FREQUENT users of Southeast Asia’s leading ride-hailing service, Grab, have expressed their disappointment in the recent markup of transport fares.

They told The Malaysian Insight that the hike, which could go up to double the usual amount, has made their daily routine and reliance on the service no longer affordable.

Consultant Thirunavukarasu Lacheman, 52, a regular Grab user, said the increase started about a month back.

“If I go to the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from Klang, the fare is normally around RM50. And during peak hours, it would be at the most RM60.

“It has now became about RM92, which I find ridiculous. I have never taken any rides that cost up to RM80 or RM90 before,” he said.

Thirunavukarasu, who lived in Japan for four years and moved back to Malaysia during the pandemic, said he is accustomed to public transport, ride services and does not drive.

“I use Grab everyday, and therefore, I am familiar with the fares.

“The fare during non-peak hours now cost an extra RM2 to RM3, which makes a lot of difference in expenses.

“And the prices for peak hours are just ridiculously high at 1.5 times more,” he said.

A lawyer working in Kuala Lumpur, Angelina Koh, said she used to book the ride-hailing service daily for her working firm’s tea lady, since the conditional movement-control order from May to June 2020.

“She takes public transport from her flat in Setapak to Mont Kiara for work, but we booked the Grab service for her as we did not want her to catch Covid-19 and infect the whole office.

“Initially, the one-way trip for her to get home was about RM18, and later in the range of RM20s. From early November, it was in the range of RM40s.

“The cost of her transportation is more than RM1,000 monthly,” Koh said.

The lawyer said the tea lady has now found a driver who charges RM30 for the two-way trip for the day-to-day work commute.

Koh said in the last quarter of 2021, she had also personally taken Grab services to areas with limited parking and was shocked by the high fares.

“The rates were crazy and I took half an hour to get a driver. But I am part of the privileged group that uses Grab out of convenience and not necessity,” she said.

Both Thirunavukarasu and Koh said that most Grab users are also now switching to competitor AirAsia Ride for a cheaper alternative.

Other alternatives

A driver who works under both ride-hailing services told The Malaysian Insight that more drivers prefer the latter as it takes less commission and allows the option to accept assignments.

“AirAsia has a 15% commission whereas Grab is 20%, with higher commission meaning lower pay.

“The Grab portal has an auto-accept feature, but with AirAsia, I can choose passengers based on the destination,” the driver said.

The driver added that more passengers would especially choose AirAsia during peak hours as the fees were cheaper, thus drivers would concentrate on AirAsia then.

As for other ride-hailing services currently available such as Gojo and Mula, the driver said their systems are less developed.

The driver said that Grab’s system was the most advanced, where it offered more protection for drivers.

“If I stall for a long while, Grab will ask if I am okay. There is also a security measure in case I get robbed by passengers,” the driver said.

Another Grab driver said he only worked for the ride-hailing firm as friends who had joined earlier influenced him to do the same.

The 50-year-old, who joined in March, said working part-time for Grab could earn him about RM2,000 monthly, which is helpful to make payment for his new six-seater car.

He said that he was usually on duty for Grab during the evening peak hours after his full-time job.

“The fee is more expensive during peak hours as Grab is giving incentives to attract a lot of drivers who refuse to work during the period.

“The drivers believe heavy traffic is not worth the wages. Also, the system will automatically increase the fare when there are fewer drivers available during high-demand periods,” he said.

A budget taxi driver told The Malaysian Insight that there were Grab users who decided to use metered taxis at peak hours too.

“Some passengers are smart and would go for taxi services, which are cheaper. Taxi drivers also know the road shortcuts better than Grab drivers who depend on Waze, a navigation application,” the taxi driver said.

Affected by floods

For Jeffrey Lim Chin Leng, he hoped that help will be given to gig workers whose cars were damaged by the recent heavy flooding in the Klang Valley.

The 55-year-old social worker was concerned for some of the ride-hailing drivers who had their income cut off while their cars were under repair.

“Cars damaged by flooding would be problematic, as they will frequently break down even after overhauling,” Lim said.

Thirunavukarasu also said he knew a few Grab drivers who were not able to drive after the flood.

“Those who used their private cars to provide Grab services said they received no news or help from Grab during this time,” he said.

Grab had refused to comment on its fare hike after being approached by The Malaysian Insight.

In early December, Grab celebrated its milestone in US public listing with Nasdaq.

Later in the same month, the firm reportedly bought Jaya Grocer for an undisclosed amount. – January 4, 2022.