OVER the past few weeks—or by the time Uber left the Philippines—a slew of complaints against Grab’s arrogant and erring drivers peppered social-media sites, prompting the management of Grab Philippines to sanction almost 500 drivers last week.
The sanction, according to Grab Philippines Country Head Brian Cu, followed an “internal investigation into mounting complaints of drivers canceling passengers’ bookings.”
He said he expects more drivers to be disciplined in the coming days, as the ride-hailing company further intensifies its campaign to purge driver ranks to serve its passengers better.
“We will never tolerate any behavior that compromises the quality of our service. We see every post and complaint. We apologize that our services fell short. However, we will move forward,” Cu said.
He added the company has rolled out additional and stricter measures to address issues on cancellations.
“Only a 5-percent cancellation rate is allowed as metric for incentives. Those with 10 percent and above cancellation rate per week may face sanctions, such as suspension and complete banning from the platform. We assure our driver-partners that we will follow proper investigation and due diligence,” Cu said.
Over the weekend, though, cancellation rates doubled to 11 percent, following the order of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to temporarily suspend the P2 per minute travel charge on Grab rides.
Cu noted the cancellations were “predominantly driven by low fares,” hence, drivers drove less and “Grab was only able to service half of the passenger demand.”
“Drivers have to buy gas, pay the monthly amortization for the vehicle, or the daily boundary, and when traffic stalls them, it is only the P2 per minute that saves their income. So with the P2 gone, many of our drivers earn less and drive less, if at all,” he said.
Grab appealed to the regulator through a motion for reconsideration, explaining the P2-per-minute travel-time fare component was legal and necessary to protect the livelihood of driver partners while sustaining the transport demands of the riding public.
“No matter how willing they are to drive, they are left with no choice, but to think of ways to recover their expenses. Sadly, most of them have resorted to canceling bookings, especially when they know they will traverse traffic,” Cu added.
He said the P2 is not a Grab income because 80 percent goes to the driver directly while the 20 percent is “spent on driver incentives and rider promos.”
Cu noted his group hopes the LTFRB reinstates the travel-time fare since it is “ultimately for the benefit of both riders and passengers.”
“Let’s face it: If the drivers don’t make money, they won’t offer their services,” he said.
Several Grab drivers the BusinessMirror has spoken with on the condition of anonymity admitted they are making “more than enough” per week.
One driver even disclosed that he makes at least P20,000 weekly by driving six days a week for about 10 hours to 12 hours per day.
“This is more than enough for the tuition of my daughter, our daily expenses, the maintenance of the car and some leisure time once in a while,” he said.
Image credits: Alysa Salen