The El Nido Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECCI) plans to introduce Grab Tricycle service or “GrabTrike” in Palawan.
Engr. Leonides Echague, ECCI president and director of the 405th Auxiliary Squadron of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA), said Wednesday that they have already coordinated with Grab Philippines and its partner Piaggio Ape, which will supply the tricycles.
“Ang Grab is willing to help through this company na kausap natin kahapon. We will introduce new models from Italy, uses Italian technology and Euro-4 compliant. It is safer, more convenient and there will be a Grab application,” Echague said.
The GrabTrike service will allow drivers to receive customer bookings through an installed mobile application, he added.
He said that there is so far no need for terminals since drivers can merely wait for customers to book a ride.
Echague said that the 100 three-wheeled vehicles of Piaggio Ape are required by Grab company to be ordered by any municipal government who will choose the system before finally starting the operations.
There will be duly licensed tricycle drivers and franchise holders in El Nido first, he said, as well as the conduct of necessary public consultations.
“Ang ini-introduce natin dito ay option, kakausapin natin ‘yong mga toda kasi hindi tayo magdadagdag ng tricycle kundi magpa-palit. This is a very reasonable system na pasok sa bulsa ng mga tricycle drivers. We will give them a very handy, ‘yong napakagaan sa kanila na bayaran ‘yong mga units,” Echague said.
He said that the drivers will have the new tricycles in a rent-to-own basis that they have to pay daily.
With the tricycles, he said that the drivers will be provided with free cellular phones with Grab-installed application for the booking system, including benefits in gas stations.
He said they will start the operation in El Nido town and eventually cover Puerto Princesa City, Narra, Brooke’s Point, Roxas, and Coron.
“This is an opportunity na nakita natin na possible na maging solusyon sa isang malalim at malaking problema na ng isang bayan and this is an opportunity we think is a solution na hindi naman natin ipapasok basta-basta without proper consultation or without any seeking of advice from the local government at sa mga toda. Rest assured na what we intend to do is for the better of the community and of the majority,” Echague said.
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