ANOTHER taxi-hailing application was launched in Cagayan de Oro on Friday, April 27, breaking the monopoly in the ride-hailing industry.
Hirna is Davao's homegrown taxi-hailing application which, unlike other apps, offers zero booking fee by tapping existing taxi fleets.
Hirna is partnering with Cagayan de Oro Taxi Operators Association (CDOTOA), which groups 40 major operators and represents over 50 percent of the city's active taxi units.
"Cagayan de Oro and Iligan are our first expansion areas outside of Davao, consolidating our market stronghold in Mindanao. Expect more cities joining the rapid growth (of the) Hirna family in the next few weeks," Francisco Coco Mauricio, Hirna president and chief executive officer, said.
"We are honored to work with the taxi operators and drivers of CDO and Iligan as our partners in serving the public. What we bring to CDO and Iligan as we begin our expansion from Davao to the rest of the country is fair competition that provides more passenger options and results in a healthy and innovative transport industry for all stakeholders," he added.
Lawyer Samuel Jardin, executive director of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), said compared to its competitor, Hirna's fare matrix is the cheapest.
Jardin said this is a welcome development for the transport network services as the LTFRB continues to make sure that transportations are safe, convenient, and cheap for the public.
Hirna's business model maximizes existing taxi fleets to avoid adding to the traffic situation with new cars, he said adding, that this ensures less waiting time for commuters. Unlike other taxi-hailing app, Hirna does not charge drivers transaction fees to drivers which often eat up most of their income.
The app is also unique for offering a 24/7 customer service support to answer queries and even assist passengers with no smartphones to book a ride.
Mauricio said the app can be downloaded from both iOS App Store and Google Playstore for android phones.