Taxi-hailing app ‘here for the long term’

[cobaltpurple]

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THE company behind taxi-hailing app GrabTaxi said it gives away P1.3 million through promotions in Cebu every day. Despite a competitor’s claim that its business model is short-term and unsustainable, a company official believes its investments in Metro Cebu will create loyal users in the long run.

“We’ve already tried and tested our promos in countries like Singapore and Malaysia for two years before. I am not afraid or in doubt of what we are doing,” Grabtaxi city manager for Cebu Raymond Dejan told Sun.Star Cebu when sought for reaction. Earlier, miCab co-founder Kenneth Baylosis described GrabTaxi’s model as short-term and unsustainable, adding that while the latter may have gained traction because of its promos, commuters will probably stop using the app once these offers end.

“We would not do this here if we had not been successful in other countries,” Dejan said.

MiCab is also a taxi-hailing app, but unlike GrabTaxi, which traces its roots to Malaysia, the former was conceptualized and developed in Cebu by Cebuanos. Last week, miCab announced it is also becoming an advertising platform; partner taxis are installed with LED signs that display advertisements. It charges a P10 booking fee, lower than GrabTaxi’s regular booking rate in Cebu at P25.

At present, GrabTaxi in Cebu has 2,000 partner-drivers and 48 taxi operators. Dejan said it covers half of the 4,000 total number of taxi drivers in Cebu today. On a daily basis, GrabTaxi Cebu registers 18,000 bookings, he added.

Dejan said that although it is predictable that the number of bookings will decline when promos are eliminated, he expects there will be a good number of loyal users who will remain.

“We are offering the promo because we want to share to them the GrabTaxi experience, that they are safe when they get in the taxi and they know who their driver is,” he said.

Dejan said Cebu is the most successful site for GrabTaxi in the Philippines in terms of the number of bookings and partner drivers.

GrabTaxi was officially launched here in July 2014. Downloads in Cebu for Android have already reached 101,000. Currently, the taxi-hailing service is also available in Metro Manila, Bacolod, Iloilo, and Davao.

Source: http://goo.gl/gV9OmY

[luff101]

It's true that I will stop using the app once the promo offers end. People are just being practical. Kinsa may dili anang less 30 or 50 sa imo plitihan. Lisud kaau e market ning ingon ani nga business but let's see kung unsay labas ani.

[cobaltpurple]

kabantay mo karon. ge limit na lang gali ang mga promo code. Sauna pwede ra kapila mo booking. Siguro mga 10 - 15 na lang ka rides per grab taxi user na lang ang magamit. Parihas ni sa Malaysia, ang mga taw chargan ug dagko nga booking rate para ma bawi ilang gasto.

[kevitzrey]

gi hinay2 nmn nilag tang2 ang promo. so padng najd na wala. mo uso paba kaha gihapon ni.

[kit_cebu]

It's true that I will stop using the app once the promo offers end. People are just being practical. Kinsa may dili anang less 30 or 50 sa imo plitihan. Lisud kaau e market ning ingon ani nga business but let's see kung unsay labas ani.

cebuano pay imo...igo rang mo-tilaw...gahi mo-balik...
awa peryahan sa parkmall, wa mag-dugay...

[lstorya]

The app itself is usefull still even without the promos under certain conditions. Like certain time of day nga lisod kaau isakay og taxi kay sakay kaau or kanang mga lugar nga dili sudlun og taxi, ang passenger pa gani mo hatag og tip on top of the booking. Pero they're correct though, most of the people who does that are katong loyal customers or kanang naa dyud kwarta. Kay kung tihik ka, mo hike man dyud ka.

[digitalsuperman]

nana bay uber sa cebu?

[cobaltpurple]

The app itself is usefull still even without the promos under certain conditions. Like certain time of day nga lisod kaau isakay og taxi kay sakay kaau or kanang mga lugar nga dili sudlun og taxi, ang passenger pa gani mo hatag og tip on top of the booking. Pero they're correct though, most of the people who does that are katong loyal customers or kanang naa dyud kwarta. Kay kung tihik ka, mo hike man dyud ka.

True. Other than the cost, the availability and the usability of the app itself is a factor to consider. Unsaon manang gamay nga cost sa booking fee kung maabtan sag siyam2x para maka book lang.

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sa manila ra bro.

[jntio]

naka suway naman ta ko aning grab2 ug diko pirme ma byaan sa driver

[master stanan]

ok to ang grab taxi last year. mao cg namo gamit. Pero ni try mi mga kaduha this year wa na jud mi kasakay ky way ma locate nga taxi ambut ngano kaha abtan sd mi ug siyam siyam.

Pero feasible mn jud cguro ni ky murag hasol sd tong uban na manawag pa ka sa hotline sa holiday, ken or air/scorpion taxi nya paabuton pa ka nya wa jud makuha na taxi nya if mka kuha sd ka nila flag down dayun, naa payuban driver maro sd kaayo pa sangil dayun ug nasaag. nimels.

ang grab mka monitor ka kung asa na ang taxi, pwedi sd nmo matawagan (bintaha ang naa mga globe landline)