With the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in place, a travel restriction on land, domestic air and domestic sea travel has been implemented to and from Luzon, which meant services provided by ride booking apps such as Angkas and JoyRide got suspended. As the Covid-19 pandemic rages on, Pinoy ingenuity has stepped up to supply basic necessities, including food, medical supplies, and so on. So while they are not able to accept travel bookings in the meantime, the people behind Angkas and Joyride thought it useful to switch their services from ferrying passengers to delivering food and other supplies. Angkas has recently made its announcement regarding the switch on service. “Introducing ANGKAS FOOD! Sinimulan namin ang service na 'to para makatulong sa Angkas bikers at para sa atin na kailangan ng food delivery sa gitna ng quarantine. Wala kaming commission na kukunin dito, lahat ito ay para sa mga Angkas biker,” Angkas said in a Facebook post. Angkas provides the following guidelines for using their new service:

• Call the restaurant.
• Pay the restaurant for the order. (Use cashless if possible).
• Leave your contact details with the restaurant.
• Meet the biker upon arrival.
• Pay for the order (if cash-on-delivery), delivery fee, and any parking fee applicable.

JoyRide followed suit today, March 25, announcing the launch of their new service, JoyRide Delivery. “JoyRide Delivery is an on-demand curbside delivery app. Booking JoyRide delivery will match the sender with a trained Kasundo Biker who will deliver the parcel to its drop-off destination,” went JoyRide’s description for their new service. To use JoyRide Delivery, here’s what you need to do, as per the company’s instructions:

• Download the JoyRide Customer App on iOS or Google Play Store (for new users).
• Open the app and select ‘Delivery’ to begin.
• Enter your pick-up and drop-off locations.
• Include pertinent notes to the biker in order to guide him during the delivery.
• Check details and confirm your booking to proceed with JoyRide Delivery. The app will then match you with a qualified JoyRide Kasundo Biker.
• JoyRide bikers will inspect the items, verify, and contact both sender and receiver to ensure a safe and smooth delivery transaction.

JoyRide puts certain restrictions on their deliveries due to possible spoilage, disfiguration, and for safety reasons. The company also notes that as of the moment, the sender is assigned to shoulder the payment by default, unless stated otherwise. Both companies remind its users to practice social distancing and no-touch interactions when meeting with their respective drivers. Ride-hailing app giant Grab is also doing its part to alleviate shortages in the healthcare industry. The company reactivated its community-driven initiative, GrabBayanihan to provide free, 24-hour transportation service for healthcare workers. GrabBayanihan is service provided by Grab that is usually activated during times of crisis, such as the Covid-19 pandemic we are experiencing now.  

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