Follow government rules, Grab asks ‘prospective TNC’

MANILA, Philippines — The biggest ride-hailing company in the country has called out “a prospective transport network company (TNC)” for defying the policies and regulations set by the government, saying this could have a “negative cumulative effect” on the whole sector.

Although Grab did not name names, it was widely believed to be referring to Angkas which had been at odds with members of the technical working group (TWG) in charge of an ongoing pilot test for motorcycle taxis.

In a statement, Grab categorized the ongoing dispute as “disrupt(ive) (to) the commuting public.” “The ride-hailing sector is at a volatile state at the moment, and any unnecessary trial by publicity and government defiance will only cause anxiety and inconvenience to the public and a negative cumulative effect on the entire ride-hailing sector,” it said.

“As TNCs, we are bound by our responsibility to provide safe and convenient mobility solutions to the Filipino commuters, while providing meaningful livelihood opportunities to our driver-partners, all under the guidance and oversight of the government regulators. We enjoin all market players to abide by these rules. Any contention must be expressed to the proper channels, without sacrificing the welfare of the millions of Filipinos counting on us,” Grab said.

Its statement came a day after it expressed interest in reviving its GrabBike services with the government considering making motorcycle taxis legal. The TNC, however, has had its fair share of run-ins with transportation officials.

In July 2018, it was slapped a P10-million fine for unilaterally charging a P2 travel fee. Last year, the Philippine Competition Commission fined Grab P39.6 million for overcharging and frequent booking cancellations.

While Grab is the dominant car-hailing service in the country despite eight other competitors, its closest rival in the past year has been Angkas, believed to corner over 300,000 bookings a day. Unlike cars, motorcycles offer a faster commute despite heavy traffic.

Angkas, on the other hand, now appears to be willing to extend an olive branch to state transport regulators after a threat that it might be blacklisted for violating some pilot test guidelines.

But while it promised to continue working with the government in the second and final leg of the pilot test, Angkas chief transport advocate George Royeca said they would not let up on their call for the TWG to drop the 10,000 cap on motorcycle drivers.

“I would like to emphasize that our fight is with a particular provision and not with government bodies. Our fight is with the riders’ cap — an unfair and anticompetitive provision that would effectively punish the majority of our riders,” he said.