Angkas used to save time, now it saves lives with ‘AngkasBuhay’
Motorcycle-hailing app service Angkas is set to launch the very first motorcycle ambulance service in the country by 2019. Angkas dubbed the service “AngkasBuhay,” an ambulance service that aims to provide first aid on-the-spot for emergency cases or immediate transport of doctors to the patient. Existing driverpartners and new sign-ups are invited to join the pilot program in Metro Manila to train as volunteer paramedics.
Initially a collaboration between Angkas, Our Lady of Guadalupe Colleges (OLGC), and Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center (VRP) in Mandaluyong City, AngkasBuhay will pioneer an intensive training course for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT-certified) drivers.
After undergoing training, qualifiedEMTdrivers,armed with lifesaving techniques aboard a speciallydesigned “ambucycle” fitted up with medical supplies and equipment,will be able to stabilize patients untilsecondary medical transport arrives.
Expected to go live towards mid2019, AngkasBuhay will be featured through an in-app “Emergency” button to match the EMT driver in close proximity to the patient.
Debuted on November 25, 2018 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, Rizal during the inaugural Safety Fiesta of Angkas to commemorate its first anniversary, AngkasBuhay is the latest initiative of the transport app in support of public safety.
“We’ve all heard the tragic stories about critical patients who needed to be rushed to the hospital but because of the traffic gridlock and the cost of ambulance rides, many are sadly, dead on arrival. For some of us, this may even hit close to home, but what if Angkas could change all that?”saidAngkas founder and CEO Angeline Tham.
Angkas Operations Head David Medrana also took the opportunity to encourage drivers to register for the AngkasBuhay program, “We welcome both new drivers and our current partners to become part of our elite EMT team.AngkasBuhay is accepting applications and we are looking forward to introducing our first batch of trainees to the public.”
Concluding the program, Tham underscored that AngkasBuhaystrengthens their larger brand advocacy for safety: “Angkas is steering 14 million motorcycle drivers to a safe and professional livelihood,and now with AngkasBuhay, the platform can also be a means for saving lives.”
Since launching the service in 2017, Angkas has provided free driver education to 60,000 motorcycle drivers,with 20,000 qualified drivers in their fleet across three urban hubs in Metro Manila, Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro.