HO CHI MINH CITY/BANGKOK: As a heatwave engulfed northern plus central Vietnam earlier this month, clients reaching for their cell phones to order foods or a ride at the Grab app learned they would have to pay the surcharge.
The extra fee, used when the local temperature hits 35 levels Celsius, came months after the Southeast Hard anodized cookware platform company launched a rainy-weather charge in Vietnam.
“Working under such bad weather conditions could be tough on our driver- and delivery-partners. We would like to ensure they are pretty compensated for it, inch a Grab spokesperson told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
In Hanoi plus Ho Chi Minh City, the surcharge is 5, 500 Vietnamese dong (US$0. 21) for Grab’s motorcycle taxi, and food and grocery transport, and 3, 000 dong for its fast delivery service.
Nguyen Tuan, a Grab driver within Ho Chi Minh City, said the extra payment gave your pet and his colleagues a motivation, as they have to work regardless of weather conditions.
“If I avoid work, where do I get money to consume? I make a living everyday, ” said Tuan, who puts in several hours a day being a food-delivery and motorcycle-taxi driver.
System companies offering shipping and ride-hailing services have come under increasing scrutiny for their planet-heating emissions linked to traffic congestion and packaging.
But there has been little discussion showing how riders and drivers are dealing with intense weather, as they frequently work long hours, waiting around at street sides and outside dining places for orders, and also have limited access to health care.
Only now is the issue starting to grab the public’s attention as climate modify brings more frequent and intense heatwaves and floods around the world, raising questions regarding the health impacts for that must vulnerable within the labour force.