Grab’s impending policy changes are upsetting its drivers who found the increase in commission unfair.
According to Zing, ride-hailing company Grab is rolling out a new rate of commission for all drivers in Hanoi and Saigon. Previously, the firm takes 15% of the revenue earned from each ride while drivers keep the remaining 85%. However, the new policy will increase the firm's rate to 20%.
Nguyen Thu An, Grab’s communication director, shared with the online news outlet that the purpose of the new rate is to boost service quality. She added that the 20% rate has been applied to new drivers who signed up starting from May 7, but existing drivers will start the new rate from September 5.
An told Zing that the current reward scheme for employees grants the top 20% best drivers with 5% of the revenue. There’s also plans to give out additional tips during rush hours, but she didn’t disclose specific details to the press.
Many Grab drivers are undoubtedly unhappy about the new commission rate. Some even started rebelling against the unfair policy by turning off the app or booking “ghost” rides.
The former is self-explanatory: Zing reported in a separate article that many drivers expressing their discontentment on Facebook and forums. In Hanoi, a number of them were calling for a boycott to protest in the form of inactivity on the app.
Others were craftier and tried to hijack the app by booking random rides via the customer app, letting their colleagues accept it and then cancelling the ride to prevent actual passengers from getting rides. However, the news source also noted that this wasn’t a widespread problem.
Most were just upset that the company is seeking to earn a massive amount of profit from the hard work of drivers while there are not enough incentives and rewards to conscientious employees.
Dung, a driver based in Cau Giay District in Hanoi, told Zing that support policies during rush hour are few and far in between. Grab used to grant 20% more revenue for rides during peak hours, but this is less often recently, according to Dung.
[Photo via NewsTH]
