EARLY in life, we learned how to compete. Who gets to land in the top ten in school; who gets to be the valedictorian and salutatorian, and magna and cum laudes.
In nature, there is competition both within and between species in ecology, especially community ecology. Competition is necessary to maintain ecological balance. Get rid of the predators and you get herbivores or omnivores such as a rat or locust infestation ruling over the food supplies of humans.
In the economy, competition is an accepted practice in the business world. Competition restricts inflation. It forces companies to try to sell their products at lower price forces companies to make better products to earn the customer’s trust and get a bigger market share.
In the Christian world, 1 Corinthians 9:24 said: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize?” There is no escaping competition. Even in transportation.
Lately, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)-Bacolod officer-in-charge Jong Alcover said that “When there is competition, everybody wants to be better than the other one.”
Alcover said the entry of Hirna would challenge other operators, like Grab, to further improve their services to the passengers. Hirna is a convenient and affordable taxi-hailing. It’s the better way to get a ride than the traditional ride-hailing.
“With competition,” says Mr. Alcover, “services in the transportation sector will be better compared before,” he said, adding that “aside from catering to more passengers, it would now be easy for them to ride a taxi.”
In Western Visayas, Hirna has initially tapped at least 900 taxi units. Nearly half of the taxi member-units of Taxi Operators of Negros Occidental (TONO) are now part of the Hirna network.
Aside from online booking, the application allows commuters to book a taxi ride through calls and text services.
He forecast the increasing number of tourists coming in, hotels and other infrastructures, the demand for better transport services is expected to rise.
“We need to think in advance. We should anticipate that in the next two to three years, there will be more passengers,” said Alcover. “We might not be able to supply the demand if we will just think of the present.”
I say, let market forces—not the state—determine the winners and the loser. Let the players with better services and resources. That way, the riding public wins. (bqsanc@yahoo.com)