MANILA, Philippines — Ride-hailing giant Grab Philippines on Tuesday said “decisive steps” are being undertaken to reduce the number of their booking cancellations and improve the overall platform experience of users.
In a statement, Grab said their policies at present already penalize drivers and passengers for excessive cancellations, with repeated violations leading to account suspensions.
“By Q1 2025, Grab will implement a revamped cancellation policy developed in consultation with driver communities and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. The new guidelines will limit cancellations to specific circumstances, such as traffic or emergencies, within a defined timeframe,” said Grab.
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“Stricter penalties will also be enforced for drivers who abuse the system by canceling excessively or asking passengers to cancel rides on their behalf,” it added.
According to Grab, such changes show their commitment to balancing the needs of passengers and drivers while ensuring a seamless and fair experience for all.
During the Senate panel on public services’ hearing also on Tuesday, fines against drivers who cancel trips were brought up by Sen. Raffy Tulfo.
According to the senator, penalties should go both ways and not only to passengers who cancel trips without valid reason.
The ride-hailing firm’s Head of Public Affairs Gregorio Tingson said the fee is in accordance with the regulation set forth in the LTFRB that they can charge P50 when there is a cancellation.
For his part, LTFRB chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III said if and when a passenger gets cancelled on by a driver and an appropriate complaint was logged, the sanction there on the first offense is a penalty of P5,000.
“The violation is refusal to convey because you accepted the passenger and then you don’t want to take him to his destination. If a complaint is filed—we have cases of this—we sanction the driver with a P5,000 penalty,” said Guadiz.
Tulfo asked if they have sanctioned drivers over this and Guadiz answered in the affirmative.
“We already have cases where we meted out sanctions, although not too many because only a few report these to the LTFRB. We have to be informed first. But once we get informed, sanctions almost immediately follows after a show cause,” he said.