Words by Micah Avry Guiao
With the surges in price on the rise, most ride-hailing apps are starting to become unaffordable to the general public. What was once a normal Php 150 ride home from campus for me has now turned into a frightening Php 300 ride. As a frequent ride-hailing app user myself, added to the fact that I’m just about the most frugal person in existence, I’ve often resorted to a number of ways to lessen expenses.
Here are some tricks I learned to make ride-hailing apps a little more affordable.
5. Take advantage of the carpool option.
Most ride-hailing apps offer a carpool option—GrabShare, UberPool, Wunder Carpool, what have you. The price difference between carpool and a private ride is relatively significant. Plus, not only do you contribute in helping lessen air pollution by carpooling, you also get to pocket in more cash for yourself.
Pleasant as it seems, carpool should only be done when time is not of the essence. I was once an hour late to a play because I opted to carpool to save a few pesos. So when it comes to time-sensitive events, ditch the carpool and settle for a normal car ride.
4. Â Check notifications for promotions.
I know for a fact that most of us don’t bother to check the other tab options in ride-hailing apps. It has only recently come to my attention that there’s a notifications tab filled with several promotions coming in every week. It definitely wouldn’t hurt to check this tab prior to every booking you make.
3. Apply for Student/PWD/Senior Discount.
Surprisingly, not a lot of people know this. I can’t even fathom how much money I’ve saved ever since I applied for a student discount. This can be found in the settings tab. All that needs to be done is submit a photo of your identification card to attain 20% discount on all your succeeding rides and wait for a few days for it to be approved. Fare adjustments will then be made accordingly.
Take note, however, that some drivers are evasive when it comes to accepting bookings that have applied discounts like this. So if you find yourself unable to book a ride, perhaps removing the discount would help.
2. Peek at their social media.
Aside from the notifications tab, promos can be found in most of these apps’ social media pages. Sometimes, they post exclusive promos on social media, for example, while no such announcements make it to the app. I once saw a promo code posted on Twitter that was valid only on the same day it was released. It left as quickly as it came, but that Php 80 off made all the difference.
1. Book rides in landmarks.
Instead of having the driver pick you up in little known places (such as your home address, obscure establishments, or narrow alleyways), try to pin your pick-up location in landmarks. Walking a few steps or blocks would save you a couple of pesos. Of course, better check the differences in price if the effort is worth it. You could save as low as Php 2, or as high as Php 50 or more.
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Got any tips to add? Let us know in the comments!
