Move it expands rider fleet

MANILA, Philippines — Motorcycle taxi service provider Move It has expanded its rider fleet by six times since getting acquired by Grab Philippines, as it targets to onboard one million customers in its app within the year.

According to Move It general manager Wayne Jacinto, the firm has added around 5,500 riders to its fleet since Grab bought out its operations last year.

“Currently, we have around 6,500 riders and counting because, as we speak, we are getting more and more riders on our platform,” Jacinto said.

Prior to the acquisition, Move It had maintained a fleet of about 1,000 riders, far from the cap of 15,000 set by the technical working group on motorcycle taxis. Jacinto said Move It would fill up its remaining slots as soon as it can to compete with Angkas and JoyRide PH.

Move It hopes that its user base and rider fleet increase with the launch of its new app. Jacinto said the upgraded platform has multiple features that ease the booking process for customers.

The app will also employ GrabMaps – Grab’s hyperlocal navigation data for Southeast Asia – that riders can use to get detailed information on how to go around Metro Manila’s roads.

Apart from this, Move It promises an up time of 99.95 percent, making it an almost crash-free app, and will introduce cashless options for payment soon for the convenience of commuters.

With this, Jacinto expects Move It’s user base to increase to one million by the end of the year, from 100,000 at present, due to the upgrades made by the firm to its platform.

“The reason for optimism is that we always want to set the bar higher. We are positive about this because (through) the wonders of the new app, its features and reliability alone, we know that we can attract more customers into our platform,” Jacinto said.

Moving forward, Move It seeks to infiltrate new routes in Metro Manila and its adjacent areas. To date, the two-wheeled operator deploys motorcycle taxis in 11 cities in Metro Manila, such as Makati City, Manila City, Pasay City, Quezon City and Taguig City.

On the other hand, Jacinto asked the government to increase the cap on the number of riders that motorcycle taxi service providers can maintain to address the growing demand in the metro.

Just the same, commuter group The Passenger Forum called on policymakers to remove the cap, saying it limits the potential of motorcycle taxis to become a viable mode of transport.