Grab PH Updates Transport Policy to Curb Unreasonable Cancellations

In its bid to cut unreasonable cancellations to passenger and drivers, Grab Philipines announced that it has updated its ride policy.

In a statement, Grab PH expressed concerns over the plight of both parties when it comes to cancellation of rides.

"Grab is mindful that cancellations are frustrating for everyone--whether for a passenger whose time was wasted, or for a driver who already spent fuel and effort to get to the pick-up point," the ride-sharing company said.

As part of its 'Better Everyday' commitment, Grab PH continues to intensify its efforts to further reduce cancellations by promoting the responsible use of its services.

Grab tackles one of the core problems that bring down the quality of transport network vehicle services (TNVS)--unreasonable cancellation behavior.

To eliminate excessive cancellations that affect the ridesharing experience for both drivers and passengers, Grab PH has put in place a number of initiatives and policies to discourage cancellations on both sides.

Drivers perks, penalties

Based on the new policy, drivers will be penalized should they meet the required completion rate. The current policy only affects the incentives.

The completion rate, Grab PH clarified, will be computed based on completed bookings, cancellation rates, and ignored jobs.

If a driver excessively ignores or cancels booking requests, they are locked out of the platform for a temporary period of time.

Drivers with passenger complaints and low star ratings are also flagged. Grab PH gives out warnings, and suspends--or eventually bans--drivers over repeat offenses.

Drivers who are constantly maintaining a five-star rating can receive tips from passengers with the new tipping feature.

Once a passenger rates the driver 5-stars after the ride, a rider can have the option to tip the driver ranging from PHP15 to PHP40.

Meanwhile, passengers will automatically acquire 30 GrabRewards Points when a driver cancels on a ride, which can be used to redeem items or vouchers in the GrabRewards catalog.

Should the passenger cancel trips excessively, the passenger's account will temporarily be suspended for 24 hours.

Also, a PHP50 fee will apply to passengers who cancel the ride after five minutes of being assigned a driver.

Another Php 50 fee will apply if a passenger doesn't show up at the pick-up point within five minutes for GrabCar and three minutes for GrabShare upon the driver’s arrival.

The cancellation fee incurred in the above situations will go directly to the driver, to compensate them for fuel and effort they have already spent traveling to the passenger.

Grab PH President Brian Cu said that they are mindful that cancellations are frustrating for both the passengers and our drivers.

"At the same time, we are cognizant of the fact that sometimes, cancellations are necessary during special situations. Our intention in implementing this new policy is to create a better ride-hailing ecosystem, where both passengers and drivers practice the responsible use of the Grab platform," he said.

To further protect passenger welfare, Grab has done the following:

• No fee if a passenger cancels within five minutes of getting assigned a driver.
• No fee if the driver isn't moving towards the pick-up point (or going the wrong direction)
• No fee if the driver takes 15 minutes longer than the first estimated time of arrival (for example, if the passenger gets a driver who is 3 minutes away, but he or she has waited more than 18 minutes for the driver to arrive, the cancellation is free)
• No fee if the driver indicates that he has arrived when he or she has not

In addition, Grab PH promises to refund any fees that were charged wrongly within 48 hours, when reported via its in-app Help Centre.

Grab PH said that it has notified the Land Transportation and Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) about the new cancellation policy.

The staggered rollout of the new policy as well information drive to driver-partners started April 29 and eyed to be completed by end of May.