Grab eyes holiday fleet of 20,000 drivers

MANILA, Philippines — Ride-hailing giant Grab Philippines may open a fleet of up to 20,000 drivers in anticipation of the expected surge in passengers during the holiday season.

Grab Philippines country head Grace Vera Cruz told reporters that the rideshare app is working with the government on projecting the expected demand during the Christmas rush.

As proposed, Cruz said Grab wants to open a holiday fleet of 10,000 to 20,000 drivers who will be activated every fourth quarter of the year.

“For the holiday fleet, we are expecting a lot of inbound traffic because of tourists and Filipinos coming home,” she said.

Currently, Grab estimates that there are at least 40,000 drivers offering transport network vehicle services (TNVS) in Metro Manila.

Cruz said the number of TNVS slots has yet to return to the pre-pandemic level of around 60,000.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista wants Grab to plan the holiday spike for transport requirements to save commuters from getting stranded, according to Cruz.

“We are working with the Department of Transportation and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board on how to meet the Christmas spike,” Cruz said.

Grab will also launch its transport services in Davao in October as it continues to expand its presence in Mindanao.

Cruz said only 250 slots were given to Grab for its full launch in Davao. The ride-hailing firm is asking regulators to increase the slots to 1,500 to create additional jobs for Davao residents.

In June, Grab announced its commitment to fulfill its promise to President Marcos of generating 500,000 jobs in the Philippines even as it laid off around 1,000 workers around Southeast Asia.

Cruz admitted that some personnel were removed in the Philippines as Grab cut its operational costs to keep its competitive advantage in the rideshare market.