In an industry where Grab is the most dominant player, upcoming ride-hailing app Tara aims to break the status quo and be a “cost-effective alternative to Grab.” Founder Erwin Dee, who designed the project by himself, aims to make the Tara App redefine how to “commute affordably, safely, and efficiently in Metro Manila.”

In his post where he detailed the app’s inner workings, one of Tara’s main strengths is that it will offer more affordable fares without any surcharges and with 0% commission. Dee claims that their proposed fare matrix–Php 45 base fare for a 4-seater car, and Php 65 for a 6-seater car–are per LTFRB’s fare matrix and that Tara works as a subscription-based model.

The pricing of the subscription translates to Php 10 per ride (or token based on Tara’s definition) which can be availed in Basic, Regular, and Partner subscription tiers. The subscription fee is meant to cover the costs associated with running the whole platform–which includes servers, databases, and third-party APIs.

Tara will be using an invite-only system to connect both passengers and drivers, which should ensure the safety of both parties. There’s also a trusted people system that works similar to what Move It has where passengers can inform their loved ones of their real-time location.

Another promising aspect of Tara–if they can sustain it–is that it plans to allocate 80% of its ad revenue towards user incentives like promo codes and bonuses for drivers.

The app will be available soon on Google Play and Apple App store. Those interested can join here for the latest announcements.