Riders call on Grab to reinstate suspended, terminated drivers

A group of riders urged Grab Philippines to reinstate drivers who had been suspended or terminated for joining protests against the ride hailing firm's alleged "unfair management."

These riders had joined a unity protest against Grab's new fare matrix that reduced the rate per order to P35 from the previous P45.

The food delivery riders, who were supported by the National Union of Food Delivery Riders, claimed that the new fare matrix reduced the riders' income.

They said the National Labor Relations Commission was tackling the supposed illegal termination of the riders.

In response to the issue, Grab said it was aware of the concerns raised by some delivery partners over the recent restructuring of the earnings model.

Grab said the new model "was designed to address long-standing concerns about compensation for pick-up efforts and extended wait times, while also providing a guaranteed minimum fare to protect our partners' earnings.''

''To date, Grab’s current earning model provides the most competitive earning potential for its partners as compared to that offered by other delivery platforms, and many of our partners attest that their average income has either remained at par or has slightly increased following the implementation of the new earnings model,'' Grab said.

Further, the company noted that it continued to follow the drivers' guidelines, in which all of their rider partners had been made aware of when it comes to necessary sanctions.

''We would like to reaffirm that Grab does not apply these sanctions indiscriminately and was carried out with proper assessment and due process, and still assessed whether there is evidence pointing to an actual violation,'' Grab said. — DVM, GMA Integrated News