It can be a struggle to go home or to meet your friends on a weekday evening, especially if it’s Friday or Saturday. It can be hard to ride the train or the bus, plus the fact that there is traffic everywhere.

According to a study conducted by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, the country is losing almost PHP 2.4 billion in a day.

Since the public transportation can be unreliable at times, considering the number of people who want to go home or to go to work, a lot of us are looking for other ways to get around the metro.

And the solution? Uber and Grab.

Sometimes, the fee can be really expensive. Luckily, there are ways on how to get cheaper Grab and Uber rides.

Schedule Your Trips in Advance

Uber allows you to schedule your trips in advance. You can set-up the pick-up points, the drop-off points, and even the pick-up window. Although this service is only limited to Uber Pool, Uber Black, UberX, and UberXL, booking in advance would cost you lesser than book real-time.

Escape the Rush Hours

Another option is the Move with Grab. This carpool system has two schedules, operating from Mondays to Fridays:

• Morning Rush from 6 AM until 8 AM, starting from SM North Edsa to Paseo Center in Makati, SM Megamall in Ortigas, and BGC which costs PHP 100 per seat.
• Evening Rush from 6 PM to 8 PM, departing from Glorietta 5 to Trinoma, Robinsons Galleria, and SM North Edsa. There is also a route from Waltermart Makati to SM Bicutan/Walmart Bicutan, which costs PHP 70 per seat.

Pool with Others

Both Uber and Grab have Pooling services. This allows you to ride comfortably in an Uber or Grab Car with someone pooling along with you. Usually, the fare costs are divided into two. You can also tag along with a friend with you with this service.

Maximize the Codes

If the Pool service is still expensive or you were not able to schedule in advance, you can always use discount codes.

Grab offers a Rider Reward System that gives you points every time you use their service. You can exchange these points for a PHP 50 or 100 off coupon that you can use on your next ride. Grab also offers certain codes such as “Nightshift,” which is useable on late-night bookings from 10 PM to 5 PM or the “Share” code that is not usually advertised in the app but takes off half of your fare.

Ride with Your Friends

The most recent addition to the Uber service is having three stops on the same ride. This allows you to pass for someone before heading to your destination. You can add up to three stops when you book rides with UberX, UberBlack, and UberXL. This new service helps you pick-up and drop-off your family members and friends and even split the total fare among yourselves for added savings.

With the traffic situation in the country not getting any better, luckily, there are services that can help you reach your desired destination without breaking the bank at all.

 

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