What We Know About JoyRide Motorcycle Taxi Hailing Service
On December 20, 2019, The Department of Transportation’s Inter-Agency Motorcycle Taxi Technical Working Group (DOTr-TWG) extended the run of the Motorcycle Taxi Pilot Implementation and announces two new motorcycle taxi-hailing services: JoyRide and Move It.
The two companies will be joining Angkas in the motorcycle taxi pilot run until March 23, 2020, which will provide data to the government in deciding to pass a law legalizing its operations.
Also read: A Guide to Motorcycle Laws in the Philippines
From left, Rico Meneses, consultant and CEO of PH-MC Riders Safety and Skills Training Center, Richard Aruisu, JoyRide chief financial officer, Noli Eala, vice president for corporate affairs, Edwin Rodriguez, business development advisor, and Sherwin Yu, president handing out the official JoyRide helmet.
JoyRide Philippines, under We Move Things Philippines Inc., is said to be owned by Ralph Nubla and Bes Chua according to President Sherwin Yu and Vice-President for Corporate Affairs Noli Eala.
The company started operating in Metro Manila as a motorcycle taxi-hailing service last December 23, 2019, with passengers using the mobile application JoyRide: Motorcycle Taxi available in both Google Play and App Store.
Last year, DOTr released an official fare matrix for motorcycle operations in Metro Manila:
- Php 50 for the first 2km
- Php 10/km up to 7km
- Php 15/km for succeeding kilometers, with dynamic pricing based on supply and demand with 1.5x surge cap
However, JoyRide claims they do not implement surge pricing making them the cheaper option. As of December 29, 2019, the latest report from DOTr, JoyRide is currently operating with 6,907 authorized drivers out of the 10,000 rider cap.
According to their Facebook Page, the company approves applicants only after a week-long process which includes an obstacle course training with and without a passenger.
Afterward, the riders are fitted with biker uniforms, helmets, masks, shower caps, safety vests, safety belts, and other related items.
Joyride’s obstacle course for the applicants includes riding with a passenger.
The platform official Chino Arvisu says they tried to ‘copy’ the model of Angkas riders training and ‘improved it.’ pic.twitter.com/loCfEiMDpp
— Jacque Manabat (@jacquemanabat) January 7, 2020
The trial run until March 23 is for assessing the safety and efficiency of the motorcycle taxis in the Philippines. However, the commuting public is hopeful that this will alleviate the current traffic situation.
Also read: Angkas: Beat Metro Manila traffic with motorbikes
Images from JoyRide Philippines Facebook Page and JoyRide Passenger on GooglePlay
