New player in ride hailing, food delivery to launch in Q4
KOTA KINABALU-The airasia Super App is gearing up to be the next big challenger for Grab Philippines this year, with the launch of its ride hailing and food delivery services by the fourth quarter.
“For the ride hailing app in the Philippines, we are working aggressively in terms of hopefully bringing it toward the fourth quarter of the year,” airasia Super App Philippines managing director Ray Berja told The STAR in an interview.
Berja said the company is working with the government, particularly with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), to secure a franchise.
He said on top of providing discounts and convenience to travelers, the planned fourwheel ride-hailing service in the country would also provide frequent users a chance to win tickets for domestic destinations.
“We will leverage on the ecosystem of the airline where it becomes an aspirational reward for the passengers,” he said.
“Let’s say you will ride once, twice, or thrice, you get entitled to a raffle ticket where you can win domestic travel across the archipelago,” Berja said.
As for the food delivery service, Berja said the plan is to introduce it in the country by October.
He said the company is now in talks with different merchants in preparation for the start of its operations.
Capital A, formerly known as the AirAsia Group, officially launched the airasia Super App in the Philippines last April with the aim of further stimulating the country’s strong e-commerce market.
“When you look at the Super App, it’s really empowering more because it’s the digital transformation of travel. It’s beyond the legacy way of traveling because in the Super App, there’s really a harnessing of data that we can offer across markets,” Berja said.
“We are transforming the way we travel. Gone are the days when you actually spend so much money and so much time in actually booking your flights and hotel. With the airasia Super App, you can now choose your flights and accommodations, even plot your itineraries in just a few clicks using just one app,” he said.
Aside from the Philippines, the airasia Super App also operates in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand.
The platform offers flight and hotel bookings, e-commerce, food and parcel delivery, ride-hailing, financial and health services, on-demand education and more, anchored by an integrated rewards program and mobile wallet.
The ride hailing platform called airasia ride was first launched in Malaysia in August last year as part of Capital A’s continuous digital transformation journey.
It has expanded to 10 cities across Malaysia in just eight months of operation.
Aside from the Philippines, the airasia ride service is also targeted to be introduced in Thailand and Indonesia this year.