By VG Cabuag and Catherine N. Pillas
AYALA Land Inc.’s The 30th shopping mall unit has partnered with ride-hailing app Uber to shuttle commuters from its newest mall in Pasig to destinations in Makati and Taguig.
According to the deal, the ride-hailing firm will use its brand Uberhop to service shoppers of Ayala Malls The 30th in Pasig from 5 to 9 p.m. to the Landmark Mall in Makati and to High Street in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig. It will also shuttle passengers from the Net Quad building in BGC to The 30th mall.
Uberhop is a service in Metro Manila that uses predetermined routes during peak hours, for a flat fare of P70. The agreement is part of Ayala Malls’ Easy Ride project, which advocates pedestrian and transit connectivity.
“We want to provide reliable transportation options for our shoppers, which is why we pursued this partnership with Uber. Through the Uberhop service, shoppers can easily get to and from Ayala Malls The 30th and other central business districts, with the peace of mind that they are safe and that they are conscientiously helping ease traffic in the Metro by sharing a ride,” Ayala Malls The 30th General Manager Mariana Zobel de Ayala said.
Zobel said the company’s newest mall along Meralco Avenue has a dense A and B market.
She said the company is primarily focusing on servicing people within a 2-kilometer radius, though it noted how people from the various offices farther are also coming to the mall.
“So if we can improve accessibility, it will be better,” she said.
Apart from the mall component, the area will also have a 20-floor, 48,000-square-meter office space that will open by August this year and is estimated to generate 9,000 business-process outsourcing jobs.