Smart mobility solutions startup Swat Mobility plans to expand its operations beyond Metro Manila, as its executives painted a rosy outlook for the Philippines in 2022.
In a media conference, Swat Mobility President Grace Ho said the group plans to “triple the investment” in the Philippines to further grow its workforce and expand its reach in Cebu, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon.
“We will spend more than a quarter a million Singaporean dollars in total to build the Philippine business. We have a very aggressive expansion agenda,” she said. Based in Singapore, Swat Mobility provides clients with demand-responsive, ridesharing services in high-capacity vehicles. It launched in the Philippines in 2020 and has been capitalizing on the demand for shuttle services from various sectors, but is mainly driven by the demand from the manufacturing and outsourcing industries.
Swat Mobility Philippines Country Head Maria Theresa Busmente noted that the group targets “large companies and enterprises that need employee shuttle.”
This year, she said, “insurance companies and even pharmaceutical companies and a number of hospitals have given us interest.”
The Philippines is the third largest market for Swat Mobility, next to Japan and Singapore. To date, it has completed 4 million rides.
“We are looking at 4x to 5x growth in terms of ridership. It’s something achievable. We have set up a number of clients already and they are long term contracts,” Busmente said.
Ho noted that Swat Mobility is bullish on the Philippine market’s recovery and is positioning early to accommodate its expected growth in demand for more mobility solutions post-Covid.
“The Philippines is an important market for Swat Mobility. We remain optimistic that as the economy recovers and business operations resume, our mobility solutions have strong relevance in helping companies activate their workforce. In addition, we have adapted our technology for the logistics sector to deliver operational efficiencies and respond to the growing demand of e-commerce in the Philippines,” Ho said.
