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Desperate Metro Manila locals tap movers for commuting

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2022

The surging Christmas traffic and the severe shortage of rides in Metro Manila have left locals taking desperate measures with at least one app-based mover being asked to “deliver” people to their destinations.

The courier company, however, has made it clear that it has no policy to accommodate such commuter requests.

Anna (not her real name) recalled how she tried, for two hours, to book a Grab ride from her Makati office to her Quezon City residence.

That was in November, a month before the Christmas rush, but the traffic was already terrible, she said.

“I didn’t want to take the MRT [Metro Rail Transit] because the line was too long and it was just too crowded,” she told the Inquirer, adding that she also did not want to risk being infected with Covid-19.

When she couldn’t even get a ride through motorcycle platform, Angkas, she thought of contacting delivery service Lalamove, and selected a four-wheel vehicle.

On arrival of the driver, she told him that she actually had no item for delivery except, well, herself. The driver agreed.

“He then told me during our trip that I wasn’t the first to try getting a ride through Lalamove,” she said.

She paid 550 pesos (967 baht), including a 200-peso tip, for that ride, while her typical Grab fare would have cost about 800 pesos.

Lalamove on Tuesday issued an advisory informing patrons that it was “not licensed” to transport people.

“Our Lalamove bossings [bosses] have the right to refuse since this is illegal and is not allowed in our platform,” the company said.

“Let us help each other by allowing our partner drivers to focus on fulfilling your Christmas rush deliveries,” it added.

Traffic and mobility in the country’s capital have gained notoriety worldwide if international studies are any indication.

In the 2022 Urban Mobility Readiness Index of the Oliver Wyman Forum and the University of California in Berkeley, Manila ranked 58th among 60 cities, with Nairobi and Lagos completing that list.

The top five cities in terms of urban mobility were San Francisco, Stockholm, Helsinki, Singapore and Zurich.

Arriving from abroad early this month, journalist Atom Araullo took to social media to relate his experience as a stranded traveller at home.

“No coupon taxis, no metered taxis, no Grab. We also do not have a bus or train here. Basically, if you do not have someone to pick you up, you’re dead,” he said in a tweet that went viral. “It’s been an hour and counting. This is what a broken transport system looks like,” he said.

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Asia News Network