Grab Philippines gears up its game in time for the holidays
MANILA, Philippines — With holiday cheer and festive vibes comes something that’s not exactly joyous: the dreaded Christmas rush.
And when you’re someone living in a metropolis like Metro Manila, you know that it is, quite literally, a rush—the dreaded “carmaggedon,” gridlocked streets, even malls are packed tight, especially on weekends.
Grab Philippines is aware of this. And in a bid to reduce holiday stress among Filipinos in this most wonderful time of the year, Grab has upped its game just in time for Christmas.
Ensuring worry-free holidays
Being the proactive company that it has always been, Grab has implemented a range of mobility solutions aimed at optimizing fleet utilization, guaranteeing that every GrabCar on the road is maximized.
It comes with little surprise that as the holiday season comes around, there is a notable increase in demand for mobility services; Grab has also observed this over the years.
GrabCar demand then is expected to increase by at least 20% this month, with a spike of up to +45% in the second and third week. This uptick may challenge supply allocation, which the superapp addresses through its vehicle maximization strategy.
“The experience of our passengers, consumers and partners on Grab is our utmost priority," asserted Ronald Roda, chief operating officer of Grab Philippines, during the media roundtable event last December 1 at the Grab Partner Center in Marikina.
He emphasized how Grab leverages its data, platform and technology to understand and foresee the challenges faced by its stakeholders. This enables Grab to take proactive steps in developing solutions that directly address these concerns.
Roda added: “Every Filipino should be able to partake in the long-lasting holiday festivities with the help and support of Grab’s mobility services."
As a dependable partner to every Filipino, Grab is determined to ensure a worry-free holiday season for all.
Maximizing the GrabCar fleet
Regular Grab users—be it for mobility, food and express delivery—know how reliable the Grab superapp is. This is a result of the company’s relentless pursuit of platform reliability.
It is no different this holiday season, as Grab has activated an array of mobility solutions that optimize the utilization of its current GrabCar fleet. This strategic approach enhances platform reliability, tackling the demand-supply imbalance.
Among these solutions is the beloved carpooling service, GrabShare, which was relaunched in early 2023. GrabShare matches passengers headed in the same direction to share a single vehicle. If unmatched, the passenger is then instead allocated a GrabCar but with a discounted fare made possible by the GrabShare Match Guarantee offer. This service is currently available in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu.
The Christmas season also sees a stream of Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs and balikbayan coming home to spend the holidays with their loved ones. With this, they can expect a reliable GrabCar booking experience from the airport via the GrabAirport feature.
In response to the lack of safe, dependable and honest transportation in Metro Manila’s airports—something that had become a perennial concern— Grab worked with airport authorities and the LTFRB in developing GrabAirport, an on-demand ride-hailing service supported by a dedicated Grab fleet for airport pick-ups and drop-offs. And this year, Grab has doubled its airport fleet to address the upcoming spike in demand.
Moreover, to cater to time-constrained passengers who require prompt allocation of vehicles, Grab is introducing the Multi-Taxi Type (MTT) booking. By enabling the platform to search for vehicle allocation from Grab's mobility options such as GrabCar Four-Seater, GrabCar Six-Seater and GrabTaxi, MTT bookings may significantly reduce allocation time by 20 to 30% as shown during the pilot runs of the feature. This enhancement ensures a more efficient booking experience for passengers.
Grab also works closely with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in growing its current driver pool—an integral factor in achieving balance between demand and supply on the platform. This year, following the opening of new slots by the LTFRB, Grab was able to grow its fleet by 40%.
And some good news for the commuting public who dread Christmas traffic jams, Grab continues to onboard drivers who were able to secure a slot from the most recent pool of 10,200 TNVS franchises issued by LTFRB last August. So far, 4,000 new driver-partners have been activated from this pool.
“While we grow our driver pool to the pre-pandemic number, we are taking proactive steps to ensure a well-balanced platform that delivers on its promise of safety, reliability and convenience even amid seasonal changes in the market,” Roda said.
An emerging alternative transport option
Another testament to Grab’s commitment to offering Filipinos more transport options, it recently forged a partnership with homegrown two-wheel ride-hailing company MOVE IT.
As the third player in a motorcycle taxi pilot study, MOVE IT aligns itself with the government's prioritization of safety and fairness within the MC Taxi industry, particularly during high-traffic periods like the holiday season.
MOVE IT boasts a fleet of well-trained professional rider-partners capable of offering above-par MC taxi services to commuters as it maintains a 99.999% road safety record. The reliable MOVE IT app also touts a wide roster of safety features such as Share Your Ride, 24/7 Help Centre, Emergency Response and Voice Over IP (VOIP) calling, exceeding the industry’s tech and service standards.
In the same media roundtable event, MOVE IT general manager Wayne Jacinto said: “This holiday season, our commuters can rely on ‘Tropang MOVE IT’ for safe, convenient and cost-effective rides. As a strategic partner of Grab, also deep-seated in our DNA is customer-centricity, pushing us to always deliver on our promise of honest and dependable transportation for every passenger.”
Proving that it is an emerging formidable force in the MC Taxi industry, MOVE IT has implemented another strategic approach to meeting demand by ensuring riders are productive on the road. With its Back-to-Back Booking feature, the MOVE IT Driver App allows rider-partners to accept a new booking even as they are accomplishing an ongoing one. This technology maximizes the online hours of riders, who can accomplish up to four rides per hour.
Effectively catering to increasing demand, MOVE IT continuously grows its fleet in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Cagayan de Oro, while adhering to the slots allocated for each player. MOVE IT also constantly engages with its rider-partners in various knowledge-sharing and capacity-building programs on road safety and passenger handling, such as webinars and content on the MOVE IT Academy. — JOHANNA AÑES-DE LA CRUZ
Editor's Note: This post is in partnership with Grab Philippines.
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