and rider-partners optimise their routes.
(Read more: How GrabMaps knows the fastest routes in Southeast Asia)
MOVE IT has also recently introduced a new service on its platform—MOVE IT Parcel Delivery. MOVE IT rider-partners can now accept parcel-delivery orders during non-peak hours for motorcycle hailing, expanding their earning opportunities. It’s a new convenience for consumers who want to be able to send parcels instantly in the areas the app currently operates in, which is Metro Manila, Cagayan de Oro, and Metro Cebu.
MOVE IT’s services are clearly catching on as the app has officially surpassed the two-million download mark, achieving the milestone faster by two months compared to the first million.
The app is also ranked first and second in the Philippines’ IoS and Android app store rankings, respectively, in the travel category.
Professionalising habal-habal
Motorcycle taxis are a common sight throughout Southeast Asia. Each country has its own nickname for the phenomenon: Ojek in Indonesia and motosai in Thailand. In the Philippines, motorcycle taxis are known as habal-habal, and they’re still informal and unregulated.
(Read more: Two-wheel driver-partners now have a better safety report in their apps)
In the Philippines, habal-habal is most prevalent in rural areas, but is increasingly becoming popular in urban locations as well. As it is unregulated, this decades-old “ride-hailing” option has long been plagued with issues around road safety and exorbitant pricing.
To address these concerns, MOVE IT is taking proactive steps in professionalising habal-habal. Initiatives include continuous dialogue and forums with habal-habal rider leaders to encourage them to instead apply to be part of formal moto taxi platforms. The ‘Habal-Habal to Legal’ programme assists habal-habal riders in the process of obtaining a professional licence. MOVE IT ensures that habal-habal riders joining its fleet go through rigorous assessment and safety training to empower them in becoming professional moto taxi service providers.
Towards motorcycle taxi legalisation
The Philippines lags slightly behind peers in regulating motorcycle taxi apps. Indonesia, for instance, regulated ojek motorcycle taxis that are organised through a digital platform in 2019.
But there’s an active debate among stakeholders, and steps are being taken to ensure the right approach to regulation. The Filipino government, through its Technical Working Group (TWG) spearheaded by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), has been conducting a long-term Motorcycle Taxi Pilot Study since 2019.
MOVE IT is part of that pilot programme, along with two other players, Angkas and Joyride.
The pilot is bringing the Philippines one step closer to formally recognising and regulating motorcycle taxis as a mode of transportation.
MOVE IT’s upcoming rides
MOVE IT is committed to improving the experience for both rider-partners and passengers, while working within the framework set by the TWG.
The team is currently holding recruiting events to bring more rider-partners on board. MOVE IT and the other operators in the pilot, are each allowed to go up to 15,000 driver-partners in its Metro Manila operations; 3,000 in Metro Cebu, and 3,000 in Cagayan De Oro.
Together with Grab, which has years of experience operating on-demand motorcycle taxis in countries like Indonesia and Thailand, MOVE IT has developed programmes geared towards ensuring safety, service reliability and affordability, and fare transparency. This commitment will continue into 2024 as MOVE IT expects to ferry more passengers relying on its above par motorcycle taxi service.
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Komsan Chiyadis
GrabFood delivery-partner, Thailand
COVID-19 has dealt an unprecedented blow to the tourism industry, affecting the livelihoods of millions of workers. One of them was Komsan, an assistant chef in a luxury hotel based in the Srinakarin area.
As the number of tourists at the hotel plunged, he decided to sign up as a GrabFood delivery-partner to earn an alternative income. Soon after, the hotel ceased operations.
Komsan has viewed this change through an optimistic lens, calling it the perfect opportunity for him to embark on a fresh journey after his previous job. Aside from GrabFood deliveries, he now also picks up GrabExpress jobs. It can get tiring, having to shuttle between different locations, but Komsan finds it exciting. And mostly, he’s glad to get his income back on track.
