Living in Metro Manila, getting to work can be done in so many ways: using public transportation (jeep, bus, fx, trains), driving your own car (if you have one), taking a Taxi/Uber(if you got the money), or walk (if have no choice). But just last year, we got a new addition to our commuting options: carpooling. This is made possible by Uber(Uberpool) and Wunder.
Is carpooling a better option for commuting to work?
This is what I want to find out.
Why even try carpooling?
I live in New Manila and I work in Ortigas. Home-Work distance would be around 6km.
Like everyone else, I would like to be able to commute to work using the least amount of time without breaking my budget (and also still appear fresh when I get there). But the existing commute options just don't fit given my home/work location.
Using Public Transportation
This is the cheapest in terms of money spent, but it is the most time and energy consuming option.
I need to walk, then take the jeep/lrt/fx and it would take me at least 45 mins to get to work, that is when all the stars aligned in my favor.
But on a bad day, it would take 1.5hrs.
Problems:
- no definite time on when the next ride will come
- if they do come, it is still not definite that you will be able to ride (especially during rush hour)
- if you are able to ride (jeep/fx), it depends on the amount of passengers if the driver will go straight to the destination or stop at every opportunity to pick up passengers. Or sometimes waits indefinitely, until he starts losing passengers.
Taking a Taxi (non-Uber)
Not really value for money. The ride is usually not maintained, and with all the taxi horror stories, I would rather Uber.
Taking a Taxi (Uber)
Too costly, not for daily commute.
Driving to Work
This was my previous option. I can get to work in just 30 mins. or in bad traffic situations, maybe 1hr.
For the cost, much more expensive than using public transportation.
But for the time and effort saved, I think it is worth it.
Problems:
- gas prices recently started going up
- parking rates also going up (Why do that Megamall / Shangrila ???)
Current weekday parking rates:
- P50 for first 3 hours
- P20 per hour after
The Challenge
Now, having a new option for commute, I decided to give carpooling a try.
For a month, I will not drive or take a taxi to work.
I will try to experience carpooling to its full potential.
Right now, I just finished my third week into this challenge.
And this is my experience so far:
Uberpool vs Wunder
For my daily commute,
Home to Work : Uberpool (depending on the fee, if fee is too high, I use the public transportation)
Work to Home : Wunder (if I can get a matching driver, if not, I use the public transportation)
Uberpool
Using Uberpool is easy. If you are familiar with the Uber app, booking for Uberpool follows a similar process.
You just need to select the Uberpool option.
Price: much affordable than taking a taxi (except when there is surge in pricing, which happens most of the time being my destination is Ortigas)
Travel Time: 30mins to 1hr (depends on co-passengers destination / pick up)
Effort: no Energy Gap
Downside:
- price changes depending on the situation (traffic, time and if ongoing carpool happens to match your way)
- drivers dependent on Waze
- Waze is designed to get you from Point A to Point B. But if you have multiple endpoints, you need to analyze, based on current location, the best route to get all passengers to their destination the most efficient way. But these needs familiarity with the streets in the area, which most drivers lack.
- unpredictable travel time
- even if the start and end destination are the same, drivers and co-passengers are different all the time. So aside from the traffic situation, it will greatly depend on the driver's skill and co-passengers pick up and drop off points.
Ride Experience:
Usually, we just let the driver take the lead. But when driver seems to be getting lost, it's time for teamwork. Sometimes, passengers check each others destination, then instructs the driver for a better route to take. There are also times when a driver makes a wrong move, but this leads to other passengers reaching their destination faster. So they just asked to get dropped off even if they are not yet at their target location. Because waiting for their turn based on the apps algorithm would maybe take another 10-20 mins. Overall, it is very convenient but it would be better if drivers are more familiar with the roads and not too much dependent on Waze. This is a service after all. So for a transport service, I think it is just right to expect its drivers to have a certain skill in driving and familiarity with the city being serviced.
Tip: You can move the target destination to other locations around the area that is still walkable to your target destination.
