Cebu taxi-hailing app to expand fleet to 5T
JOEFEL O. BANZON
Cebu taxi-hailing app Micab is set to expand its fleet from 1,000 currently deployed taxis in Cebu City to a total of 5,000 by June this year as it bids to create "Taxi 2.0."
The app, founded by Cebu natives Eddie Ybañez and Kenneth Baylosis, has since expanded the platform to serve hundreds of thousands of the city’s passengers.
Micab’s fleet of over 1,000 taxis in Cebu City serves more than 20,000 daily, helping relieve the congestion that comes from commuters choosing private vehicles over public transport like cabs.
CEO Ybañez noted the vision of Taxi 2.0 is to make the taxi-hailing public be able to seamlessly, easily and quickly connect with cab drivers who are kind, courteous and friendly.
Micab is looking to add 4,000 more units at a rate of 1,000 per month beginning March 25 until the end of the deployment in June 2018.
He said the roll-out will help the app better serve its users.
“One of our priorities is speed. Once you hail a cab, it should come to you within minutes. Our proprietary matchmaking algorithms have reduced this commuting time by several measures, and the addition of 4,000 more taxis will only bring it lower. This roll-out, then, will ultimately help Cebu’s passengers reach their destinations quicker and more conveniently,” said Ybañez.
While Cebu remains a priority market, the taxi-hailing app is looking to expand to the rest of the Philippines.
Its expansion in Cebu will occur concurrently with deployments in other major markets, including Metro Manila, Bacolod, Iloilo and Baguio.
He said these markets have big taxi populations.
“Each of the cities has one of the largest taxi populations in the Philippines, yet still has tremendous inefficiency in the system. Cab drivers cannot find passengers, and passengers cannot find cab drivers. Micab’s launch will centralize taxi-hailing through a single platform, and in so doing, make it more efficient: Rather than stand in a street and wait, you’ll have a cab come to you," he noted.