Traffic congestion is an everyday reality – anytime, anywhere, for everyone in Manila. With the help of uber POOL, an innovative product that enables people going in the same direction at the same time to share the journey, Uber is reinventing #SquadGoals and inviting Filipinos to (car)pool together to save fuel, cut emissions and reduce kilometers driven on the road.
Through the #POOLSquad competition, in just three weeks, participating teams saved 703,000 kilometers and 33,000 liters of fuel and even reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 77 metric tons.
With celebrities, athletes, and social influencers as captains of the three squads, each team rallied their followers to use uberPOOL and help get more Filipinos into fewer cars. Riders could choose the squad they wanted to belong to from:
- SQUAD MOVE (Arci Muñoz, Rachel Daquis, Jake Ejercito, Mark Agas, and Kim Baranda),
- SQUAD CHANGE (Karylle Yuzon, Iza Calzado, Ara Galang, Bang Pineda, and Mari Jasmine), and
- SQUAD IMPACT (Daniel Matsunaga, Dennise Lazaro, Dianne Medina, Wil Dasovich, and Phoemela Baranda).
Today Uber confirmed the winner of the #POOLSquad initiative – Squad MOVE – with the most kilometers saved by sharing rides on uberPOOL. Its top 50 riders were awarded up to 50 free uberPOOL rides. At the same time, Uber awarded 20 riders, regardless of squad, up to P10,000 worth of Uber credits for having the most number of rides taken during the competition’s duration. Top riders took almost 60 uberPOOL trips over the course of the 21-day campaign.
“#POOLSquad has proven that uberPOOL can significantly help in reducing traffic congestion in Metro Manila while dramatically reducing every riders carbon footprint,” said Uber Philippines General Manager, Laurence Cua. “We hope that more riders join us in this ridesharing revolution by requesting an uberPOOL ride. Together we can change our roads by getting more people into fewer cars.”
TV Actor Daniel Matsunaga and YouTuber Wil Dasovich from Squad Impact shared how traffic congestion has affected them, with Daniel saying, “I spend at least four hours a day stuck in traffic which I could have spent doing something else.” Wil shared how traffic congestion has forced him to make adjustments in his social life, “I rarely attend social events or visit anyone after 4:00 PM mostly due to the intensity of traffic. It would be a lot better for everyone if we could do something about it.”
It’s Showtime host Karylle Yuzon of Squad Change adds, “It is important for people to know that traffic congestion is not only a waste of time and money, but also impacts our economy.”
Sharing her view on carpooling and its effect on the environment, Squad Move member Kim Baranda shared, “Carpooling really does reduce the number of cars on the road. In few weeks’ time, thousands of cars have already been taken off the road.” Former UAAP Season 75 Volleyball MVP Ara Galang of Squad Change adds, “Through carpooling, we are also able to help the environment through the reduction of our carbon footprint.”
Learn more about #POOLsquad via UberPoolSquad.ph.