Grab blames suspended P2 per minute travel charge for trip cancellations

Trip cancellations by Grab drivers doubled last Friday and Saturday as a result of the suspended P2 per minute fare component, the transport network company said Monday.

In an emailed statement on Monday, MY TAXI.PH Inc., the operator of Grab Philippines, said the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) the order suspending the P2 per minute travel charge spurred the driver cancellation rate to double at 11 percent.

“Drivers have to buy gas, pay the monthly amortization for the vehicle, or the daily boundary, and when traffic stalls them, it is only the P2 per minute that saves their income,” Grab Philippines country head Brian Cu said.

“So with the P2 gone, many of our drivers earn less and drive less, if at all. No matter how willing they are to drive, they are left with no choice but to think of ways to recover their expenses,” Cu noted.

In an order dated April 18, the board suspended the P2 per minute travel charge on the heels of a complaint lodged by PBA party-list Representative Jericho Nograles.

Grab admitted it did not inform riders of the P2 charge implemented in July 2017.

Grab on Friday, April 20, filed a motion for reconsideration against the LTFRB order claiming it is “contrary to the law.” —Jon Viktor Cabuenas/VDS, GMA News