Aside from the hellish traffic during the holiday rush last year, social media was abuzz because of the long waiting times to book a Grab car. The complaints didn’t fall on deaf ears as Grab Philippines now shared the improvements they are implementing in their app.
“The experience of our passengers, consumers, and partners on Grab is our utmost priority,” shared Ronald Roda, Chief Operating Officer of Grab Philippines. “Every Filipino should be able to partake in the long-lasting holiday festivities with the help and support of Grab’s mobility services,” he added.
More cars
According to their data, demand for their app increases by 20% in December and a further 45% during the 2nd and 3rd week. No wonder why it was so hard to book a car last year. LTFRB helped alleviate this for the upcoming holidays by opening TNVS slots thrice for 2023 totalling 14,500 slots, growing Grab’s fleet by 40%. Grab is doing their part via GrabCaravan, their onboarding program for aspiring partner drivers that recently accepted 4,000 applicants.
Roda also shared that they now changed the system of booking to time instead of distance. In searching for a ride before, the app will look for cars ‘near’ you regardless of direction. Together with auto-accept booking, this means that sometimes you’ll be given a ride that’s not in the direction of your destination and the driver has to make a u-turn. This leads to long wait times especially on roads like EDSA. With time-based search, you’ll be given drivers that can get to you faster in time leading to shorter wait times.
New features
Apart from growing their fleet, Grab is implementing new features in their app. My favorite would be the new Multi-Taxi Type (MTT) Booking that will allow the customer to search for a car in different categories simultaneously. You can now search for a Four-Seater, Six Seater, and Grab Taxi at the same time. Grab says this would reduce waiting times by 20-30% during their pilot run. You won’t have to cancel and restart searching between different categories again.
GrabShare Match Guarantee was also created for those times when you can’t book a similar ride to your destination. With this, you’ll be allocated for a GrabCar but with a discounted fare. Those coming home to the Philippines will appreciate GrabAirport – a dependable dedicated fleet for those going and coming from the airport.
MOVE IT
In addition to new features, Grab is reiterating the availability of their new 2-wheel ride-hailing app, MOVE IT. It’s the third major player in the motorcycle taxi segment and is proud of its professional and well-trained riders. It also boats of features like Share Your Ride, 24/7 Help Center, Emergency Response, and Voice Over IP calling.