Regular taxis now allowed to pick up passengers at NAIA

MANILA, Philippines (Philippines News Agency) — Regular white taxis on Monday have been allowed to pick up passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport's (NAIA) arrival area.

Previously, arriving passengers have to climb up to the departure area to get a regular white taxi ride because only NAIA-accredited yellow taxis are allowed to pick up passengers in the arrival area.

Yellow taxis have a flagdown rate of P70, while the regular white taxis have a lower flagdown rate of P30.

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Eddie Villanueva Monreal earlier said that this new development was launched because the NAIA did not have enough accredited taxis and vehicles-for-hire to take thousands of domestic and international passenger arriving daily.

Monreal said the previous MIAA management was on the right track when it introduced accredited buses and allowed app-based hailing services at the NAIA.

The airport chief, however, warned drivers that regular taxis must strictly adhere to rules imposed by the MIAA.

Aside from regular white taxis and yellow taxis, passengers also have the option of using app-based ride-hailing service GrabCar to operate in the airport.

The pick-up location in Terminal 1 is at the main arrival curbside, pick-up location in Terminal 2 is at the inner arrival curbside between bays 7 and 8, pick-up location in Terminal 3 is at the secondary arrival curbside between bays 5 and 6 and pick-up location in Terminal 4 is at the curbside.

GrabCar charges passengers with the same base fare in all its other pick-up points at P30 while P12 will be charged per succeeding kilometer.

The Transportation department and MIAA have also launched the Airport Bus System taking after the success of the Premium Point-to-Point Bus Service.

Bus company AIR21 is operating the premium Airport Bus Service under the brand name UBE Express. There are six bus units that will ferry passengers to and from the NAIA on a 24-hour basis with a flat rate of P300. — Azer Parrocha