Cupid isn’t the only thing coming this Valentine’s Day.

New ride-hailing app Pure Ride is set to launch on Friday, February 14, and it promises affordable pricing for passengers and fair pay for drivers.

Pure Ride Chief Operating Officer Edison Go Tan said that while Transport Network Companies (TNC) in the Philippines all follow the same fare matrix, the new player will not max out the surge pricing allowed by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

“We won’t be overcharging. TNCs are allowed to do surge pricing up to 2.0 so our commitment— we won’t be doing that. ‘Di kami aabot ng 2.0 ever,” claimed Tan in a pre-launch press conference at the Pure Ride headquarters in Makati.

Pure Ride expects to have about 300 riders for its four-wheeled car services once it begins operations in Metro Manila on Valentine’s but it aims to onboard around 3,000 to 5,000 drivers by the end of the year.

It also plans to roll out two-wheeled and four-wheeled delivery services by March.

To attract drivers to its service, Pure Ride said it will take zero commissions for the first three months then implement a 10 percent commission rate for the following months, which is supposedly lower than what the dominant market player gets from driver’s earnings.

Pure Ride also looks to tap its sister companies under the Pure Group of Companies to offer incentives for drivers and even regular customers.

“We would be having perks like pabigas or even discounts to encourage more drivers to go on the road especially during rush hour,” said Tan.

Tan also touted the multiple revenue stream Pure Ride seeks to offer drivers when it opens other services on the app such as its grocery and shopping “pabili” feature.

“We are also giving share of the profit kasi once we launch the Pure Mart, 0.5 percent of the amount would go to the driver who actually referred that customer through referral code or the driver who would be the one delivering the actual product would also get a share of that,” said Tan.

“Parang negosyante na rin siya. Hindi lang siya basta rider,” added Pure Ride President and CEO Jojo Soliman.

After Metro Manila, Pure Ride plans to expand its ride-hailing services to Cebu within the year. It’s also eyeing operations in Pampanga, Clark, Davao, Baguio, Iloilo, Palawan, and Bacolod in the long-run.

SPLITTING THE BURDEN ON DISCOUNTS?

The ride-hailing firm vowed to honor the 20-percent discount entitled to persons with disabilities, senior citizens, students, and national athletes.

But Pure Ride said it would propose to the LTFRB to allow TNCs and drivers to split the cost when its 10 percent commission rate has taken effect.

“Kunyari sa start we got 0 commission. Ibig sabihin, wala naman kaming nakuha, so the entire 20% would be on the driver which is fair enough. Now when we start getting 10%, dapat 10% lang din yung magiging cover namin (sa discount). Pero siyempre kung sasabihin ng LTFRB talagang icha-charge nila sa TNC, wala kaming magagawa,” said Tan.

PURE RIDE SUPER APP

After Metro Manila, Pure Ride targets to expand its ride-hailing services to Cebu within the year. It’s also eyeing operations in Pampanga, Clark, Davao, Baguio, Iloilo, Palawan, and Bacolod in the long-run.

Since the departure of Uber in 2018, Grab has emerged as the only car ride-hailing platform in the Philippines.

But as more ride-hailing apps pop up in an attempt to challenge Grab’s position, how will Pure Ride stand out? 

The company said it aims to do this by offering a wide array of extra services.

By the third quarter of 2025, Pure Ride plans to launch its own in-app food delivery service called Pure Meals.

It also plans to sell cheaper medicine and rice via the app which it will source from its sister firms under the Pure Group of Companies.

The Pure Force emergency response service is also set to be integrated into the app.

“Our agents would be the one to dispatch the required help. It could be a police, ambulance or even fire department… That service is actually provided to the Filipino people for free,” said Tan.

Looking ahead, there are also plans to integrate electric vehicles into their ride-hailing fleet, as well as on-demand helicopter and yacht services.