Teacher takes her turn behind the EV wheel
Meet Marcia Mariano Sugawara, 48, a Bachelor of Elementary Education graduate and licensed educator. For two decades, she drove solely for her family before taking the wheel as a Green GSM driver.
I met Marcia last Saturday during the first day of the Green GSM Platform Driver Partner Festival, held at The Tent in Las Piñas City. The festival served as the handover ceremony for 1,000 electric vehicles (EVs) to incoming and current Green GSM driver partners.
According to Green GSM, the event aimed to “meet the growing demand for the green transition among driver-partners and the public transport community, while marking a new step in the expansion of Green GSM’s service ecosystem in the Philippines.”
Marcia began driving for the platform in October 2025.
“By profession, I’m a grade-school teacher, but my daughters needed me, so I stepped back to focus on raising them,” she recalled. “I took on part-time tutoring and later went into farming in the province. I’m originally from Zamboanga City, lived in Marinduque for a while, and when I returned to Manila, I joined Green GSM.”
Her curiosity about EVs quickly turned into an entrepreneurial test run.
“When I learned these were EVs, I saw genuine potential to earn extra income,” Marcia explained. “I was curious about how an EV drives and told myself I’d eventually like to acquire a unit of my own. I looked at driving this green taxi as practical training for my planned Transport Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) business.”
She added: “This is my first time entering the professional transport sector; previously, I only drove my husband and daughters. I’ve been a driver-partner for nearly a year now. It amazes me that my driving skills, which started with formal lessons at A-1 Driving School, brought me to where I am today. Driving passengers and treating them with the care you’d give your own family is genuinely fulfilling.”
Before getting onboard Green GSM, Marcia drove a conventional internal combustion vehicle.
“While conventional cars drive fine, an EV produces zero tailpipe emissions, and that’s wonderful,” she said, noting that the ride quality is “definitely less tiring.”
When asked about charging infrastructure and range anxiety, Marcia was candid: “At first, there was a struggle. I experienced those early growing pains. Over time, things improved, but ultimately, smooth operations come down to personal discipline and scheduling.”
Marcia routinely tops up at Depot 2 in Las Piñas and the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), she noted.
Talking alongside fellow drivers Christopher Imano and Kevin Badique, Marcia highlighted the appeal of the platform’s rent-to-own scheme: Driver-partners have the option of taking full ownership of their EVs after five years simply by settling a 10-percent residual balance.
Building on the operational partnership between VinFast and Green GSM, the festival introduced a flexible rental model requiring an initial deposit starting at P5,000. The initiative anchors Green GSM’s “5 Green Promises” framework, focused on providing reliable electrified fleets and sustainable livelihoods for drivers.
Under this setup, eligible driver-partners can select either the 5-seater VinFast VF 5 (Herio Green) or the 7-seater Limo Green. Engineered for commercial duty cycles, both models offer lower maintenance overheads and zero fuel expenses compared to traditional gas fleets. Pioneering partners also receive complementary perks, including free charging access and factory warranty coverage of up to seven years or 160,000 km.
Green GSM noted that the festival also marked the rollout of its Global Green GSM Driver Partner Community, aimed at formalizing mentorship, technical support, and peer networking across the fleet.
“Through the Driver Partner Festival and Car Handover Week, Green GSM aims to accompany the driver community in its development and expansion while enhancing both quality and professionalism,” said Le Thi Thu Trang, CEO of Green GSM Philippines. “We seek to create viable livelihood opportunities that allow drivers to access optimized operating models and increase their take-home earnings. At the same time, we expect this momentum to lay the groundwork for the next phase of green mobility in the country.”
Green GSM currently operates fleet services across key urban hubs in Luzon, Central Visayas, and Mindanao through two primary tiers: Green GSM Car and the 7-seater Green GSM Limo. Beyond company-managed fleets, the operator is actively expanding tie-ups with local taxi operators to accelerate broader electrification across Philippine public transit.
