Grab PH gears up for yuletide season

MANILA: Grab Philippines expressed its readiness in serving customers during the holiday season.

Per Grab Philippines Country Head Ronald Roda, the company is eyeing to exceed its performance for the same period in the previous years by coming up with a comprehensive strategy in the final two months of the year when the demand is at its highest.

Based on Grab Philippines data, its ride-hailing transactions experienced an increase of at least 19 percent — with the number of bookings growing to as much as 45 percent in the second and third weeks of December.

“Our data and studies all lead to a singular insight: Filipinos just wish to be present this Christmas – fully engaged with families and friends as they celebrate the most beloved holiday. Grab aims to bring our kababayans much closer to their loved ones and help them create special moments this holiday season,” Roda shared. 

“For some, the holiday season lasts two or three months. For Grab, it is a journey that spans over 10 months when you consider all the preparations done leading up to the season. We have been preparing since January of this year — working with our regulators towards a more balanced demand and supply and launching a series of technologies to provide our consumers with a better holiday experience,” he added.

With this, Grab Philippines is optimistic that its service reliability this year will be much improved in comparison to the previous holidays.

The company’s top brass expressed the platform’s gratitude to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) for its continued openness and supportive efforts.

To recall, the government released new transport network vehicle service slots last August — allowing Grab to onboard more driver partners.

Further, Grab shared that it is also studying the potential impact of holiday-induced traffic congestion on the earnings and productivity of driver-partners. According to their studies, its drivers, on the average, need to spend 14 percent more time to cover the same trip distance for most of the December holiday rush.

"While we continue to prioritize the accessibility of our services, we are also closely monitoring the fairness of our fares to ensure that our driver-partners can earn sustainably and viably this holiday season. By ensuring this, we hope to encourage more drivers to continue serving our passengers in spite of the traffic situation, helping maintain service reliability on our platform,” Roda explained.

“The holidays are also crucial for our driver-partners, and we are committed to helping them capitalize on the increased demand to attain sufficient, if not above-par earnings, for themselves and their families.”

Moreover, Grab guaranteed that the fares will remain in line with the regulatory matrix from the LTFRB.

To help maintain the accessibility of its ride-hailing services, Grab has also expanded the coverage of its GrabUnlimited subscription service, which now includes an everyday eight-percent discount on GrabCar rides.

Aside from that it now offers GrabCar Saver — an affordable mobility solution that is cheaper than a standard GrabCar ride — as well as the Group Rides feature that maximizes the use of its fleet via carpooling.

Moreover, Grab has started offering the Advance Booking feature, which guarantees on-time rides to the airport that can be booked up to seven days in advance.

“Many of our kababayans are looking forward to spending the Holidays with their loved ones, and we are aware of their expectations of us during this season. With that, we have devoted our time, effort, and expertise to elevate their Grab experience - allowing every Filipino to be more present this yuletide season,” Roda said.

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