Grab launches 100-day plan to shape up drivers, services

Transport network company Grab Philippines on Tuesday said it will implement in the next 100 days a plan to improve its services amid complaints of rising booking cancellations made by its partner-drivers.

Grab Philippines marketing head Cindy Toh said the 100-day plan is focused on four key pillars namely improving driver behavior, better ride experience, upgraded customer support, and improved driver welfare program.

"In the last six weeks its been a very difficult time for us. After the acquisition, we saw a massive increase in demand, a reduction in supply so that resulted to quite a lot of frustration actually for our riding public that means longer waiting time, inability to book a car," Grab Philippines marketing head Cindy Toh said at a press conference in Makati City.

"All complaints we've seen on social media. We've seen people posting about driver cancellations, their rude behavior, all of this we see and we know that it's been a very difficult time for the people that we are serving," she added.

To address the issue, the Grab Philippines official said drivers would undergo "intensive transformation programs to make them models of road courtesy and public service."

Grab will also offer Enhanced Driver Performance Incentives where top performing drivers will be rewarded based on their number of rides, high rating, and good passenger feedback.

The transport network company will also implement an improved Driver Code of Conduct - a set of updated rules and regulations that stipulates the tasks and traits of a responsible Grab driver-partner.

To said drivers must agree and comply with the code of conduct  to maintain access to the Grab app.

An expanded Grab Driver Academy, complete with modules on road courtesy, customer service and data privacy and social media handling, is also being organized on top of the usual driver on-boarding and rehabilitation training services.

“We have carefully studied new features that will further enhance our services while ensuring passenger safety on the road," Toh said.

She said passengers could expect a cleaner, more intuitive new app interface for iOS and Android by July.

With the new home screen, pick-up points can be easily set, and passengers can quickly select their preferred service. Rewards will also be categorized, making way for easier selection and redemption of offers, according to Grab.

Grab also encourages passengers to use the Help Center to report ride concerns as well as report location issues, particularly pick-up and drop-off points.

To ensure quicker resolution for customer concerns, Grab will also scale up its customer service team by partnering with a business process outsourcing firm, which will be fully operational by July. —NB, GMA News