Grab assures service accessibility this holiday season

The ride-hailing app is tapping partners and enhancing its features to ensure service this holiday season.

Courtesy: Grab

Continued service this holiday rush

Grab Philippines has reiterated its commitment to keeping ride-hailing and food delivery services accessible this holiday season.

Citing company data, Grab said that current traffic congestion is prolonging the completion of ride-hailing trips by an average of 20 percent to 25 percent during peak hours, affecting the number of trips a TNVS driver can complete daily. This congestion, compounded by a projected 36 percent spike in fourth-quarter demand for ride-hailing services, is placing strain on the overall supply of TNVS vehicles on the road.

We have been preparing since the start of the year to ensure our services remain accessible enough to help every Filipino make their holiday celebration complete, said Grab Philippines Managing Director Ronald Roda.

Grab said it is working with partners to address these problems. One is with New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) to ease pick-up bottlenecks at key terminals.

Free airport shuttle rides will be deployed during critical windows when travellers find it difficult to book a Grab ride, specifically between 4:00 PM and 1:00 AM. Operating across three key holiday weekends—December 5-8, 12-16, and 19-22—the shuttles will run from Fridays to Mondays, and Tuesday for the second week, moving passengers from NAIA Terminal 3 to the One Ayala public transport terminal.

The ride-hailing platform also recently improved its 24-hour concierge at NAIA Terminal 3 to accommodate more passengers in need of assistance in booking a GrabCar.

Coordination with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the LTFRB is also being done to ensure the availability of ride-hailing options this season.

Grab also piloted its shared ride program "Sabay Sakay" in partnership with the DOTr ahead of the spike in holiday demand for transport options. The scheduled carpooling service targets routes covering key business districts, starting with the Pasig-Makati and Pasig-BGC corridors.

When it comes to its features, Grab is banking on its "Group Rides" feature to maximize fleet efficiency.

Grab Group Rides allows a host to share a link with up to three passengers, enabling them to input their individual pick-up or drop-off points as they depart or arrive together in a singular GrabCar.

Watch: How to use GrabCar Group Ride this Christmas season?

Grab's mapping algorithms then generate the most efficient route to connect all locations. By consolidating these multi-stop journeys, the feature significantly maximizes existing vehicles on the road. It boosts driver productivity, ensuring that the limited fleet can serve a higher volume of passengers despite the holiday congestion.

On the delivery front, the introduction of Party Platters addresses the logistical complexity of holiday feasting. The feature allows consumers to secure deals on large bulk orders, while the backend technology seamlessly distributes these massive orders across multiple delivery riders.

There will be moments when getting a ride feels harder than usual, but we promise to do our absolute best to be better than last year, Roda said.

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