HYPE executives with Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board representative, representing LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra.  (l-r) HYPE CTO Jon Colondriz, HYPE COO Jen Silan, HYPE President Nicanor Escalante, LTFRB Technical Division Chief Joel Bolano, and HYPE Chairman Retired Admiral Danilo Cortez.

Taxi cabs in the Philippines have been the brunt of complaints and issues for the past so many years. These range from driver decorum, passenger safety, all the way to how the vehicles perform.

As part of the ongoing campaign of HYPE Transport Systems, Inc.to upgrade the overall rider experience, especially to taxi cabs using the HYPE app, they have called on and approached the various taxi operators to come together and to commit via a signing of a manifesto to improve overall taxi passenger experience; supported by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

Photo shows HYPE President Nicanor Escalante signing the Positive Rider Experience Manifesto.

“In as much as we in HYPE recognize the importance of further enhancing and developing the key transportation service given by our gallant taxi operators and taxi drivers In easing the woes of our passengers, we also recognize that there is a need to provide proactive solutions to the various issues raised by the riding public,” said Mr. Nicanor Escalante, President of HYPE Transport Systems, Inc.
Escalante further said, “We took the liberty of meeting with the biggest taxi operator associations like PNTOA and ATOMM, and have encouraged them to sign a commitment, a manifesto that focuses on the three biggest issues of concern; and have committed to partner with them in providing solutions; and we are happy that the LTFRB has supported us in this endeavor.”

Photo shows LTFRB Technical Division Chief Joel Bolano, representing LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra, signing as witness to the Positive Rider Experience Manifesto.

The issues that were pinpointed were: driver decorum, passenger safety, and vehicle quality. All three were the identified critical factors to achieve an overall positive rider experience.

Photo shows HYPE President Nicanor Escalante with the President of ATOMM, one of the taxi operator associations in attendance Mr. Florentino Biso

For driver decorum, HYPE has committed to open its center in Shaw Boulevard as a venue for further driver re-training with the full concurrence of the taxi operators. For passenger safety, aside from the landmark SOS button found in the HYPE app that calls for help in cases of passenger (and driver) distress, the taxi operators committed to be stricter in the screening of its drivers and to closely work with authorities. And lastly, for vehicle quality, the taxi operators have committed to put emphasis on vehicle maintenance and cleanliness, and these vehicles will be routinely checked by HYPE representatives. All the vehicles and drivers who have passed the standards will be affixed with a HYPE sticker.
To learn more about HYPE Transport Systems, Inc. visit their website at www.hypetransport.com; and their Facebook page www.facebook.com/HYPE.

ABS-CBN formally launched its passenger safety mobile application PasaHero last Monday (Feb 3), gaining support from government agencies and other transportation mobile apps to push for passenger safety and security in the country.

“Through this app, we can really help the public instead of just reporting incidents. We can be there ahead and intercept any untoward incident,” said ABS-CBN chief digital officer Donald Lim.

The launch also marked the partnership of the app developers, ABS-CBN Digital Media Division and ABS-CBN News, and its cause partners, government agencies Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and Land Transportation Office (LTO), as well as its corporate partners, taxi booking app Grab Taxi and carpooling app Tripid.

Under the partnership, DOTC, LTFRB, and LTO will help in informing the public about the PasaHero app and educate stakeholders such as bus franchise owners and taxi operators about how the app can help in promoting passenger safety and security. It also requires PasaHero to help said government agencies in collecting relevant transport data via an additional feature that will soon be launched on the app.



“This is a good first step towards achieving better modes of transportation. Our priority is always safety, and our mandate is to ensure that passengers can travel safely without fear of criminality and accidents. It’s initiatives from the private sector like the PasaHero app that help us push forward in achieving our goals,” said DOTC spokesperson Atty. Michael Sagal.

LTRFB chairman Atty. Winston Ginez, meanwhile, stated, “Safety is our primary concern in all kinds of land transportation. In the near future, there will be features in this app which government agencies can use to be more involved and active.”

“We support this app not only because of all the incidents that are happening. In ordinary traffic violations, who would be better to police the streets than the people who are riding public utility vehicles? This app will greatly help us and we wish that this could be taken further as the LTO is also trying to develop its own application for citizens to report simple violations,” said LTO executive director Atty. Emilio Bantog Jr.

Corporate partners Grab Taxi and Tripid, meanwhile, will help in PasaHero’s information and education campaigns.

(L-R): LTO spokesperson Jason Salvador, LTO exec director Atty. Emilio Bantog Jr., DOTC spokesperson Atty. Michael Sagal, LTFRB chairman Atty. Winston Ginez, ABS-CBN chief digital officer Donald Lim, ABS-CBN Digital Media's head of innovations Mori Rodriguez, ABS-CBN News Digital Media head Anna Rodriguez, Tripid president John Michael Ngo Dee, and Grab Taxi VP for marketing Natasha Dawn Bautista

The signing of the declaration of commitment for passenger safety and security on Monday (Feb 3) was attended by ABS-CBN Digital Media Division head Donald Lim, ABS-CBN News Digital Media head Anna Rodriguez, DOTC spokesperson Atty. Michael Sagal, LTO spokesperson Jason Salvador, LTO executive director Atty. Emilio Bantog Jr., LTFRB chairman Atty. Winston Ginez, Tripid president John Michael Ngo Dee, and Grab Taxi VP for marketing Natasha Dawn Bautista.

PasaHero, developed by ABS-CBN’s Digital Media Division and powered by ABS-CBNnews.com, was launched in November 2013 and has since acquired 25,000 downloads on iOs and Android devices.

PasaHero allows its users to record, plot, and broadcast details of their trip via social media and SMS and notify family and friends of any danger encountered on the road.

When users feel threatened, they can press the app's “Panic” button to activate the phone's video camera, record audio and video files on the device, and send details of their exact location to a customized list of emergency contacts.