Traveling during Holy Week can be a bit of a drain. There are so many logistical concerns, routes to consider, tickets to book, and even the weather to watch. Smart wants to give you the best experience possible with the help of a few apps.
PinoyTravel (Local Bus Booking App)
Taking a bus one of the more convenient ways to get around. Booking tickets, on the other hand, can be a chore. Long lines, crowded stations and a million other travelers can do a lot to already frazzled nerves. Scratch the stress of having to queue up with PinoyTravel.
PinoyTravel, the country’s first online and mobile bus booking system, will quickly get you there. Just download the PinoyTravel app on your Android phone, key in your destination, and you can easily book a bus seat within a few minutes, the same way you would for an airline ticket.
PinoyTravel currently offers bus tickets to Baguio, Tuguegarao, Pangasinan, Baler, Bicol, and Palawan with more routes being added every month.
Waze (Traffic and GPS Navigation App)
One of the most exciting things about travel is being able to explore places you haven’t before tried. The thing about this is, sometimes these new adventures can be a little hard to find. Add to this the traffic caused by everyone rushing to leave the city, and you have all the makings of a bad trip.
Waze gets around the difficulty of navigating through the magic of crowdsourcing. Utilizing the wisdom of the crowd (e.g. other Waze users, which number more than 300,000 in the Philippines, by the way), you’d be zipping along busy highways and avoiding clogged streets as reported by other “Wazers.”
Simply switch on GPS, launch the app, key in your destination, and follow the map, and Waze will get you going just like a pro.
Easy Taxi (Taxi Booking App)
Staying in the city? Getting around the metro while everyone is out of town can be a pleasant experience, but fighting for a cab, particularly in the unforgiving tropical heat can be a nightmare. Spare yourself from the mad scramble for cabs and other holiday commuting woes by downloading the mobile taxi-booking service, Easy Taxi. Available on Android and iOS smartphones, the Easy Taxi mobile app offers you convenient way to virtually hail a taxi to take you to your destination.
Just launch the app, and choose a pick-up point. Easy Taxi will then ask for important details such as landmarks, your destination and the tip you would like to give your driver, plus the kind of cab you would like, then hit the “Request Taxi” button. Before long, a cab should pick up your request, and you’ll receive driver’s details including the name, photo, car model, phone number, and plate number – for added assurance and security.
Access to these and other useful apps is being offered by wireless leader Smart Communications, Inc. for only P10 per day. To activate, just text STREET 10 to 211 on your Smart mobile phone to get unlimited access to 6 of the best traffic, GPS, news, travel apps and sites. For info on other packages, visit smart.com.ph/StreetSmart.