MANILA, Philippines — Senator Imee Marcos is pushing for an inquiry into the alleged “abuse and poor service” of ride-hailing company Grab Philippines.
Marcos filed on Wednesday Senate Resolution No. 283 urging the appropriate Senate panel to conduct an inquiry into the alleged “abuse and poor service of Grab PH and its effective monopoly of ride hailing services.”
“Various reports state that Grab prices (are) increasing to exorbitant amounts during the recent pre-Christmas holiday rush, with commuters experiencing more than double their usual fare,” the resolution read.
“In addition to the high fares during the recent pre-Christmas holiday rush, Grab commuters also experience difficulties in booking a ride, with reports of booking times reaching about an hour, if they get a booking at all,” it added.
Under the mandate of the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) as defined by the Philippine Competition Act, Grab’s acquisition of Uber in the Philippines was subjected to “quality and pricing standards in clearing the transaction which were part of the voluntary commitments signed by Grab to address the competition concerns raised by the antitrust authority,” Marcos noted in her resolution.
“Commuters using Grab services have consistently complained that fares are becoming more expensive now, after Uber sold its business to Grab, leaving them with no other ride-hailing company to choose from,” she added.
The PCC recently imposed a P16.15-million fine on Grab Philippines for overpricing and cancellation of users’ rides.
READ: Grab Philippines fined P16 M for violating pricing commitments, ride cancellations
“For the fourth leg of the initial undertaking, PCC imposes a fine of P14.15 million for Grab’s extraordinary deviation on its pricing commitment, and P2 million for exceeding driver cancellations at 7.76% instead of the committed 5%,” PCC said in a statement.