Toyota Motor Philippines partners with DOTr, launches free shuttle service for medical frontliners

MANILA, Philippines — Just like the rest of the world, the Philippines is grappling with unprecedented challenges brought upon by COVID-19. Efforts from central and local governments, private sectors, and individuals are necessary to combat this crisis.

As the rest of the population stays home, there are still those who need to commute to work to perform essential services. Some of them are our healthcare professionals and support workers, tirelessly putting their lives at risk daily.

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) salutes these frontliners and supports the Department of Transportation’s Free Ride for Health Workers Program.

“To express our appreciation to the frontliners for their courage and sacrifice, Toyota partners with the Department of Transportation to support our modern day heroes. As a good corporate citizen of the Philippines, we will continue with our commitment to improving the quality of life of Filipinos, especially in these trying times,” said Atsuhiro Okamoto, president of TMP.

The company is collaborating with the Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF), an independent non-profit organization aimed at enabling mobility for all, provide sanitized, just-in-time transportation services for health care frontliners in Philippine General Hospital.

Under this free mobility support, up to 10 connected shuttles are provided around the clock to cater to different shifts of the workers. Equipped with a Just-in-Time booking app, this service allows greater certainty in the pick-up time and at locations close to home for enhanced security.

To reduce the risk of infection, the shuttles are installed with air purifiers and disposable seat covers replaced periodically, in addition to frequent cleansing. Drivers and cleaning crew will don personal protective equipment as well. In keeping with guidelines for social distancing, passenger seating capacity will be observed accordingly.

“Using our expertise in mobility solutions, TMF aims to support the Philippines’ health care workers in their daily commute, by providing a solution that offers peace of mind to maintain their well-being with this sanitized, just-in-time free shuttle service,” said Pras Ganesh, program director for TMF for Asia.

The service will start from mid-May and operate for a period of three months, which can be extended as necessary.

Additionally, TMP has allocated 49 vehicles to various government hospitals, local government units, and other volunteer groups to transport frontliners, healthcare workers, and other essential workers.

Other efforts to help the community include Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation’s (TMPF) donation of PPEs to a local hospital and distribution of rice and grocery packages to families in certain communities.

TMP employees also pooled personal resources voluntarily to provide more PPEs to healthcare workers, basic food supply to the less privileged, and monetary support to non-regular employees. 

For more information, visit the TMP website here.