Super app operator Grab Philippines is in talks with regulatory agencies to increase the number of its partner-drivers between 10,000 to 20,000 this holiday season to address the projected spike in demand, particularly from tourists and home-bound overseas Filipino workers.

Grace Vera-Cruz, country head of the dominant ride-hailing service provider, told reporters in a recent interview they were planning to deploy&nbsp; a “holiday fleet”, comprising temporary partner-drivers to augment the supply during Christmas.

&nbsp; She said Grab was coordinating with the Department of Transportation and Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board to determine how many more partner-drivers should be given slots in the meantime.

Grab is hoping to finalize the plan by November amid the expected pickup in ride-hailing service demand.

Ronald Roda, Grab senior director for strategy and operations, previously said that passengers usually have three out of 10 chances of successfully booking a ride during the Christmas rush.

&nbsp; “We’ve been working on this since July. We really want to deliver a good customer experience,” Vera-Cruz said.

&nbsp; Currently, the country head said they have between 20,000 to 30,000 drivers. The number is below the 65,000 it had prior to the pandemic.

Roda said about two-thirds of their fleet quit from the platform during the pandemic when mobility was heavily curtailed. At that time, several cars were also repossessed due to financial challenges, he said.

Grab has since been onboarding more driver-partners along with the resurgence of mobility.

This October, the ride-hailing company is set to launch its Davao operations with 250 driver-partners. It is targeting to increase the slots to 1,500 eventually.

Grab launched its services in Iloilo in March. Moving forward, it is also keen on establishing presence in Pampanga, Albay, Camarines Sur and Bacolod.

&nbsp; The super app operator is set to launch the Hotspot Navigation feature this year, which will enable drivers to identify areas with high demand for ride-hailing bookings in real time. It is designed to improve the earning capability of the company’s driver-partners.

&nbsp; The local ride-hailing market has been dominated by Grab after it bought competitor Uber in 2018. However, two players—low-cost carrier AirAsia Philippines and California-based ride-hailing company InDrive—are now trying to break into the sector as they request for licenses to operate.

<h1>Grab to deploy ‘holiday fleet’</h1>Super app operator Grab Philippines is in talks with regulatory agencies to increase the number of its partner-drivers between 10,000 to 20,000 this holiday season to address the projected spike in demand, particularly from tourists and home-bound overseas Filipino workers.Grace Vera-Cruz, country head of the dominant ride-hailing service provider, told reporters in a recent interview they were planning to deploy&nbsp; a “holiday fleet”, comprising temporary partner-drivers to augment the supply during Christmas.&nbsp; She said Grab was coordinating with the Department of Transportation and Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board to determine how many more partner-drivers should be given slots in the meantime.Grab is hoping to finalize the plan by November amid the expected pickup in ride-hailing service demand.<h2>Christmas rush</h2>Ronald Roda, Grab senior director for strategy and operations, previously said that passengers usually have three out of 10 chances of successfully booking a ride during the Christmas rush.&nbsp; “We’ve been working on this since July. We really want to deliver a good customer experience,” Vera-Cruz said.&nbsp; Currently, the country head said they have between 20,000 to 30,000 drivers. The number is below the 65,000 it had prior to the pandemic.Roda said about two-thirds of their fleet quit from the platform during the pandemic when mobility was heavily curtailed. At that time, several cars were also repossessed due to financial challenges, he said.Grab has since been onboarding more driver-partners along with the resurgence of mobility.<h2>Provincial network</h2>This October, the ride-hailing company is set to launch its Davao operations with 250 driver-partners. It is targeting to increase the slots to 1,500 eventually.Grab launched its services in Iloilo in March. Moving forward, it is also keen on establishing presence in Pampanga, Albay, Camarines Sur and Bacolod.&nbsp; The super app operator is set to launch the Hotspot Navigation feature this year, which will enable drivers to identify areas with high demand for ride-hailing bookings in real time. It is designed to improve the earning capability of the company’s driver-partners.&nbsp; The local ride-hailing market has been dominated by Grab after it bought competitor Uber in 2018. However, two players—low-cost carrier AirAsia Philippines and California-based ride-hailing company InDrive—are now trying to break into the sector as they request for licenses to operate.

Advertising / Promotion / PR

Application

Grab to deploy ‘holiday fleet’

MANILA — Around 90 percent of food delivery riders on Grab would like to continue working for the platform even after the COVID-19 pandemic, a study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) showed.

