Grab rolls out capacity-building thrust to increase female drivers’ confidence

MANILA: Grab Philippines rolled out a robust vigorous capacity-building initiative that is eyed to boost the confidence of its women driver- and delivery-partners through various means.

The aforementioned thrust is one of the pillars of the Women Program under Grab’s social upliftment campaign GrabAsenso.

Based on the series of discussions with women driver leaders and communities, it was learned that women feel discouraged from pursuing a career in transportation and deliveries is the mindset that driving is not suitable for them. There is also a lack of confidence in their capability to manage challenging situations such as irate passenger handling, vehicle breakdowns, and safety.

With that, the company reinvigorated its partnership with organizations like the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Philippine Red Cross, and Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) to conduct a capacity-building program dedicated to female drivers. The project is geared at uplifting the confidence of every current and potential Ate Grab in plying roads daily.

Recently, Grab women drivers attended a Safe Spaces Training with PCW.  The seminar tackled the Safe Spaces Act and how it protects women.

“Efforts such as this ‘lunch and learn’ session by Grab are critical in making sure that more Filipinas know what the Safe Spaces Act is, and how they can co-create harassment-free and discrimination-free environments as enshrined in the law. We commend Grab for joining the campaign for safe spaces for all our kababayans – a step forward to a more inclusive society,” PCW speaker Danielle Alexandria Anteola noted.

Grab Philippines Head of Operations CJ Lacsican highlighted the firm’s commitment on enriching the diversity, inclusivity, and equality within the Grab driver- and rider- network.

“The digital economy brings viable opportunities for everyone, intensifying the hope and capability of our kababayans to attain their aspirations. As a leader in ride-hailing and on-demand deliveries, we aim to lift more Filipinos to help them capitalize on these opportunities. Every Filipino wanting to better their life should be able to do so without doubts about their safety, skills, or even fears of gender-based discrimination. These are barriers that we relentlessly try to break down at Grab – for every Ate wishing to join our platform.”

On its part, Grab pushes various technological features that ensure its women driver- and delivery-partners are safe and protected:

• Women Passengers Preferred Toggle: Activated last February, the new feature provides the Ate Grab driver the option to prioritize the matching with female passengers.
• Emergency Assistance Button: Allows driver-partners to readily access law enforcement in just a few taps.
• Trip Monitoring: Enables Grab to track atypical stops and routing taken by driver-partners, consequently encouraging them to contact law enforcement or medical teams if needed. The same feature lets Grab make proactive calls to drivers and passengers to check on their wellbeing.
• Share Live Location: Gives driver-partners the option to share a tracking link to their loved ones and colleagues.

Additionally, Grab produced e-learning content for women driver-partners through Grab Academy, which is an online learning platform exclusive to Grab partners. Courses on passenger handling, road safety, and vehicle maintenance can be easily accessed by partners at their preferred time and pace.

Photos from Grab Philippines

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