MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines’ taxi industry is about to face tougher competition as JoyRide rolls out its “Super Taxi” fleet, which users can book from the app or hail directly on the street.

The standard Super Taxi vehicle will be a Toyota Veloz with a black exterior, which seats up to five passengers. It will feature higher roofing than the usual sedan model of taxis, along with a modern digital toplight and an “in-cabin infotainment system.”

“It brings us great joy to announce that starting today, passengers can take advantage of JoyRide Super Taxi, just in time for the upcoming holiday season as everyone prepares to navigate the holiday rush,” JoyRide senior vice president for corporate affairs Noli Eala said.

The Super Taxi will also have the same fare as a regular-metered taxi.

“The public can enjoy all these features of JoyRide Super Taxi without any fare increase, as the service will still be classified as a regular metered taxi, or what we call ‘de-metrong kasundo,’” Eala said in a press release on Wednesday, November 8.

An initial 25 units will be deployed in Metro Manila, with rapid fleet expansion plans scheduled for 2024. In the coming days, users will also be able to book the taxis directly from the app.

JoyRide originally established itself in December 2019 as one of the country’s three accredited motorcycle taxi ride-hailing apps, along with Angkas and Move It. Since then, it has added a delivery service in March 2020, a “pabili” service in April 2021, a car ride-hailing service in April 2022, and a regular metered taxi ride-hailing service in September 2023.

At present, JoyRide has more than 30,000 two-wheel and four-wheel driver-partners. It operates in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Baguio, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite, and Cebu. – Rappler.com

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