Xpress bets a Filipino-owned EV fleet can take on Grab; 100K downloads, 120+ EVs

Xpress Super App is a Philippine ride-hailing, delivery and courier platform (motorcycle, sedan, SUV) with plans for flight and ferry bookings and digital payments; it owns an EV/hybrid fleet and finances drivers' vehicle transitions.

A Filipino-owned EV super app can win share Grab leaves behind: an owned hybrid/EV fleet plus driver financing makes a 12% commission sustainable while fuel costs rise.

No external VC round disclosed; backed by the PJ Lhuillier/Cebuana Lhuillier group, which co-funds driver vehicle financing, and by AppFactorie.

Xpress was incorporated in March 2022 by AppFactorie founder Nathan Taylor and PJ Lhuillier Group president Jean Henri Lhuillier, and officially launched in Metro Manila in July 2024 as the Philippines' first Filipino-owned EV mobility company. The bet was that a national challenger could enter a ride-hailing market long dominated by Grab, using electrification and local ownership as differentiators.

In May 2025 Xpress rolled out 40 BYD electric and hybrid vehicles, and in August 2025 Forbes Asia named it to the '100 to Watch' list; Rappler reported the app had passed 100,000 Google Play downloads with a driver app at 10,000+ installs. The fleet grew past 120 hybrid and EV units with BYD and Cebuana Lhuillier partnerships, service expanded to Bataan, Pampanga, Laguna, Dumaguete and Boracay, and in June 2026 Xpress launched Xpress Go: a PHP 30 million driver program with zero commission for 60 days, then 12% locked in writing, plus decal payments and referral bonuses.

Live and scaling: regional expansion, Forbes Asia recognition, a growing owned EV fleet, and plans for EV motorcycles plus GAC and Hongqi partnerships.

Electrification is a cost advantage, not just branding: owned EVs and hybrids cut per-trip running costs, which funds a structurally lower commission.

Driver economics win supply: with fuel prices high, zero-commission onboarding and a locked 12% rate attract TNVS drivers, and drivers are the scarce resource in ride-hailing.

Financing removes the switch barrier: Cebuana Lhuillier vehicle loans mean drivers don't carry the full EV transition cost alone.

Local ownership differentiates: 'Filipinos support Filipinos' positioning gives the challenger a narrative Grab cannot copy.

Beat the incumbent on unit economics, not subsidies: owned EV fleets and driver financing let a challenger charge less commission, and in ride-hailing the scarce asset is driver earnings.

As of 2026-09-02 Xpress is live and scaling across Metro Manila, Bataan, Pampanga, Laguna, Dumaguete and Boracay, with 120+ hybrid and electric vehicles. Its June 2026 Xpress Go program — PHP 30 million, zero commission for 60 days, then 12% locked in writing — targets 500 Metro Manila driver slots. It is exploring GAC and Hongqi partnerships and an EV motorcycle line, and keeps its super-app roadmap of bookings and payments. No external funding round or acquisition has been disclosed.