The Unified Transport Operations League (UTOL), an all-Filipino transport network company (TNC), said it will offer its drivers social benefits such as Social Security System, PAG-IBIG, and PhilHealth insurance as part of the company’s objective to give them better working conditions and incentives.
According to the company, it subsidizes the SSS contributions of eligible drivers/operators. Drivers are required to be active on UTOL six months straight to avail of the benefit.
UTOL chairman of the board Roland Maningas, in a recent press interview held in Makati City, said the company has crafted a program that will enable drivers to become operators.
“After six years, the drivers can transition to driver-operators. The drivers will be evaluated every three months to determine if they can qualify for the program,” Maningas said.
“They must get high ratings from the riders who will rate them for the cleanliness of the vehicle, good driving habits and good service to the riding public. The drivers will be receiving their vehicle once they pass the evaluation,” Maningas added.
Pet carrier services
He said UTOL also plans to introduce later a pet carrier service by designating pet-friendly vehicles to allow fur parents to bring their pets mainly for checkups to their favorite pet clinics.
“We need to go with the trends these days,” Maningas said.
To preserve health and cleanliness of UTOL vehicles, Maningas said drunken passengers and people who have wet goods are not encouraged to ride UTOL . He added the goal is to preserve an odor-free vehicle.
Lawyer Orly Ocampo, head of the Legal Department of UTOL, said their drivers will continue to undergo training to deliver better customer service.
Safety features
Moreover, Ocampo said one of the features of the app is the “Help” button to assist passengers in case they sense there is danger around the area.
To help expand their presence in Metro Manila, Ocampo said UTOL will put up their terminals in PTIX,SM Mall of Asia and Robinsons Malls later. “We also put up our stations in NAIA Terminals 1,2, and 3. UTOL will offer advance booking services for their convenience of the passengers,” he said.
He said UTOL will launch services in Tacloban, Bohol and Cebu. Right now, it is operating in Iloilo City, one of the major centers of business in Western Visayas.
Ocampo said UTOL decided to operate into the provinces in response to the Board Resolution of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) which opened slots for transportation network vehicle service (TNVS) applications in the Visayas and Mindanao Regions.
UTOL was launched last April 30 this year with an objective to be a disruptor by offering a slightly better value proposition to prospective private vehicle operators/drivers by addressing their unmet needs.
Unlike in Metro Manila, Maningas pointed out that TNVS availability in the provinces is scarce and there is a big market that TNCs can expand into. “We saw that in the provinces, there is demand for TNVS services, usually fueled by tourists. However, the riding public and public utility vehicle drivers and owners in these areas are not wholly familiar with the TNC concept. We want to be the first to penetrate these new markets. We want to educate both the riding public and the driver operators and show to them that there are other ways to get around in their areas and provide better transport services,” he said.
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