Smart, Uber partner to help ease traffic, minimize carbon footprint in the Philippines

Partnership between Smart Communications and ridesharing company Uber, which entails providing a more practical mode of transport to Smart employees in Metro Manila, will help minimize the company’s carbon footprint and contribute in efforts to ease traffic congestion in the metropolis.

Smart UberSmart employees converge at uberHOP pickup points to share rides.

Smart has set up pickup points in Quezon City and Paranaque where employees can converge during morning rush hour and share an uberHOP ride to Smart Tower in Makati City. Each uberHOP ride can accommodate up to six passengers.

Once their work shift is over, Smart employees can meet at an uberHOP spot in the office to share a ride going back to Paranaque and Quezon City. Smart has over 5,000 employees in Metro Manila.

Prior to the launch of the project, Smart conducted a survey among its employees to learn and understand their usual travel routes. The results helped Smart and Uber decide where to set the uberHOP pickup points.

Since November, Smart has also been using Uber for Business as a mode of transport for sales personnel without their own service vehicles. These employees are given an Uber for Business account which is linked to a central payment account where their fares are automatically charged. This means the employees do not need to shell out personal money and ask for reimbursement later on.

“Uber is committed to using its ridesharing and carpooling technology to solve the traffic situation in Metro Manila. Partnering with Smart to run uberHOP routes to help the daily commute of its employees is one more way to getting there,” said Uber Philippines General Manager Laurence Cua.

“By embracing technologies like Uber for Business, companies like Smart can save on the costs of buying brand new vehicles for their business fleets. This means fewer new cars on the road, which ultimately help reduce traffic congestion,” he added.