"We asked our respondents, 12,000 of them, in Manila, Cebu, and Davao, and we asked them, were they willing to continue their work with Grab food delivery? More than 90 percent of them said that they would continue after the pandemic," Takashi Yamano, principal economist at the ADB's Economic Research and Development Impact Department, said on Monday.&nbsp;

Food deliveries proliferated in key Philippine cities during pandemic-induced lockdowns.

"So it was not one-time shift to this work, but they are intending to stay with the work. And I believe that this workforce will continue to expand," Yamano said.&nbsp;

Yamano noted that Grab drivers enjoy having an independent working environment and a decent income from their job.

"Many drivers we talked to said they enjoy not having supervisors observing their work," he noted.

"(They also have) decent earnings, so on average, workers earn about P5,700 per week. This adds up to average monthly wage of P23,000 with Grab... In their previous jobs they earned about P15,000," he said.&nbsp;

Yamano stressed, however, that government must give gig economy workers, like food delivery riders, some sort of social protection.

"Although they are independent contractors, bringing them into the social economy, formal economy is very important... This is a new form of employment," he added.

"There’s an advantage of this kind of contract, platformers contracting independent work. There’s benefits to it. So instead of restricting their work, maybe find a proper way of helping them," he said.

<h1>Most Grab drivers want to keep job after pandemic: ADB</h1>MANILA — Around 90 percent of food delivery riders on Grab would like to continue working for the platform even after the COVID-19 pandemic, a study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) showed."We asked our respondents, 12,000 of them, in Manila, Cebu, and Davao, and we asked them, were they willing to continue their work with Grab food delivery? More than 90 percent of them said that they would continue after the pandemic," Takashi Yamano, principal economist at the ADB's Economic Research and Development Impact Department, said on Monday.&nbsp;Food deliveries proliferated in key Philippine cities during pandemic-induced lockdowns."So it was not one-time shift to this work, but they are intending to stay with the work. And I believe that this workforce will continue to expand," Yamano said.&nbsp;Yamano noted that Grab drivers enjoy having an independent working environment and a decent income from their job."Many drivers we talked to said they enjoy not having supervisors observing their work," he noted."(They also have) decent earnings, so on average, workers earn about P5,700 per week. This adds up to average monthly wage of P23,000 with Grab... In their previous jobs they earned about P15,000," he said.&nbsp;Yamano stressed, however, that government must give gig economy workers, like food delivery riders, some sort of social protection."Although they are independent contractors, bringing them into the social economy, formal economy is very important... This is a new form of employment," he added."There’s an advantage of this kind of contract, platformers contracting independent work. There’s benefits to it. So instead of restricting their work, maybe find a proper way of helping them," he said.

System / Website / Application development

Most Grab drivers want to keep job after pandemic: ADB

MANILA&nbsp; -Grab Philippines said it remained committed to fulfilling its goal of providing 500,000 job opportunities here despite its parent company’s restructuring activity resulting in 1,000 employees across Southeast Asia being laid off.

The company confirmed the layoffs covered the Philippine business, but it declined to give a number.

In a statement on Monday, the super app operator dominating the local ride-hailing market said the Philippines “has always been an important market for Grab.”

“We remain steadfast in our promise to create 500,000 livelihood opportunities in the Philippines and will continue to make progress on this by creating meaningful opportunities for everyday Filipinos and small businesses to earn a livelihood on our platform, whether as a driver-partner, delivery partner, or merchant partner,” Grab Philippines country head Grace Vera-Cruz said.

Grab CEO Anthony Tan last week said a thousand employees were let go to improve cost efficiency. The restructuring program came after the company continued to register losses during the first quarter.

According to its first quarter performance, Grab registered a loss of $250 million, an improvement from the $435 million loss in the same period last year. This was supported by its revenues accelerating by 130 percent to $525 million due to growth in all segments.

Its bottom line was dragged by losses from fair value changes on investments and higher expenses, among others. In order to handle the projected operation growth albeit with fewer manpower, Tan said they already began streamlining processes in the past year.

“The primary goal of this exercise is to strategically reorganize ourselves, so that we can move faster, work smarter and rebalance our resources across our portfolio in line with our longer term strategies,” Tan said.

The ride-hailing company added the employees discharged would be given financial support, including severance pay.

The former employees are entitled to encashment of unused accrued annual leave and maternity or paternity leaves, among others. Their medical insurance coverage will also be extended until the end of the year, “where possible, subject to local insurance terms.”

