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Xpress ride-hailing firm. Handout

Raine Musñgi

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178554975914811-22-2025 Xpress Activation and Training Center6439 copy.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Xpress ride-hailing firm. Handout</div>MANILA — Filipino-owned mobility platform Xpress believes the future of ride-hailing will not be won through another fare war or bigger discounts. Instead, it is betting that helping drivers become entrepreneurs, backed by financial services and lower operating costs, could reshape the country’s transport industry.“We’re trying to move the mindset of Filipinos, not just becoming a driver, but eventually becoming their own business operator,” Xpress President Cliff Cabungcal said in an interview on ANC’s Business Outlook.“They have their own vehicles, they have their own drivers. That’s the vision there. Each and every Filipino to become an entrepreneur,” he added.For Cabungcal, booking rides is only one part of the business. The bigger ambition is to help drivers earn enough to eventually own the very vehicles they drive today, then grow into operators managing their own fleets.That strategy is rooted in the broader financial inclusion mission of Cebuana Lhuillier, which operates businesses in remittance, financing, insurance and banking. Cabungcal said Xpress is tapping that ecosystem to help drivers gain access to financing, insurance products and financial education, allowing them to build assets instead of simply earning daily income.He said the company has already tested the model on a smaller scale. Some drivers who initially operated a single hybrid vehicle have since expanded to owning two or three units through financing arranged within the Cebuana Lhuillier group.<div>A Filipino approach to challenging global rivals</div>Xpress entered a market dominated by larger foreign ride-hailing companies, but Cabungcal said local knowledge gives the company an edge.“We’re a Filipino company. We know our market. We know how to serve the people,” he said.Cabungcal said the company understands the needs of communities served by Cebuana Lhuillier across the country and believes mobility services should be designed around those realities.Rather than competing solely on fares and promotions, Xpress is positioning itself as a mobility platform supported by a broader financial ecosystem.Cabungcal said Cebuana Lhuillier serves around 30 million customers through nearly 3,600 branches nationwide, giving Xpress access to financing, insurance and banking services that can support drivers throughout their careers. Those figures were cited by Cabungcal during the interview.<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2ro8_3T2DU8??si=-ta5ozGK22wUIPSI&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div><div>Putting drivers at the center</div>Cabungcal believes the long-term success of ride-hailing depends on improving the experience of drivers as much as passengers.To understand those challenges firsthand, he occasionally accepts bookings using the Xpress driver app.“I do drive. I test my driver’s app. I have to know how a driver experiences it because I need to make sure that the driver’s experience is the best that we can give him,” he said .That hands-on approach has shaped many of the company’s programs, including initiatives aimed at reducing drivers’ expenses and helping them manage their finances.“The driver is the more important piece where we want to take care of,” Cabungcal said .<div>‘The real problem is cash flow’</div>Cabungcal also challenged a common assumption about financial inclusion.Many believe drivers primarily need easier access to loans. He disagrees.“It’s access to financial services. It doesn’t necessarily mean kailangan umutang. It’s the cash flow,” he said.Instead of encouraging borrowing, Xpress teaches drivers how to manage daily earnings, budget for recurring expenses and build savings.“Before financial inclusion, it’s financial literacy,” Cabungcal said.The company is also working with insurance partners so drivers can spread annual insurance payments over time without increasing the total premium, improving cash flow while keeping costs manageable.<div>Why EVs matter beyond sustainability</div>Cabungcal said lowering operating costs is essential to improving driver incomes and, ultimately, making ride-hailing more affordable for commuters.Through its Xpress Go program, the company has begun expanding the use of hybrid vehicles after a pilot involving about 50 to 60 units demonstrated lower operating costs and stronger driver earnings.The pilot also helped address concerns about “range anxiety,” with drivers finding that hybrid vehicles combined electric driving with the flexibility of gasoline power.Cabungcal said lower fuel and energy costs allow drivers to keep more of every fare they earn.“Once you lower the operating expenses, the take-home of the driver definitely moves up. Once the take-home moves up, then the surge pricing can be managed accordingly,” he said.The strategy aligns with the Philippine government’s push to accelerate transport electrification.The Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (Republic Act No. 11697) established the policy framework for expanding electric vehicle adoption and directed the government to develop the Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry. The Department of Energy’s roadmap targets the deployment of at least 2.45 million electric vehicles and about 20,400 charging stations nationwide over the roadmap period as the country works to reduce oil dependence and cut transport emissions.According to the Department of Energy, transport remains one of the country’s largest energy-consuming sectors and a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, making vehicle electrification a key component of the Philippines’ long-term energy security and sustainability strategy.For Cabungcal, however, the business case comes first.His message is straightforward: if drivers spend less on fuel and operating expenses, they take home more income. If they earn more, they can build savings, acquire vehicles and eventually become entrepreneurs instead of remaining gig workers.That, he said, is how a Filipino ride-hailing company hopes to compete against larger global rivals, not by simply moving passengers, but by helping drivers build lasting financial security.

Xpress is betting that helping drivers become entrepreneurs, backed by financial services and lower operating costs, could reshape the country’s transport industry.

Xpress is betting that helping drivers become entrepreneurs, backed by financial services and lower operating costs, could reshape the country’s transport industry.

Ride-hailing app bets on advancing entrepreneurship for drivers

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Ride-hailing app bets on advancing entrepreneurship for drivers

Raine Musñgi,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 01, 2026 10:35 AM PHT

Read More:

financial literacy

financial inclusion

ride hailing app

TNVS driver

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