ESakay electric jeeps servicing Makati-Mandaluyong commuters introduced to riding public
The need for electric vehicles andgreen technologyhas never been more relevant.
Land Transportation statisticsfrom 2017 revealed over 10.4 million vehicles traverse the country’s road network, with 2.5 million on those jostling on the overburdened streets of Metro Manila alone.
Reports from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) indicate total vehicle sales of 425,673 units in the same year.
Though the perception is that fewer people are buying new cars due to higher excise taxes, rising inflation, and increasing fuel prices, sales figures still managed an 18.4 percent growth rate.
Numbers indeed show an economy on the uptick.
But it brings new challenges to mitigate pollutants from a dependence on fossil fuels, promptingstakeholders to study how to reduce carbon emissions through the use ofEVs.
eSakay, an end-to-end electric transport solutions provider,helps address the country’s snowballing transportation concerns and answers the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) gradual but inevitable shift in its massively ambitious 2017 Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
With an opportunity to play a significant role in the government’s PUVMP, eSakay, incorporated in 2018, applied for and eventually received provisional authority to operate 15 eJeeps for the Buendia MRT Station-Mandaluyong City Hall via Jupiter St. developmental route.
The modern eJeeps from eSakay are 100 percent electric and emission free, compliant with PUV innovationsfor the convenience and safety of the riding public: equipped with side entrances, onboard Wifi, an automated fare collection system, GPS tracking system, CCTV cameras, USB ports so passengers can charge their phones while traveling, and others. The service will also have priority seating for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
“Meralco haslong been an advocate for the wider use of electric vehicles in the country with the EV shuttling service and electric bike sharing program at the Meralco Center in Ortigas. It soon became clear to us that electric vehicles were indeed a viable transport solution. That’s when we partnered with private companies, government institutions and now, public transport operators who expressed keen interest in utilizing EVs for their transport needs,” said eSakay Chairman and Meralco Senior Vice President Alfredo S. Panlilio
“Beyond supporting transport operators by supplying ePUVs and building charging stations, we realized that we could create a greater impact by being one with them. From this, was born our project to operate an electric jeepney route connecting Mandaluyong to the Makati CBD” said eSakay President/ CEO and Meralco Vice President Raymond B. Ravelo at the unveiling.