JoyRide added a new service to cater to their customer base and attract new “Kasundo” in Metro Manila with their new “Next Generation” Super Taxi service. This is on top of their current motorcycle taxi business, which has been operating in the country since 2019, together with Angkas and MoveIt, as accredited motorcycle taxi ride-hailing apps.
This new taxi service, “De-Metrong Kasundo,” is JoyRide’s answer to the ongoing demand for commuters looking for a safe, clean, and hassle-free commuting experience without too high of a cost compared to other taxi options, especially as the holiday season starts.
The Super Taxi’s entry into the market is marked by excitement from various stakeholders, especially commuters looking for a cheaper and more convenient alternative to meet the current needs in Metro Manila.
How is JoyRide Super Taxi different from its competitors?
You can think of the Super Taxi fleet as the perfect marriage between your regular taxi cabs that you can hail directly on the road and app-based ride-hailing services like Grab, but they ensure their service will be a notch higher or more than their competitors.
Larger vehicles
The Super Taxi’s standard model is a shiny black Toyota Veloz, comparable to Japan’s JPN Taxi. It is also large enough to seat up to five passengers comfortably and has higher roofing than the standard sedan taxi. On its side is a white and yellow “Super Taxi” logo, giving their cars a premium vibe–a feeling almost non-existent to most commercial taxis today.
Grab, on the other hand, has options between 4-seater sedans and 6-seaters MPVs/SUVs. This gives customers the option to book a vehicle that best suits their trip and number of passengers.
Better entertainment
Aside from the Super Taxi’s size improvement relative to the regular taxis, they also have a digital top light and a built-in in-cabin infotainment system in front of the passenger seats for entertainment, navigation, or displaying ads. Grab currently doesn’t offer infotainment systems as a standard in its fleet.
Same cost as regular taxis
One of the advantages of using the Super Taxi is their metered fare. This is because they will follow the same regular taxi flag-down rate from the LTFRB as the regular-metered taxis on the road, creating competition that may force the outdated taxi industry to innovate their current level of service.
Professional drivers
You can also expect superb customer service from the full-time professional Super Taxi Drivers as they undergo extensive screening and training to ensure they are highly qualified and fit to provide the usual JoyRide Kasundo Brand of Service. Meanwhile, Grab has both part-time and full-time drivers.
Where is JoyRide Super Taxi available?
JoyRide Super Taxi is expected to start roaming the streets of Metro Manila with its initial 25 cars just in time before the holiday peak as more people will go out and require efficient transportation for their holiday shopping and commuting.
Since the initial car rollout is limited for Metro Manila, you may have a more challenging time bumping into these Super Taxis. Still, it is also expected to change come next year as JoyRide plans to increase their taxi fleet further in 2024 onwards to cater to the ever-increasing demand in Metro Manila, which will be available for customers to book through the JoyRide Superapp or hail on the road.
On the other hand, Grab is more readily available throughout the country. Aside from the usual coverage by JoyRide, Grab also operates in Greater Manila Area, Cebu, Bacolod, and more.
JoyRide Super Taxi versus Grab fares
To see how the JoyRide Super Taxi will match against the usual option in Metro Manila, Grab, we made some test rides comparing the two vehicles’ prices. This test aims to differentiate the new JoyRide Super Taxi from GrabTaxi, which are similar services.
The chosen locations were arbitrarily determined based on various Metro Manila locations: North (TriNoMa), West (Rizal Park), East (SM East Ortigas), South (SM Mall of Asia), Central (SM Megamall, Ayala, and BGC) and were booked at 1:00 AM, to see how the two services will match during off-peak hours. Take note that fares may change depending on the location, time, and day you book.
Example 1: Rizal Park to TriNoMa
Transporting from West to North, the GrabTaxi (Php291 – Php347) is relatively cheaper than JoyRide (Php317 – Php458).
Example 2: SM MOA to Ayala Triangle Gardens
Transporting from the South to Ayala CBD, JoyRide (Php211 – Php304) has a slight advantage over GrabTaxi (Php217 – Php259) at the lower price but is more expensive at the upper cost.
Example 3: SM Megamall to Bonifacio High Street (BGC)
From SM Megamall to BGC, JoyRide (Php207 – Php299) slightly edges GrabTaxi (Php228 – Php272).
Example 4: Robinsons Galleria to SM East Ortigas
Going to the eastern part of Metro Manila from Galleria to Pasig/Rizal, GrabTaxi (Php179 – Php213) is cheaper than JoyRide (Php184 – Php266).
Based on these examples, JoyRide’s Super Taxi almost matches the prices of GrabTaxi, given their fleet is much smaller than Grab’s. It is also important to note that the Super Taxi is newer and larger, so a few additional pesos for the fare will be a small difference.
JoyRide is a home-grown ride-hailing and delivery super-app that started with a motorcycle taxi app but has since expanded to delivery and “pabili” services, a private car-hailing app, and the recent Super Taxi.
Since its introduction in 2019, JoyRide has already onboarded more than 30,000 driver partners to their two- and four-wheel vehicles. They are currently operating in Metro Manila, Rizal, Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, Cebu, and Baguio but are already in the works of expanding their services to Pampanga and Ilocos Norte.
Grab has entered the Philippines way back in 2013 and has presence in other Asian countries like Singapore and Thailand. It has thousands of delivery and driver partners nationwide, which makes it easier to book their services.
What do you think? Have you tried both Grab and JoyRide Super Taxi? How’s your experience? Share it with us in the comments section below.
This article, JoyRide Super Taxi vs Grab: Vehicles, Fares, Coverage, was originally published at NoypiGeeks | Philippines Technology News, Reviews and How to's.