Got a bright idea to move people (not cars) in Metro Manila?

Take the Inclusive Mobility Challenge. You may win Php50,000 to scale up your project.

What do these innovations have in common?  

• A project that promotes the use of affordable fuel from used cooking oil (the Don Bosco Technical College Center for Research and Training and the Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Operators/Drivers ng Los Baños Coop-Transport Service Multipurpose Coop).  

• A solution that shows how bicycles can be an efficient and functional form of transport that addresses the needs of the poor (Zambikes).  

• A website that makes carpooling safe, practical, and rewarding (Caronetas Caronas Inteligentes).  

• A transport sharing system that improves how the poor can access a wide range of modes of transport (Hangzhou Omnipay Co. Ltd.).  

They are all bright ideas that put people, not cars, first. They make it easier for the poor and the vulnerable in the cities in which they operate to walk, bicycle, or commute. They all promote Inclusive Mobility.  

It’s high time that we all worked together to move Metro Manila and promote Inclusive Mobility. We all pay a steep price for living in a megacity that that puts cars, not people, first. Consider these facts.  

Fact: Eight out of 10 people in Metro Manila take public transport. But commuters and persons on foot are often the last priority on the roads.  

Fact: Everyday, on the average, 5 people are killed and 79 persons are injured in 235 road accidents in the Philippines.  

Fact: In Asia and the Pacific, road deaths make poor families even poorer. Seven out of 10 victims’ families suffer decreased income. Many victims’ families are driven into debt.  

Fact: Traffic congestion in urban areas in the Philippines translated to about PHP140 billion in 2008 in Metro Manila alone. This sum is about 2% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. It is attributed to lost person-hours, added fuel consumption, health costs, and lost investment opportunities.  

The poor and the vulnerable bear the brunt of a mindset that puts cars, not people, first. They endure unsafe roads, inconvenient public transport, and the lack of sidewalks and bicycle lanes. As they struggle to make their way through Metro Manila, they experience the following:  

·    Increased travel costs.

·    Exposure to air and noise pollution.

·    The loss of dignity, productivity, and property.

·    Physical injuries and deaths.  

To address these issues, the Ateneo School of Government’s Innovations at the Base of the Pyramid in Asia (iBoP-Asia) Program is launching the Inclusive Mobility Challenge.  

What is the Inclusive Mobility Challenge?  

It is a search for groundbreaking projects that make it easier for the poor and the vulnerable to walk, bicycle, or commute in the 17 political units that make up Metro Manila. These innovative projects include projects that—  

• Make the streets of Metro Manila safer for everyone, particularly the poor and the vulnerable, including children, the elderly, persons with disability, persons on foot, and cyclists.  

• Shorten travel times, lower travel costs, and make public transport more convenient.  

• Lessen air and noise pollution and climate change brought about by motor vehicles.

Who should join the Challenge?

Any Philippines-based individual or organization that has an ongoing and legal project that address the mobility problems of the poor and the vulnerable in Metro Manila is welcome to send in an entry.

As long as you are at least 15 years of age, you are welcome to join the Challenge.

How do I submit an entry?

Go to http://inclusivemobility.net/challenge/entry-form/ and complete all required fields in English. Then press “Submit.”

What prizes are at stake?

Entrants vie for the following:

• An opportunity to become eligible to win the following cash prizes

Grand Prize: Php50,000

2nd Prize: Php40,000

3rd Prize: Php30,000

5 Runners-up Prizes worth Php10,000 each

People’s Choice Award worth Php6,000

• Recognition and publicity at the Inclusive Mobility Summit in August that will bring together decision makers from the business sector, entrepreneurs, government agencies, and civil society.

• A chance to replicate or scale up the Inclusive Mobility project.

What important dates should entrants keep in mind?

All entries should be submitted by July 16, 2012.

Winners will be announced on August 9, 2012.

Have any questions about the Inclusive Mobility Challenge?

Please go to the Challenge website or send an email to submission@inclusivemobility.net.

You may also call Lorenzo V. Cordova, Jr., EnP, research associate of the Inclusive Mobility project, at 426 6001, locals 4646 and 4639.

About the Inclusive Mobility Project  

Inclusive Mobility is the short name for the project, “Catalyzing New Mobility in Cities: The Case of Metro Manila.” The project is implemented by the Innovation at the Base of the Pyramid in Southeast Asia (iBoP-Asia) Program at the Ateneo School of Government. The Rockefeller Foundation supports the Inclusive Mobility project.  

Press release