Green GSM, the Philippine arm of Vietnam's GSM Green Smart Mobility, has officially switched on its all-electric taxi service across Northern Mindanao. The rollout, which follows a trial that began in late August, marks the first EV taxi operation in the region and extends the company's growing footprint in the archipelago.
The service now covers the key urban and peri-urban corridor stretching from El Salvador through Cagayan de Oro (CDO) to Laguindingan, Alubijid, and Opol. Passengers can book through the Green GSM mobile app, call the customer service hotline, or flag down a cab on the street. The fleet is configured for daily commutes, intercity hops, and airport transfers to and from Laguindingan Airport, a gateway that has seen rising traffic as Mindanao's economy expands.
VinFast-powered fleet and the '5 Green Promises'
All vehicles in the fleet are supplied by VinFast, the Vietnamese EV manufacturer that also backs GSM's ride-hailing operations in Vietnam. The cars run fully electric, delivering a quiet, emission-free ride that aligns with the company's sustainability pitch. Green GSM is leaning on what it calls its '5 Green Promises' — Good Cars, Good Drivers, Good Prices, Good Experiences, and Good for the Environment — to differentiate itself from conventional taxi and ride-hail competitors in the region.
The company says the promise set is designed to standardize service quality across its expanding network. Drivers are vetted and trained, and the app provides transparent pricing and trip tracking, a feature that has become table stakes in Metro Manila but is still emerging in secondary cities.
Green GSM is not new to the Philippine market. It already operates electric taxi services in Metro Manila, Central Visayas, and other parts of Mindanao. The Northern Mindanao launch is part of a broader push to capture underserved provincial markets where ride-hailing penetration remains low but demand for reliable, safe transport is high.
Global CEO Pham Nhat Minh Hoang framed the expansion in strategic terms: 'Expanding into Northern Mindanao enables Green GSM to increase our service coverage in a region with strong potential whilst giving more residents access to electric mobility with consistent service quality and reasonable costs.' The comment underscores the company's ambition to build a national EV ride-hail network, a model that could pressure traditional taxi operators and even legacy ride-hail players like Grab in secondary cities.
To seed adoption, Green GSM is offering new users 15 Green Points — equivalent to 15 Philippine pesos — redeemable as ride discounts. The incentive is modest but signals the company's intent to build a loyal customer base from day one.
The launch also carries a jobs angle. Each taxi represents a livelihood for a driver-partner, and Green GSM says it expects to create employment opportunities as the fleet scales. For local governments, the service offers a visible step toward cleaner urban mobility, a priority as cities like CDO grapple with congestion and air quality.
For travel professionals, the development is worth watching on two fronts. First, it adds a reliable ground-transport option for business and leisure travellers moving between CDO, Laguindingan Airport, and the region's growing tourism hubs. Second, it signals a broader trend of EV ride-hail expansion into secondary Philippine cities, a shift that could reshape the ground-transport landscape for tour operators and corporate travel managers.
Green GSM's move also aligns with wider sustainability efforts across the travel industry, from hotel certifications to green hotel accreditations and eco-conscious yacht operations. As more travellers factor carbon impact into their choices, ground transport is becoming a key battleground for green credibility.
With the Northern Mindanao service now live, Green GSM is positioning itself as a test case for whether all-electric ride-hail can thrive beyond the capital. Early signs are promising, but the real test will be operational reliability and driver retention in a market where fuel costs and maintenance have historically favored conventional taxis.
