RIDE-HAILING app Grab is buttressing its safety features even as it was deemed 95 times safer compared to other modes of transportation.
A top official noted further investments are needed to further improve its services.
Monday saw Grab Philippines unveiling a so-called tech road map for safety, which targets both passengers and riders.
Dubbed Safer Everyday Tech Roadmap, the blueprint spells out safety principles and initiatives that will elevate Grab’s bar for safety standards, including number masking for privacy, stringent driver background checks and verification, rider verification, a 24/7 customer-support center and the use of technology to determine drivers’ fatigue levels.
Brian P. Cu, who heads Grab Philippines, said his group is committed to further elevate the safety standards of Grab, even as he said the platform is 95 times safer than other transport modes, citing data from the Metropolitan Metro Manila Development Authority.
“Safety, for us, is a commitment, and it’s part of our annual budget. This initiative is not a one-off thing,” he said in a press briefing. “Our passengers and driver-partners deserve a safer ride-sharing industry. We are humbled to raise the bar for safety in the industry.”
For this endeavor, Grab partnered with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and Philippine National Police–Highway Patrol Group to strengthen safety processes and standards for drug prevention, and accident and criminal response.
This, Cu explained, will help prevent the use of Grab rides and parcel services for the delivery of illegal drugs, avert road accidents and get a prompt response for any criminal activity, if any.
Grab has also formed a pool of first responders from its driver-partner community to immediately address accidents. Grab vehicles will also be equipped with first-aid kits and safety-training guides.
Cu said the safety measures implemented by Grab aims to help the government achieve its vision of reducing deaths caused by road accidents by 20 percent in 2020. As of end-2017, the government reported 434 fatalities and 19,374 injuries caused by road accidents.
Image credits: Alysa Salen