A “game changer.”
The local online community discovered a shuttle that enables commuters to travel between shopping malls for their convenience.
Professional film critic Philbert Dy on Thursday shared his experience of riding SM‘s electric bus which he said was “kind of neat.”
“SM is running an electric bus service from SM Fairview to Megamall and back. It’s 100 pesos all the way, and you pay through an app. It’s kind of neat, though they’re still ironing out a lot of technical kinks,” he tweeted.
Dy also shared a video of his commute where he said he was the sole passenger of the shuttle.
Had the whole bus to myself earlier. pic.twitter.com/BfO7ISCui8
— Phil Dy (@philbertdy) December 15, 2022
“The app isn’t perfect, but I do like that they show you where the buses are in the route,” he said in another tweet.
The app isn't perfect, but I do like that they show you where the buses are in the route. pic.twitter.com/QdEtvpgZI8
— Phil Dy (@philbertdy) December 15, 2022
Dy shared that he is “not getting paid” to talk about the shuttle and that he is “just pro-mobility.”
His tweet comes amid recent discussions about the need for better mass transport. The discourses were triggered by journalist Atom Araullo‘s Twitter post about the lack of public transport options at the airport.
Last month, the city of Manila was cited as among the cities with the worst public transportation system in the world.
Meanwhile, other Twitter users thanked Dy for letting them know about the initiative to ferry shoppers from point to point.
“Whaaaaaaaaaaat???? Well, thanks a lot, man. Hahaha I’ve been commuting from SM Farview to wherever thru Angkas or on a broken trip (bus, MRT, bus or jeep). What a great discovery this is,” a Pinoy commented on his post.
“Just passed by it kanina sa North Edsa!!! Still faster to go to Cubao and Mega [Megamall] via MRT but this ain’t bad kung ayaw mo mag-commute sa train bahaha,” another Twitter user wrote.
“Oh my god, this is such a game changer,” commented a different Filipino.
Some hoped that the shuttle can be further expanded to other branches of the shopping mall.
“Make it go all the way to the South [please],” a Pinoy commented in response to the post.
“Sharing for reference and hope they expand their lines pa,” another Twitter user said, quote tweeting Dy’s post.
“Imagine you’re from Rizal tapos work mo is nasa Ortigas (Megamall) and/or Makati, this will be very helpful if, for example, may lines sila from SM San Mateo-SM Marikina-SM East Ortigas-SM Megamall-SM Makati (pak),” he added.
The SM electric bus is provided by Global Electric Transport (GET) Philippines through the GETPass app.
GET Philippines considers itself the “first mover in electric mass mobility as a service.” Its aim is to merge top-of-the-line electric vehicles with an app-based management system to create a safe and green transport network.
Its SM electric bus is a membership shuttle service that allows the public to travel from SM Fairview in Quezon City to SM Megamall in Mandaluyong and vice-versa from Monday to Sunday.
To avail of its service, commuters need to download the GETPass app, create an account, join the organization “SM Electric Bus” and generate a QR code to be used for scanning when alighting and boarding the shuttle.
