Taxi ops group: HirNa to help ease traffic
WITH more than 5,700 taxi units in Davao City, Metro Davao Taxi Operators (MDTO) saw the opportunity to help lessen the traffic congestion through HirNa, a local taxi hailing app developed in partnership with Avis Philippines and Globe Telecom.
From the phrase “here now”, the mobile app HirNa meant to connote speed and convenience in booking a public transport specifically of taxi cabs. Last October 12, Sunstar Davao published a report on MDTO plans of launching HirNa. MDTO chairman and Maro Taxi owner lawyer Rogelio Largo then said that their app, given that it is local, will make use of the existing taxi units in the city and would need no more of the entrance of new taxis as it would only add up to the already congested city.
Last Tuesday, December 19, the memorandum of understanding was signed between the Department of Transportation and the city government of Davao City. It signified the start of further developments related to the application.
Avis Philippines President and CEO Francisco Mauricio said they target to officially launch the app for public use by early part of 2018. The platform of the app will be Avis Global Ride Hailing Backbone. Mauricio assured that on their launching there would be no passenger booking fee and no surge pricing.
Largo said they see a future where no more taxi drivers would roam around the city searching for passengers, instead they are just going to wait for online or app bookings. With this, Mauricio supported that it would help lessen unnecessary cars on the road thus decreasing traffic congestion and carbon footprint.
As the application is accredited by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), the taxi service is improved with the driver/vehicle rating system complete with LTFRB hotline in case of passenger complaints.
Currently, MDTO has about 1,500 total taxi fleet members and they plan to increase their members simultaneous to hitting the target of 4,000 taxi units operating with HirNa by the early part of 2018 when it would be launched. Largo said by January, they would already start with the driver training.
Unlike Uber and Grab, Largo said the mobile units to be used by the taxi drivers will be provided for by the opera- tors and will not be by the drivers in installment basis. HirNa also assures that the standard metering scheme for the fare will still be followed.
Mayor Sara DuterteCarpio, who graced the launching, saw the application as a response to her challenge to taxi operators in Davao City to help address the traffic problems in the city.
“The traffic situation in Davao City has become a paramount challenge and the city government is trying to double its efforts to address this problem…During my State of the City Address, I have challenged the taxi operators of Davao City to come up with a local and a unified app as a parallel effort to resolve the city’s traffic crisis and we are here this afternoon to mark the first of an accepted challenge through this HirNa taxi app,” she said.