GrabTaxi App Promises Safe Commuting in Manila

When in Manila, commuting is largely done by taxi. Unfortunately that is not always a pleasant experience: many drivers have bad reps for spiking meters, taking longer routes, negotiating commuter prices or rejecting customers based on their destination. What’s worse: who hasn’t heard of the countless modus operandi stories that involve horror scenarios (i.e. kidnapping) in taxis? Especially women commuting alone are advised to take extra caution.

A new cell phone application promises to put our main taxi-ride concerns of safety and convenience to rest: GrabTaxi Philippines. The application launched in Metro Manila in June 2013 and already counts over 3000 taxi drivers as part of its network.

How does GrabTaxi work?

1. Download the app for free on your cell phone through Apple Store/ Google Play/ Windows Store.

2. Set-up a profile.

3. Easily book taxis by logging your current location (with help of GPS signal) and end destination.

4. After booking a taxi, the application will search for a driver closely located to you. Once a driver confirms your booking, you will be able to track his route and time to get to you on the app’s map.

5. Pay an extra P70 (or P50 with current Globe Promotion) on top of the metered price for the ride.

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As soon as a driver is located near you, you will receive this notice.

What makes this application unique?

Safety

GrabTaxi’s main priority is its customers’ safety. The company uses a tracking method that records each customer’s pick-up and drop-off time, as well as the route taken. Drivers are also very carefully chosen:

– GrabTaxi only partners with reputable taxi companies in Manila.

– Each partner taxi fleet provides only their best employees/trusted drivers to GrabTaxi.

– Each driver has to provide a barangay clearance.

When booking a taxi through the application, you will receive a notice once a driver is found. This will contain a picture of the driver, his name and license plate number. Tip: instead of texting the license plate number of your taxi to one of your family members, just take a screenshot of the GrabTaxi driver’s profile and send/mail it through a message.

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GrabTaxi Driver information. Take a screenshot and send this to a family member or friend for added safety!

While using GrabTaxi will cost you an extra P70 (P50 with the current Globe promo), the peace-of-mind and certainty of safety you get is priceless.

After your GrabTaxi ride, you have a chance to rate the driver. Drivers receive various gifts and incentives from the GrabTaxi company based on their ratings. This keeps them motivated to continue to give each customer the best service. In contrast, GrabTaxi discontinues partnerships with badly rated drivers.

Convenience

Booking a taxi through the app won’t take longer than a minute. Usually it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes for the GrabTaxi driver to get to you afterwards. Even while long taxi lines may form in busy areas, you are able to surpass these by booking a taxi through the app. Drivers are equipped with a smartphone & GPS system to find and follow the fastest route for each customer.

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Natasha Bautista, GrabTaxi Marketing VP, at the Blogapalooza GrabTaxi Booth

I’ve personally used the app many times and can highly recommend it! During rush hour it might be hard to book a taxi through GrabTaxi, however the company plans on expanding its network of drivers to meet the growing demand. The application was even awarded a runner-up position in the Harvard Business School’s 2011 Business Plan Contest!

So, next time you are desperate to get home safely and don’t want to line up at the 2-hour taxi line in front of the mall When in Manila, just Grab-a-Taxi.