Move It is a motorcycle ride-hailing application, acquired by Grab in August 2022. | Photo logo of Move It
MANILA, Philippines — Motorcycle ride-hailing company Grab-Move It tagged the House recommendation to exclude its app from a pilot study on motorcycle-taxi (MC Taxi) operations as “anti-competitive and discriminatory.”
To recall, the House committee on Metro Manila development recommended removing Move It from the pilot study on September 5.
It accused Grab of making a “backdoor entry” into the MC Taxi industry by acquiring one of the accredited operators, Move It, after initially failing to pass the screening conducted by the technical working group in 2019.
In a recent statement, however, Grab insisted that the issue has already been resolved after receiving the approval of the Philippine Competition Commission and the Department of Transportation in acquiring Move It.
It maintained that Move It is the “most compliant, most transparent, most pro-driver and pro-consumer platform” in the MC Taxi pilot study, noting that removing it would render thousands of riders jobless and deprive passengers of more options.
“We respectfully submit that Move It must not be singled out as this is anti-competitive and discriminatory,” Grab-Move It said.
According to Grab-Move It, it is willing to undergo “any scrutiny,” so long as other MC Taxi operators, such as Angkas and JoyRide, are subjected to the same scrutiny and high standards.
It then urged other MC Taxi Operators to affirm their commitment to competition and fair play for the benefit of all consumers and drivers.
Grab-Move It also pointed out that it has yet to receive a copy of the recommendation and report.