AS far as demolishing market codes and running innovative technology companies are concerned, Grab Philippines’s country head Brian Cu has gone far from being an industry tyro.
Before establishing Grab in the Philippines in 2013, the 36-year-old Cu has cofounded numerous start-ups in the region, including Zalora Philippines and Go-Jek Asia.
A finance graduate of the National University of Singapore, Cu is equipped to handle the rigors of business. He finished second in a class of more than 1,000 in his chosen program.
In the companies he had served, he was hands-on in each brand’s operations, campaigns and brand development. Cu’s working stint in Singapore exposed him to its efficient system of moving people, such as the transport network vehicle service or TNVS. It provided the opportunity for him to start the business on his own.
But fate had other plans for Cu. After meeting Grab cofounder Anthony Tan, he decided to do the business together.
“The system that I experienced was the pre-Internet model where the smartphone was not yet present,” Cu told the BusinessMirror in a recent interview in Makati City.
“The mode of contacting was through SMS,” he recalled.
Hard start
The top honcho of Grab Philippines admitted that he and his team experienced rough sailing in the early years as they went from one taxi garage to another and tried to persuade fleet operators to sign up with GrabTaxi.
That meant working on extended hours and going above and beyond their assignments to reach both drivers and passengers. But with sheer grit, they managed to start Grab’s operations.
As a result, Grab Philippines has expanded its operations in eight key cities: Manila, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, Bacolod, Baguio as well as Angeles in Pampanga—and counting—in just a span of five short years.
Recently, Grab’s operations in Southeast Asia considerably expanded when it acquired the operations of main rival Uber.
Cu said Grab is aware of the transport-commuting situation in Metro Manila, especially during rush hours. To address the ordeal of thousands of commuters, Grab follows the demand-supply route where it ensures that the numbers of vehicles in the road are fully deployed.
“To a certain extent, Grab ensures that supply does not decline during rush hour as commuting [has become] the most stressful activity of an individual these days,” Cu pointed out.
Within the company, Cu and his team have to tackle the challenge of changing the mindsets of both the driver and the passenger. Nevertheless, he laments the fact that a lot of taxi operators had been given decades to evolve; yet it produced insignificant results.
When Cu first introduced Grab to fleet operators, they doubted that their drivers would want to adapt to mobile-based bookings. Now, apart from a 35-percent higher income for driver-partners, livelihood program for their families (Misiskolar), health and insurance as well as other driver benefits, the Grab platform has provided tech empowerment by teaching driver-partners to adapt to the changing technological advances.
Grab also uses a telematics initiative, a tracking tool to observe whether drivers are driving safely: speeding, hard braking, sudden acceleration and dangerous swerving. After sending reminders to drivers who were speeding, there was a significant reduction in speeding incidences across Southeast Asia. Traffic accident rates with Grab are five times lower than the country average.
Economic opportunities
THE introduction of Grab in the country has opened up new opportunities for Filipinos. Moreover, many have been given the opportunity to become entrepreneurs in their own way.
“There is a positive effect for people who want to earn a living. This is the new cool-cart enterprise. Being a Grab driver is better than any other job because it gives higher income while you are in charge of your time,” Cu said.
Moreover, the Grab bigwig said those who wish to earn higher than the average income of P30,000 can utilize Grab as a platform or background to network with other people for business purposes.
Every week, Cu has to tackle a new issue. Although he finds solving problems exciting, he has to be on his toes and ideate ways to solve these.
“[In our line of work, we] have to tackle the issues involving partners, suppliers and dealers,” he noted.
‘Hyperlocal’ approach
CU and his team at Grab Philippines were also able to modernize local tricycles through a reliable “first-mile, last-mile” transportation solution. This transitioned into GrabTrike.
GrabTrike was conceptualized to protect the riding public from fare overpricing and colorum tricycles. It currently serves five zones in Angeles City, with plans afoot to expand to other cities and towns throughout the country.
For Cu, it is paramount to actively engage his target audience. Through the use of social-media platforms such as Facebook, he was able to reach more than 38,000 driver-partners and peers.
Grab Philippines’s top guy continues to actively engage their service providers by regularly posting status updates on recent issues with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, info-videos and even daily driving reminders.
Instead of using the usual corporate approach to community management, Cu presently uses his social-media account as an extension of his personal page, where he actively shares his experiences and thoughts about the ride-hailing sector.
“I get a lot of feedback that Grab is a wonderful service. It has positively affected the way they live and operate,” he said.
Image credits: Cteconsulting | Dreamstime.com