Move It to onboard 6,000 riders

Grab-led motorcycle taxi firm Move It said Thursday it would onboard 6,000 more rider-partners in the next three months to boost its fleet and provide commuters more choices.

In a statement, Move It chairman Francis Juan said that there is more than a million demand for motorcycle taxi rides per day in Metro Manila alone, "but there are not enough operators and drivers to meet this demand."

He said that Move It would scale up to provide more rides and improve its booking app for rider convenience.

"The public need is there and growing. Besides, this motorcycle taxi business will generate thousands of jobs and add an additional component to the public transport system by providing first-mile and last-mile rides, such as when you are taking the bus from the north or south of Metro Manila or before or after you take MRT and LRT," Juan said.

Last month, Grab Philippines announced it acquired Move It and would help the motorcycle taxi firm scale up its existing fleet of less than 1,000 partner-riders.

To further help driver-partners, Juan said Move It "will collect only a 15% share of fares compared to commission rates as high as 20% by other operators."

He said that the 15% commission is "all in" and will leave the drivers with an 85% gross income.

"We want our drivers to earn more, especially in these challenging times of high fuel prices and inflation. Twenty percent commission is the usual platform service fee, but we want to keep our commissions lower to increase the take-home pay of our drivers," he said.

The Move It chairman also called on lawmakers to file and pass a bill legalizing motorcycle taxis and opening up the sector to interested parties, similar to the bus and taxi sectors. —VBL, GMA News