SINGAPORE: Grab mentioned on Tuesday (Jul 12) that it is refining controls at the backend so that drivers will simply be able to mark their own arrival when they are at the pick-up stage or “very close” to it.
This comes after Get announced on Monday that it will slow up the waiting time plus cancellation grace period for ride-hailing services from five to three minutes beginning with Jul 18.
Grab said in response to queries from CNA on Tuesday which the decision to reduce the grace waiting time period was made after “careful evaluation”.
“Today, 94 per cent of our rides currently see passengers with their pick-up points within three a few minutes of their drivers heading, ” said Grab.
“As the country re-opens and more people book rides, we want to help our driver-partners capture these brand new demand trends simply by spending their period on the roads a lot more productively. ”
It added which the move will also lessen fuel wastage brought on by idling engines, which has become more of a “pain point” for its motorists amid rising gas costs.
Under the changes, customers will be automatically billed a waiting charge of S$3 for each five-minute waiting obstruct if they keep the driver waiting for longer compared to three minutes.
The adjusted waiting around grace period can apply to JustGrab, GrabCar, GrabCar Plus, GrabCar Premium, GrabPet plus GrabFamily services. It does not apply to certain ride services such as GrabAssist, which cater to passengers with mobility issues.
A S$4 fee applies if a passenger cancels the booking more than three minutes after receiving one.
“To complement this change, we are refining settings on the backend so driver-partners can only tag that they have arrived if they are at the pick-up point or extremely close to it, inch a Grab spokesperson told CNA.
Customers who would like to appeal against the costs can do so by filling a report request via the in-app Assist Centre, said Grab.
“Our team will conduct an investigation to ensure that the particular requests are dealt with fairly for both driver-partners and travellers.
“Ultimately, we want to ensure that the ride experience is always a good and pleasant 1 for both people and driver-partners. inch