“We are aware that change may be incredibly challenging and we are prioritizing the welfare of the Grabbers who were affected by the restructuring exercise,” Vera-Cruz said.

<h1>Grab confirms layoffs in PH business</h1>MANILA&nbsp; -Grab Philippines said it remained committed to fulfilling its goal of providing 500,000 job opportunities here despite its parent company’s restructuring activity resulting in 1,000 employees across Southeast Asia being laid off.The company confirmed the layoffs covered the Philippine business, but it declined to give a number.In a statement on Monday, the super app operator dominating the local ride-hailing market said the Philippines “has always been an important market for Grab.”“We remain steadfast in our promise to create 500,000 livelihood opportunities in the Philippines and will continue to make progress on this by creating meaningful opportunities for everyday Filipinos and small businesses to earn a livelihood on our platform, whether as a driver-partner, delivery partner, or merchant partner,” Grab Philippines country head Grace Vera-Cruz said.Grab CEO Anthony Tan last week said a thousand employees were let go to improve cost efficiency. The restructuring program came after the company continued to register losses during the first quarter.According to its first quarter performance, Grab registered a loss of $250 million, an improvement from the $435 million loss in the same period last year. This was supported by its revenues accelerating by 130 percent to $525 million due to growth in all segments.Its bottom line was dragged by losses from fair value changes on investments and higher expenses, among others. In order to handle the projected operation growth albeit with fewer manpower, Tan said they already began streamlining processes in the past year.“The primary goal of this exercise is to strategically reorganize ourselves, so that we can move faster, work smarter and rebalance our resources across our portfolio in line with our longer term strategies,” Tan said.The ride-hailing company added the employees discharged would be given financial support, including severance pay.The former employees are entitled to encashment of unused accrued annual leave and maternity or paternity leaves, among others. Their medical insurance coverage will also be extended until the end of the year, “where possible, subject to local insurance terms.”“We are aware that change may be incredibly challenging and we are prioritizing the welfare of the Grabbers who were affected by the restructuring exercise,” Vera-Cruz said.

Mobile app

Grab confirms layoffs in PH business

MANILA&nbsp; -The Philippine unit of ride-hailing giant Grab Holdings Inc. is looking to grow its food delivery service to include five more provinces this year.&nbsp;



Grab Philippines director for deliveries Greg Camacho on Wednesday said the company aimed to complete the expansion within 2023.&nbsp;

“We are looking at a couple (of areas), in particular, certain areas in Northern Luzon,” Camacho told reporters on the sidelines of the company’s annual merchant conference dubbed GrabNEXT held at the SMX Convention Center Aura in Taguig.

“These are new markets. And you know, we do a lot of research and based on the data we’ve seen, there are still a lot of markets outside Metro Manila that are underserved,” he added.

The Grab Philippines executive said they were also looking to grow the number of merchant partners, which number in the tens of thousands today.

“From prepandemic (times) to current day, we are seeing an annual growth rate, on average, just above 60 percent,” he said, when asked about the growth trend in the last few years.

“I think what happened during the pandemic, as a function of lockdowns and businesses not being able to dine in, we really did see an explosive growth of (partner) merchants in that period,” he added.

Camacho said that while the company was still looking at a substantial growth even as a big portion of the population steadily moves to in-person purchases.

<h1>Grab PH expanding food delivery services to 5 provinces</h1>MANILA&nbsp; -The Philippine unit of ride-hailing giant Grab Holdings Inc. is looking to grow its food delivery service to include five more provinces this year.&nbsp;

Grab Philippines director for deliveries Greg Camacho on Wednesday said the company aimed to complete the expansion within 2023.&nbsp;“We are looking at a couple (of areas), in particular, certain areas in Northern Luzon,” Camacho told reporters on the sidelines of the company’s annual merchant conference dubbed GrabNEXT held at the SMX Convention Center Aura in Taguig.“These are new markets. And you know, we do a lot of research and based on the data we’ve seen, there are still a lot of markets outside Metro Manila that are underserved,” he added.The Grab Philippines executive said they were also looking to grow the number of merchant partners, which number in the tens of thousands today.“From prepandemic (times) to current day, we are seeing an annual growth rate, on average, just above 60 percent,” he said, when asked about the growth trend in the last few years.“I think what happened during the pandemic, as a function of lockdowns and businesses not being able to dine in, we really did see an explosive growth of (partner) merchants in that period,” he added.Camacho said that while the company was still looking at a substantial growth even as a big portion of the population steadily moves to in-person purchases.