Transport challenge drives public servant

Crafting a law benefiting citizens is a herculean task but fixing a broken system is a bigger and more complex challenge.

Take it from Sigfrido “Freddie” Tinga, the former legislator of Taguig City who is the president and co-founder of Global Electric Transport (GET), maker of electric vehicles that serve workers of various companies and industries, offering solutions for public commuting.

“We are not here to just sell electric vehicles but to fix the transport situation by providing electric vehicles to carry the population, whether it’s public transport, corporate shuttles, among others. Right now, we are doing a lot of corporate shuttles to some of the biggest industries, such as the BPOs, and industrial estates, and soon we will join the PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP),” Tinga said during an interview with the DAILY TRIBUNE.

Testing the waters

Tinga, during his political career in Taguig, was the one who had the guts to roll out e-vehicles inside the then-starting-to-boom Bonifacio Global City or The Fort.

“You cannot just throw money at problems and you need to find something to fix it. It just makes sense that electric vehicles have started to open back then,” he said.

Tinga admitted that public transport and pollution in the Philippines remain perennial problems that are hard to resolve.

“We did an e-trike program in Taguig and experimented with 50 e-trikes, funded by the city government running in the barangays and BGC,” he said.

Due to price constraints, the e-vehicle did not prosper because Tinga said it’s hard to sustain revenue if they only serve a small number of passengers. They did not recover the amount of investments made.

“But the Asian Development Bank continued the idea, that was why ADB went on that big e-trike project. That journey of mine during my political years gave me the idea to go with the large format e-vehicle,” he said.

Falling, rising many times

Tinga said he met the manufacturers of GET when he was studying at the University of Oregon, USA for his Master of Business Administration a decade ago. Subsequently, he found the right partners, one of which was Endika Aboitiz, the chairperson of Aboitiz Equity Ventures Corp.

Tinga said the road to success in the private sector was not an easy journey, as his group has slipped so many times while “experimenting a little bit more and taking risks in putting up GET and eventually rolling it out.”

“We even had a vehicle that burned in 2015. We manufactured our battery, but it was flawed. You know, it has been a struggle but you learn along the way. So, when we have these investors coming in, there is this point that they are convinced that what we are doing is the right thing,” he said.

“The vision is very clear for us because we have learned so much from our failures,” he added.

GET gets going

On its website, the management of GET said they believe that the solutions to the world’s problems will come from the places where they are needed the most, “which is why our journey started in the Philippines where transport is dirty, disorganized, inefficient and oftentimes unsafe.”

“Pollution and congestion can only be addressed with a seamless solution that combines innovations in the automotive, transportation, and technology industries. By combining the electric vehicle with digital ride-sharing and offering it at mass transit prices, we turn commuting into a pleasant, affordable, and sustainable experience. Our goal was not just to build a better vehicle. Our mission has always been to help build a better world,” it said.

Tinga said GET, which has its charging areas, in certain areas in the country has a shared shuttle concept where various companies share several vehicles, an innovative thing with the support of the Department of Transportation and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

Tinga said GET vehicles run through a contract with their partnered entities, companies and organizations, a requirement for shuttle services.

He said they can move employees without being out of line because they are onboarding the program of the DoTr-led Smart Electric Shuttle Program.

“With our electric buses, we can move passengers around, so long that you have an existing contract with companies and you are not collecting cash on board. This is what we are doing, and everything goes through our app and becomes real-time transport planning,” he said.

To date, Tinga said they have 62 GET e-vehicles being employed by corporations, and they are eyeing to roll out 500 for this year after they finish discussions with financial institutions to get loans and acquire more fleets.

“We are working on the rounds of financing deals that we hope to close soon. We think that e-vehicles are what the country is headed for. The 500 is a mix of the two (private and public), but once we get into the thousands, which we believe is just a matter of time, I think you will start seeing more in the public transport side than the corporate shuttle,” Tinga said.

Also, for this year, Tinga said they will also roll out e-vehicles for the logistics industry, such as reefer and delivery vans.

Right way to do it

As a visionary in the transportation sector, Tinga believes the PUVMP is the right way to do it.

“In fixing public transport, selling more cars is adding more to traffic. I’d rather focus on fixing public transport, rather than selling it, and that’s what we are doing. We are not just selling vehicles but we are here to fix a problem. And the opportunity is huge if you are fixing a problem. If we can do our part, then fixing and addressing the problem of pollution and transportation is a big win for everyone,” he concluded.

The PUVMP bid to revolutionize and transform traditional jeepneys and other public utility vehicles (PUVs) which resurfaced as a comprehensive reform program under the Duterte administration in 2017.

The program was launched as an ambitious initiative to transform the traditional jeepneys and other public utility vehicles, and effectively address existing issues on safety, efficiency, and environmental impact.