Iloilo City mulls investing in e-vehicles amid high oil prices

• MORE Power President Roel Castro brought executives of electric vehicle supplier GET to Mayor Jerry Treñas for the potential investment in electric vehicles for public transport.

• The DU also held a forum on electric vehicles with leaders of transport cooperatives, attended by City Councilors.

Iloilo City is looking to invest in electric vehicles for public transportation as the prices of oil continue to soar and take their toll on both the public and private sectors.

Early this week, Global Electric Transport (GET) the supplier of the first mass electric mobility service in the Philippines paid a courtesy visit to Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas together with MORE Power President Roel Castro.

The team led by its President, former Taguig Mayor Freddie Tinga aims to provide a possible alternative to the bleeding transport and commuting sector due to the unstable and increasing trend of oil prices.

Electric vehicles are seen to deliver a life-changing public transport system that will pave the way for a more safe, affordable and fully green transport network considering that Iloilo City offers the lowest power rate in the country.

According to Tinga, operators and drivers would spend way less when using electricity compared to gasoline. It would also help the environment because of its zero-carbon emission making it a healthier, cleaner, and safer alternative mode of transportation for commuters.

GET has more than 50 serviceable units of minibus operating in Manila, Cebu City, and Davao City.

Tinga also met with the transport cooperatives for possible partnerships for the success of the project.

MORE Power initiated the forum with the leaders of transport cooperatives operating in the city as well as councilors Sedfrey Cabaluna and Rommel Duron. Also present in the forum was the Public Safety and Traffic Management Head, Jeck Conlu.

They discussed the viability of this venture as one of the sustainable solutions designed for Iloilo City aligning this project to Mayor Jerry Trenas’ core vision for Iloilo City to build a better community for the Ilonggos as his administration continues not just the usual mandate of delivering basic services but also focus on certain initiatives that will fuel Iloilo City’s continuing progress.

GET’s intervention is a very timely one, as their complete transportation ecosystem puts together proprietary electric vehicle technology, an app-based management and payment platform, and an integrated business model which is ideal because it is low cost, low risk, but a very high impact project that addresses the dangers of climate change generates responsible profit and transforms urban environments.