Solon to Grab: Prove your ‘love’ to drivers by slashing commission

A party-list lawmaker dared Grab Philippines on Monday to cut its 20 percent commission from fares if it “truly loves” its partner-drivers.

Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) party-list Rep. Jericho Nograles issued the challenge after Grab Country Head Brian Cu bared that the driver cancellation rate of Grab has increased after the Land Transportation and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) suspended last week their P2 per minute fare component.

READ: Hike in ride booking cancellation by drivers due to low fares – Grab

Cu earlier defended their move to implement the travel charge in order to help drivers recoup their expenses and earn better.

“Let’s face it: pag lugi ang driver, hindi lalabas ‘yan. Walang masasakyan ang tao,” he added.

(If drivers earn less money, they won’t go out. People won’t have any rides.)

Nograles agreed with Cu as he acknowledged that the business model of transport network vehicle services (TNVS) is “heavily reliant on the driver.”

“Ang logic ay kung walang driver, walang sasakyan,” he added.

(The logic is if there’s no driver, there will be no rides.)

But he said Grab should instead decrease its existing 20 percent commission on the total computed fare per ride.

“Ito ang tanong, ano ang pwede ibigay ng Grab sa driver para mag-drive sila? Edi bawasan nalang ng Grab ang komisyon nila na 20 percent. Ten percent nalang kunin nila; that way, matutulungan nila ang driver nila,” Nograles said.

(The question is, what can Grab give the drivers for them to drive? Decrease their 20 percent commission. Just take ten percent; that way, they can help their drivers.)

“Brian Cu and Grab, their very consistent when they say mahal na mahal nila mga driver nila. I would like them to prove their love by slashing their commission. Kaya naman nila eh… Mas magaling pa kayo kumita kaysa sa lugaw,” he added, noting that Grab has more or less “P400 million gross income per month.”

(Brian Cu and Grabe are very consistent when they say they really love their drivers. I would like them to prove their love by slashing their commission. They can do it… they can easily make money.)

INQUIRER.net has reached out to Grab for comment but they have yet to respond as of posting time.

It was Nograles who earlier alleged that Grab owes its customers some P3.2 billion for “illegally and hideously” charging the P2-per-minute charge, which was recently suspended by the LTFRB.

READ: Grab PH admits failure to inform riders of P2-per-minute charge

Grab had already said that they “unilaterally” implemented the charge with Department Order (DO) 2015-011 as basis.

The DO allowed TNCs to set its own fares but with the oversight of the LTFRB.

READ: Grab ordered to stop P2/minute of travel charge ASAP

Grab also said their per minute charges “remain part and parcel to Grab’s fare structure today and we have continuously been transparent about this truth.”

But Nograles insisted his earlier stance that the LTFRB should “cease and desist” the P2-per-minute charge instead of just suspending it, and refund the total per minute fare component it charged from its passengers.

The lawmaker also warned Grab against passing the refund responsibility to its drivers.

“Kung ang plano ng Grab ‘di ito bayaran at ipasa sa kanilang mga driver ako ang unang magpa-file ng kaso na estafa,” he said.

(If Grab is planning not to pay the refund and pass it to their drivers, I will be the first to file an estafa case.) /je