Owto says app’s security features give it an edge

A TRANSPORT network company (TNC) is hoping to grab market share from ride-hailing giant Grab Philippines, saying its app’s new security features give it an edge.

Joel M. Gayod, Owto chief executive officer, told BusinessWorld in an interview last week the company will activate the app’s special security features once the company has fixed payment integration.

“It’s like a surveillance system. We call it silent distress signal,” he said.

Mr. Gayod noted there has been a rise in crimes involving taxis and even TNVS (transport network vehicle service), which promoted Owto to include a “silent alarm” in the app.

“We have this small device pairable via bluetooth which can be discreetly activated or pushed by the driver in case he doesn’t feel safe. And once it is activated, the front camera of the app will livestream to the command center and it will notify our customer service, and they will see what’s happening inside the cabin and we can properly assess if there’s really something wrong going on,” he said.

Using this technology, the Owto official said the company may easily coordinate with local authorities in case of untoward incidents during a ride.

Owto is one of the five TNCs accredited by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in May after Grab Philippines took over the operations of Uber Philippines in March.

Mr. Gayod said they came up with the idea for Owto in March last year, and presented their proof of concept to the LTFRB in November.

“Luckily we had an audience with LTFRB. They gave us a chance. We showed them the proof of concept which is highlighting the security features of Owto,” he said.

As a software developer, Mr. Gayod designed the app’s security feature, along with his team in iPara Technologies and Solutions, Inc., which manages Owto.

The homegrown ride-hailing app started operations on May 18, and so far is available in Metro Manila and parts of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.

Over a thousand drivers are currently using Owto, but Mr. Gayod said they aim to grow this figure to at least 10,000 within three months.

For the past month, the company operated with no profit as it allowed drivers to take home 100% of their earnings. But Mr. Gayod said they will start collecting a 10% commission from part-time drivers and 15% from full- time drivers starting this week.

“We have yet to integrate the payment integration with PayMaya. But the development is under way. We made some tests. So hopefully next week, we’re going to announce to our drivers to start opening their PayMaya accounts so we could implement the incentives, top up, the disbursement,” he said.

Mr. Gayod is confident Owto can go up against Grab, because it has the security features and a lower commission rate than its rival’s 20%.

“We don’t think it will be a tough competition. And we’re very confident with the kind of selling points (we offer). We’re confident that we’ll be competitive,” he said.