A MOBILE app-based cab booking and dispatching service company launched its promotional stint last week that offered free motorela ride to commuters in Cagayan de Oro City.
Grab, Southeast Asia’s taxi-hailing platform, initiated a four-day complimentary motorela service to commuters last Wednesday. Dubbed as "GrabRela," the special commuting experience is expected to promote the company to prospect clients.
“Offering the free ride for the Kagay-anons was fun but it has to end because its purpose was only for awareness that GrabTaxi already exists in the city,” said Dino Beramo, senior city driver specialist of Grab Cagayan de Oro.
Beramo said Grab has been offering this kind of promotional service in other parts of the country too. He said for Cagayan de Oro, "rela" was the best choice. Rela, short for moterela is the city’s own version of the iconic Philippine tricycle and has become a unique attraction in the city.
“In other cities, like Baguio, we also launched GrabHorse since ang common ride din doon ay kabayo, and in the metropolitan, we also launched GrabJeepney,” he said.
Beramo said they were able to hire some 10 motorela drivers to fetch passengers from Centrio Mall in Corrales Avenue to any parts of Divisoria, free of charge.
Since it was first launched in the city last year, GrabTaxi now reaches more than 600 bookings per day.
Beramo said they have 400 taxi drivers as members and expanding.
“Our target is that all taxi cabs in this city will ‘Grab’ the opportunity. We also hope that every commuter will download the mobile application and use it kay ma-assure gayud ninyo ang inyong safety with Grab,” he said.
Bernie Jamaca, president of Cagayan de Oro First Taxi Drivers Alliance, said in an interview that most of their organization’s driver already has a Grab app.
He said GrabTaxi has since revolutionized the way commuters hail taxi.
Jamaca urged every commuter to use the Grab mobile app especially that most commuters today have smartphones on hand.
With this app, passengers are safer as they can see the taxi driver’s name, license plate and contact number on his mobile phone, Jamaca said.
Jamaca noted that a passenger can also track the driver through the global positioning system or GPS within the app. (PJO)