Sometimes you can get a lower price for that.
Wunder
Being the first app for carpooling in the Philippines, using it needs a little getting used to. But as most apps, it's controls are quite intuitive. So getting started is not really a problem. After creating an account, you just need to set your home / work location and the time you need a ride to home / work.
Price: More expensive than public transportation but much cheaper than Uberpool.
But the best part, it is fixed no matter the situation.
Travel Time: 30mins to 45mins (depending on traffic situation)
Effort: mostly on coordination with the driver schedule and pick up/drop off location
Downside:
- getting a ride is harder compared to Uberpool. As a rider, it will all depend on whether available drivers will accept your request
- schedule needs to be coordinated, it can't be just based on your own time
Ride Experience:
Surprisingly, I am enjoying this experience. At first, I did not expect to get a match. But I got a driver to accept my request. I was worried on my first ride. The only thing I know about the driver is based on his profile in Wunder, which do not say much if the user only provided the required details for registration. But the good thing is, you can communicate with the driver before the actual ride. Getting to know his route, I got a friend from the office to join me on my first ride, since she also goes the same way. And the ride went quite well. For this ride, my drop off is not at home. But getting a next ride to get home from this point is much easier and travel is much faster too. His time is a little earlier than my usual schedule, so I tried looking for other matches.
As a rider, you can see possible drivers for your defined schedule. There is also a network list, these could be users that is near your work / home location that you can also message. Browsing through the list, I found someone who I can possibly carpool with based on his description of his route. Tried messaging and got a ride home. Being the only rider at that time, he was nice enough to drop me off at home. But his time is a little late and I need to walk 10 mins to get to the pick up point. So I continue to retain my ride request at my specified time.
Unexpectedly, my request got accepted by another driver that is closer to my scheduled time. I was the only rider at that time too, so he was able to drop me off at home and even refused my payment (quite a gentleman). But of course, I still paid for my ride. It's the thought that counts anyway.
Tip:
- Include your route details in your description, this may get you a better chance of getting a ride or having a rider (for drivers).
- Always communicate with your driver before the ride, so you can plan the meet up point and find each other if this is your first time to meet. This will also give you a sense of each other, you can always decline the ride if you don't feel comfortable continuing the trip.
The Verdict:
Between Uberpool and Wunder, I prefer Wunder for carpooling. Aside from the price being fixed, travel time is also more predictable because the passengers are more or less the same each time. The driver also knows his way, a definite advantage when you want to beat the traffic. In Uberpool, you share the same car. But in Wunder, you share the experience. Because it feels like doing each other a favor. Having someone to share his ride with you, and as a rider being able to cover a part of his travel expense. And getting to know other people in your community is what makes the ride interesting. During the ride, sometimes you get to share stories or just something about each other. This is something you don't get when doing the usual commute, since the people you meet is different every time.
But I still do use public transportation from time to time.
This is when Uberpool rates are too high or my schedule don't fit the matching driver's time.
With this, will I still continue carpooling?
- Definitely. Still hoping to get a match in Wunder for my ride to Work. I think it needs more members to join, so more routes can be covered. And there are some members who are not active, maybe because they couldn't get a match. But with the latest updates, it could be much easier in finding one.
Is carpool for everyone?
- If you drive to work everyday, maybe you should give this a try
- If you need to make more than 2 transfers for your commute or a faster way is possible but no public transportation passes that way, carpooling may be a solution
Don't expect the cost to be similar to using public transportation. But the extra expense is worth the time and effort saved. And also knowing that you have a sure ride to work / home than just waiting indefinitely when you can get a ride in using public transportation (no more long lines).
This blog is to share my experience with carpooling and hoping more people can give it a try. We can't change the traffic situation or how the public transport system works. But we can work as a community and help each other in ways that we can, to make commute to/from work a better experience.
And maybe I can get a match to get a ride to work.... 😄
Carpool, anyone?
Tip: Make sure to get the latest version of Wunder. There are a lot of updates recently that helps in finding a match.
