App made by ex-jeepney driver will let you pay PUV fare, book tricycles

"Barya lang po sa umaga."

Everyone who rides jeepneys knows this rule: it may not be an actual law, but it's an acknowledged courtesy to your driver.

But what if you don't have change in the morning? A former jeepney driver has come up with an app that aims to help not just passengers but drivers as well through contactless fare payment.

In the Game Changer segment of "24 Oras" on Tuesday, Martin Javier featured DyipPay, an app that lets you pay your jeepney fare online and even book tricycle rides.

It was devised by Enrique Tan, a former jeepney, tricycle, and taxi driver who said that he once got into an accident because he was reaching out for the passenger's fare while he was driving.

"So itong ating solution, cellphone lang, smartphone lang, hindi mo na kailangan mag-abot-abot ng coins," said Tan, who studied computer software technology through TESDA. "Particular nung nagkaroon ng COVID-19 pandemic, ayaw natin hawakan yung hinawakan ng iba."

(With this solution, you just need a smartphone. You won't need to hand over coins. In particular amid the COVID-19 pandemic, when we don't want to touch what others have touched.)

"Basta public utility vehicle, pasok 'yan dito sa solution natin," he added.

(As long as it's a PUV, this solution can apply.)

The app can show you where the PUV is on its route. Scanning a QR code on the PUV will then let you input your departure point and destination, and show you your fare, which you can pay with a click of the button.

The app also has a "bonus" feature that will let you book tricycles like a ride-share app.

According to the report, the data gathered by the app could also help LGUs plan PUV routes.

The app has gone through the validation testing stage in some Region 3 provinces. But Tan acknowledges that funding is a factor in getting the app off the ground.  

"It's really hard to start up a company in the Philippines, especially on the tech side...we need funds to do it."

The company aims to launch the app next year. — BM, GMA Integrated News