Grab Philippines presented an action plan to be implemented during the holiday season to boost service reliability, accessibility, and safety as demand for Grab services surge. Driven by tech features, these tasks are designed to address challenges such as demand outstripping driver supply, traffic congestion, increasing customer expectations, and to surpass Grab’s holiday performance last year.
In the past, Grab Philippines experienced a 19% increase in daily transacting users for its ride-hailing services every last quarter of the year, with the number of ride bookings grew by up to 45% in the second and third week of December. For its delivery business, demand rises by 20% on key holiday dates, with a recent survey by the brand revealing that 44% of Grab Philippines users rely on the app for their festive meal deliveries.
“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,” shared Ronald Roda, country manager at Grab Philippines.
Roda noted that their platform spans over 10 months considering 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.”
Grab expects that its service reliability this year will be much improved compared with the previous holidays. With the continued supportive efforts from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), new TNVS slots were released in August to onboard new Grab driver-partners for up to three to five months.
Grab is looking after the potential impact of holiday-induced traffic congestion on the earnings and productivity of driver-partners. Drivers, on the average, will need to spend 14% more time for the same trip distance every peak of the December holiday rush.
Grab is closely monitoring the fairness of its fares to ensure that its driver-partners can earn sustainably and viably this holiday season. It assures its users that fares will stay fair, in line with the regulatory matrix implemented by the LTFRB. It has expanded the coverage of its GrabUnlimited subscription service, which now includes a daily 8% discount on GrabCar rides. Grab also launched GrabCar Saver, an affordable mobility solution that is cheaper than a standard GrabCar ride.
It is also encouraging more drivers to continue serving its passengers despite the traffic situation to maintain service reliability. Moreover, it is committed to help drivers capitalized on the increased demand to attain sufficient, if not above-par, earnings for themselves and their families. Furthermore, the platform launched its Group Rides feature, which not only maximizes the utilization of its fleet through the carpooling model, but also efficiently lowers down fares by allowing groups of four to share their ride’s base fare.
To better serve customers this holiday season, Grab introduced new features designed to improve access to rides and food deliveries. These include the solution for holiday travelers, AdvanceBooking, which guarantees on-time rides to the airport that can be looked up to seven days in advance.
Grab also introduced new features for its commitment to affordability. It boasts GrabFood Group Order which facilitates collective meal orders for families and friends that offer discounts as high as 15% as the number of participants increases. Other technologies which were introduced include GrabFood Saver, a feature which helps users save on delivery fees, and Large Orders option that allows for ordering larger quantities of food and essentials for group celebrations, complete with special deals. These features are designed to effectively manage the expected growth in delivery demand during the Christmas season.
