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Let’s take a quick look at the traffic situation in Metro Manila through numbers: There are 2.7 million households all in all, with 1.3 million private cars on the road. Around 20,000 people use a car to commute from Quezon City to Makati every day. Sixty-five percent of those drive by themselves. A car owner can spend up to PHP10,000—some surveys say PHP20,000—a week on gas. Definitely not chump change!
Now let’s see how often you complain about traffic every day—once? Twice? Every time you’re actually stuck in traffic? Every time you run late? More than you care to reveal?
Now, if someone told you that you could—without no extra cost, with minimal effort, and with added perks—help ease the horrendous traffic problem in Metro Manila, and actually do something instead of complain about it incessantly, you’d latch onto it, right?
Right?
Here’s an idea: Carpooling. According to Wunder COO Sam Baker, increasing the average number of people traveling in a car even from one to two persons per ride could have a dramatic impact on lowering traffic across the entire Metro Manila.
For those not yet aware, Wunder is a carpooling app that was launched in Metro Manila in February 2016. Within ten short months the community grew to over 200,000 riders and drivers, sharing thousands of rides a day.
Wunder passengers wax poetic about being relieved of the stress of having to wake up extra early, lining up at PUV terminals, and worrying about their safety. But there are a lot of benefits to drivers, too. Check these out:
1. Save money. You can easily transform your empty seats into savings. Wunder drivers share the empty seats in their cars to save on gas money. According to Wunder, the average driver in 2016 shared 14 rides per month and saved between PHP3,000 and 5,000 per month. The total savings for car owners who share seats consistently with two to three passengers can add up quickly: over PHP50,000 pesos in one year! That’s valuable savings that can be converted into a family holiday, more shopping money, or gimmick nights with your new Wunder friends.
2. Do some networking. You’ll never have to complain about not having time to shmooze because all your extra time is spent on the road. All that time in traffic can now be used for something productive. Whether you’re in IT/Engineering, Financial Services and Management (the top three professions of Wunder drivers, by the way), you’re bound to get something out of exchanging career leads and discovering potential clients on the way to and from work.
3. Make new friends. Passengers on Wunder’s Facebook page share that they’re able to save up to 80 percent on their commuting expense—but that the friendships formed with their drivers and co-commuters are the real bonus. One group’s grown so close that they have “out-of-car” get togethers. And who knows? Those friendships might just blossom into something more special! Wunder babies, anyone?
4. Help decrease traffic. Take charge and do your part in controlling the traffic situation. A statement from Wunder says that, “In 2016 the Wunder Carpool community proved that we don’t need more vehicles or flashy services to solve the problem of congestion in Metro Manila…Last year hundreds of thousands of people came together in Metro Manila and, without adding a single car to the road, helped each other get to work.” Hear, hear.
5. Help save the environment. Here’s another compelling reason to carpool. Less cars on the road means less pollution, and if you’ve experienced the smog and lead-laden air of Metro Manila while commuting via buses and jeeps, you know exactly what we mean. The latest reading of the Philippines Carbon Dioxide Emissions (2014) placed the level of emissions at 97.91 million metric tons, up from 92.49 million in 2013. For perspective, we emitted 12.88 million in 1965. A metric ton is equal to 2,204.6 pounds. You don’t have to be a scientist to understand that that’s a lot of junk in our lungs. Around 80 percent of polluted air in Metro Manila comes from motor vehicles, causing an increase in cancer, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases, especially among young children.
It’s easy to see why Wunder, which originated in Germany, is growing at such a phenomenal rate here in the Philippines. Filipinos are naturally social human beings, and anyone who’s downloaded the Wunder app will see that it’s more similar to a social networking tool than a taxi app. Filipinos like to share our blessings—from a simple meal to a room in our home—we like to make chika, and are known for our knack of making friends wherever we go. And deep inside, we’re all inherent do-gooders.
Wunder’s business model is straightforward. Think of it as a streamlined, online version of friends coordinating with each other for a ride to work. Wunder drivers aren’t professional cab drivers out to make a profit; they simply offer up empty seats in their cars on the way to the office. There is a split-cost feature, which makes sure the driver is compensated fairly for his or her efforts, plus standard insurance policies are enough to cover both drivers and passengers. The ultimate goal, according to Baker, is “to limit the number of cars on the road, and not to create a professional, for-profit transportation service.”
If we don’t do our part and let pollution in Metro Manila run its course, emissions will reach 46,677.29 gigagrams by 2020. A gigagram is a mind-boggling 1,000,000,000 grams. Are you going to allow us to get nearer to this dystopian possibilty??
It’s 2017. These days, you don’t need to rip any cedulas to become a hero—all you need is to share your ride! So download and start saving today!
