Members of the public have raised concerns over Grab’s announcement that it was decreasing its grace period from five minutes to three minutes.
The grace period would be acceptable if some drivers actually arrived on time at pick-up points, said netizens.
Beginning Monday, July 18, Grab said it would start charging passengers S$3 beyond three minutes of waiting for most ride types.
The grace waiting period for JustGrab, GrabPet, GrabFamily, GrabCar, GrabCar Plus and GrabCar Premium is three minutes, with a S$3 charge per five-minute waiting block.
The grace waiting period for GrabCoach is 10 minutes, with a S$10 charge per 10-minute waiting block.
“You are encouraged to book rides only when ready to ensure you have ample time to reach your pick-up point. Thank you for your understanding,” said Grab in a notification to users.
“Less waiting time will mean more rides to go around,” it added.
Netizens commented on the news, noting that the adjustment would cause issues.
“A lot of drivers click that they have arrived when they have not. This is a loophole that will be easily abused,” warned netizen Facebook user Dian Raihan.
“They (drivers) tap on arrive after turning in; we can’t even find them at the lobby sometimes because they’re at the wrong block. We call them, and they’re circling around the area looking for your address. More than three minutes,” said Facebook user Paul Benedict in a comment with over 580 likes.
“They click on arrive before even reaching the pick-up point, gets jammed up behind the taxis (which takes more than 3mins). But of course, there are customers always making drivers wait just because they can’t estimate their timing properly,” he added.
Facebook user Chai Boon Yen said it is a “give and take on both sides.”
“Grab should look into drivers clicking arrived already before they reach the riders. Maybe they should make both drivers and riders acknowledge the trip together. Meaning maybe a QR code from the driver to be acknowledged in the rider’s app,” suggested Facebook user Brioraja Rajabrio in a comment with over 810 likes.
Others said a solution was to boycott the services completely.
/TISG