Poe: More ride-hailing firms needed

There is a need to bring in more ride-hailing firms in order to make Grab more accountable for its service and provide commuters with more options, Sen. Grace Poe said yesterday.

“The more players there are in the market, the better it is. Grab has the virtual control of the biggest chunk of the riding public,” she said.

Poe said Grab has to answer for the quality of its service, which customers said has deteriorated since it merged with rival Uber.

Commuters have cited the difficulty in securing rides and the frequent price surges over the past months.

Poe said there should be more competitors in the market in order to provide commuters with options. She noted the entry of new ridehailing services but said they are nowhere near the size and scale of Grab.

Also yesterday, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board grilled Grab for allegedly imposing a minimum fare of P80 for its four-seater rides without the LTFRB’s approval.

In a hearing on Grab’s fare hike petition, LTFRB chairman Martin Delgra III sought clarification on the issue.

Sought for comment, Grab’s strategy and special projects head Anton Bautista explained that their clients are charged for P80 for sedans if their respective destinations are less than three kilometers. For six-seater vehicles, the minimum fare is at P125.

It means the TNC has an additional P40 for rides less than three kilometers aside from the approved base fare of P40. The minimum charge, Bautista explained, are compensated, noting that a driver has to travel a certain distance in reaching a passenger who booked a ride.

“If the regular fare structure falls below the minimum fare, the P80 will apply,” Grab lawyer John Paul Nabua said in the hearing.

Delgra was visibly surprised, noting that minimum fares of P80 and P125 were not mentioned in Grab’s fare hike petition. He then asked Grab lawyers when they imposed the minimum fare, to which lawyers of the TNC replied was on June 5, 2017.

He ordered Grab to revise their fare hike petition within 10 days from May 29.

In an interview with reporters, Delgra said it appears the determination of the minimum fare is a technical computation within Grab’s system.