Tulfo wants review of Grab's policy on fare discounts shouldered by drivers
December 10, 2024
Tulfo wants review of Grab's policy on fare discounts shouldered by drivers
Sen. Idol Raffy Tulfo urged the ride-hailing company Grab to review their policy requiring partner drivers to shoulder the 20% fare discounts granted to students, senior citizens and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) on top of the 20-30% platform fee per booking.
With this setup, drivers can only take home 50-60% of their earning per booking, which is unfair for them.
During the Dec. 10 hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Services which Tulfo chairs, he found out that this policy could be one of the reasons why most drivers refuse to accept the bookings of passengers with special concerns, citing instances wherein students who are on a rush would even resort to using two different accounts just to book a Grab ride.
Saturnino Mopas, Chairman of TNVS Community Philippines, testified that drivers have been absorbing the 20% discount for the past six months.
For his part, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III immediately slammed Grab for violating their franchise agreement. He said that based on their existing policy, Grab should be the one shouldering the said discount and not their drivers.
Guadiz added that they will issue a show-cause order for Grab and further warned that this violation could lead to suspension of Grab's franchise.
Tulfo said he will follow-up with LTFRB in a week on its action regarding Grab's violation.
The Senator from Isabela and Davao also raised concern about the difficulty for passengers to book a Grab ride every time it rains or during rush hours.
To this, Atty. Gregorio Tingson, Grab's Head of Public Affairs, admitted that they do not have enough number of drivers to serve the commuting public when the demand is high.
Sen. Idol likewise asked Tingson if their driver partners are benefitting from the profit they gain from advertisements placed on Grab's application.
"Dapat mayroon kayong klarong patakaran pagdating sa kikitain sa ads. Dahil tawag niyo sa mga drivers sa platform ninyo ay partners, dapat hati kayo sa kikitain niyo sa ads," he said.
Tingson reasoned that they give drivers' shares through incentives but when asked by Tulfo, he failed to give a specific amount. The Senator stressed that Grab obviously lacks transparency.
As a result, Tingson vowed to submit a breakdown of the total profit and the shares they have given their partner drivers.
After said hearing, Tulfo also told Guadiz to include in their review the possibility of having the jeepney operators cover the same 20% discount for individuals with special needs instead of the jeepney drivers. Guadiz committed to studying this.
Tulfo: Bakit kinakarga sa Grab driver partners ang 20% fare discount?
Kinuwestiyon ni Sen. Idol Raffy Tulfo ang pagkakarga ng Grab Philippines sa partner drivers nito ng mandatory 20% fare discount na ibinibigay sa mga estudyante, senior citizens at PWDs na dapat sana ay sinasalo na ng kumpanya. Bukod pa ito sa 20-30% commission na sinisingil ng Grab sa kanila sa bawat booking.
Sa ganitong sistema, 50-60% na lamang ng kanilang kinita sa bawat booking ang maiuuwi ng Grab drivers.
Sa Dec. 10 hearing ng Senate Committee on Public Services na pinamumunuan ni Sen. Idol, napag-alaman niya na maaaring ito pala ang dahilan kung bakit hindi tumatanggap ang karamihan sa mga Grab drivers ng booking mula sa mga pasaherong estudyante o may special needs dahil halos wala na silang kikitain dito. May ibang estudyante pa nga na gumagamit na ng dalawang accounts para lamang makasakay sa Grab car.
Pinatotohanan mismo ni Saturnino Mopas, Chairman ng TNVS Community Philippines, ang pagkarga ng Grab sa naturang discount sa mga drivers at anim na buwan na raw itong ipinapatupad.
Sa puntong ito ay sinupalpal ni Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III ang Grab dahil sa lantaran umano nitong paglabag sa kanilang franchise agreement. Sinabi ni Guadiz na nakasaad sa franchise agreement ng Grab bilang Transport Network Company na ito ang dapat sumalo sa nasabing 20% discount.
Sinabi ni Guadiz na posibleng suspendihin ang prangkisa ng Grab dahil sa pagsalo ng drivers sa nasabing 20% discount na labag sa LTFRB policy. Magfa-followup si Sen. Tulfo sa aksyon ng ahensya ukol dito matapos ang isang linggo.
Sinita rin ni Idol Raffy ang Grab kung naibibigay ba ang mga shares ng partner drivers nito sa mga kinikita ng kumpanya mula sa online advertisements na nakikita sa kanilang application.
Sinabi ni Atty. Gregorio Tingson, Grab's Head of Public Affairs, ibinibigay nila ang shares ng mga driver sa pamamagitan ng incentives ngunit nang tanungin ni Tulfo kung magkano ang eksaktong inaabot nilang shares sa mga drivers ay natameme si Tingson.
Inobliga ni Idol Raffy ang Grab, sa ngalan ng transparency, na ipakita sa mga drivers nito ang breakdown kung paano napupunta sa kanila bilang incentives ang kinikita ng kumpanya mula sa mga nasabing ads. Agad namang sumangayon si Tingson dito.
Nabahala rin ang Senador mula Isabela at Davao sa complaints ng mga pasahero na hirap mag-book ng Grab ride tuwing umuulan o rush hour.
Dito, sinabi ni Tingson Head of Public Affairs ng Grab na wala silang sapat na bilang ng mga driver na magsisilbi sa commuting public kapag mataas ang demand.
Pagtapos ng nasabing pagdinig ay inatasan ni Sen. Idol si Guadiz na isama na rin sa kanilang pagrereview ang posibilidad na huwag na rin ikarga sa mga jeepney drayber ang parehong 20% discount at ipasa na ito sa mga operators. Nangako si Guadiz na kanila itong pag-aaralan.
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