In its annual Holiday briefing, Grab Philippines announced an extensive preparation strategy to enhance its service reliability and accessibility during the upcoming holiday season, anticipating significant growth in demand across its ride-hailing and delivery services.
Projected Holiday Demand Surge
Historical data shows that Grab experiences substantial increases in service usage during the holiday period, with a 19% rise in daily transacting users for ride-hailing services in the fourth quarter and booking volumes surging up to 45% during mid-December. The delivery segment also experiences a 20% increase in demand during key holiday dates.
Strategic Preparations and Regulatory Collaboration
According to Grab Philippines Country Head Ronald Roda, “For some, the holiday season lasts two or three months. For Grab, it is a journey that spans over 10 months when you consider 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 has been working closely with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), which released new TNVS slots in August. The company is currently in the process of onboarding new driver-partners to cater to the surge in demand, a process that typically requires three to five months.
Addressing Traffic and Driver Earnings
A key challenge identified by Grab is the impact of holiday traffic congestion on a driver’s productivity. The data shows that drivers need approximately 14% more time to complete trips during the December rush. To maintain service reliability, Grab is implementing measures to ensure sustainable earnings for drivers while keeping fares within the LTFRB’s regulatory matrix.
Technology-Driven Solutions
To improve service accessibility and reliability, Grab has introduced several new features:
Enhanced Booking Options
- Advance Booking: Allows users to secure airport rides up to seven days in advance, saving them the possible hassle of having to book a trip on the same day as their flight.
- Group Rides: Implements a carpooling model to maximize fleet utilization and allow for savings on the users’ side, since they will be sharing the fare as well.
- Multi-Service Type Booking: Enables distribution of demand across various vehicle types. Now, users can book with say both 4-seater and 6-seater options selected.
Affordability Initiatives
- GrabCar Saver: A more affordable alternative to standard GrabCar services
- GrabUnlimited subscription: Now includes 8% discount on GrabCar rides
- GrabFood Group Order: Offers escalating discounts for group meal orders. The more people who are in the group order, the higher the discount.
- GrabFood Saver: Provides reduced delivery fees usually in exchange for additional waiting time.
Safety Enhancements
The company has also implemented several safety features:
- Audio Protect: Optional audio recording during rides. The recording remains on the user’s device for 5 to 7 days and will not be sent to Grab unless there is a corresponding report.
- Family Account: Simplified ride management and safety monitoring
- Trip Monitoring: Real-time tracking capabilities
Roda emphasized the company’s commitment to user experience, stating, “Many of our kababayans are looking forward to spending the Holidays with their loved ones, and we are aware of their expectations of us during this season. With that, we have devoted our time, effort, and expertise to elevate their Grab experience – allowing every Filipino to be more present this yuletide season.”
For more information, you may visit Grab Philippines’ official website and Facebook Page.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
