NexRide targets affordable, safer ridesharing for Filipino commuters and OFW families

Ride-hailing startup NexRide Philippines Inc. said it would launch services in Metro Manila and Cebu in the first quarter of 2027, positioning itself as a budget-conscious alternative to existing platforms with a base fare capped at P45 for the first four kilometres.

The company said it aims to accredit 5,000 drivers by the end of 2027, each cleared through national bureau screening and a defensive-driving certification course. A subsidized dashcam program and an in-app emergency button will be standard across the fleet, executives said at a briefing in Taguig City on Wednesday.

A central feature of the offering is a remittance-linked ride wallet aimed at overseas Filipino worker families. Under the “Balik-Pasada” program, households can channel a portion of inbound remittances through partner rural banks into prepaid ride credits, which carry a 12-percent discount on weekday off-peak trips.

“Safety and predictability are not premium features in this market — they are the baseline. Our promise is that a nurse coming home from a night shift pays the same fair price and gets the same vetted driver, whether she books at 2 p.m. or 2 a.m.,” country manager Maria Isabel Cruz-Villanueva told reporters.

The company said its accreditation process with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board is underway. Industry estimates place ride-hailing at roughly 38 percent of paid urban trips in the capital region, a share that has grown even as commuters complain about surge pricing during rush hours and storms.

NexRide said it raised $8 million in a Series A round led by Gulf-EL Ventures, with proceeds earmarked for driver onboarding centers in Quezon City and Mandaue, and a planned expansion to Davao in late 2027.