Are you one of many who always complains that nobody wants to pick you up on your GrabHitch request?
There are just some people that never seems to be able to get a GrabHitch ride, ever. It makes some of them feel that getting ‘Hitched’ is an achievement!
Here are 8 Quick Tips to get a GrabHitch ride easily, shared by our pro Hitcher who had taken more than 1000 Hitch trips since 2016.
Go Cash-less – Some Drivers worry about having change for $50/$100 so much that they would rather not risk the inconvenience of taking a cash-paying rider. Go cash-less with GrabPay
Stacking – Stacking is sharing a trip with a fellow GrabHitch Rider towards a similar direction. For the record, GrabHitch Drivers are allowed to stack riders but are required to inform riders upfront of any stacking arrangements. Stacking is common these days! Check with the driver what is the stacking arrangements and if it can fit into your schedule. If not, take other commercial service alternatives like JustGrab or UberX.
Three is a crowd – Many GrabHitch Drivers we spoke to prefer to have just 1 or 2 riders onboard. Common reason -Space constraint on a 2 door car and does not want to feel overpowered by 4 strangers in a confined space.
Being photogenic – Let’s face it. Human beings are visual creatures. Nobody likes to pick-up a rider with a weird looking profile photo or worse still no profile photo.
Unless your back view is your best view, don’t do it!
Calling yourself Prince Charming is not going to help much either!
Treat the Driver like a human being – You don’t have to be chatty, you just need to treat the driver like a human being. This is a social-carpooling service so sitting at the back is a big no-no unless the driver asks you to. Engage in small talks and if it isn’t going anywhere with your conversation, just let it die off naturally. See the difference between GrabHitch vs GrabShare carpooling.
Offer to share ERP – If your destination you are heading to will incur ERP charges, offer to pay or share it. No drivers in the right frame of mind would want to go to a place where they would incur additional ERP charges for sending the rider. Did you know that a trip from Ang Mo Kio to CBD during morning peak hour can cost up to $9.50 in ERP charges?
Timing – Most of GrabHitch rides are booked in advance even though there is GrabHitch On-The-Go on-demand service now. Book early and be flexible with your pick-up timing. Allow the driver some allowance in the pick-up time. Not everyone travels at the same time as you!
Writing to your advantage – Make use of the note function to make yourself more ‘desirable’. Leaving comments such as ‘flexible with pickup timing between 7am-7.15am’, willing to share ERP/stacking will help in getting a match. One of the most humorous notes ever seen in the ride request was “3 friendly ladies that you will love”
Doing all these things will not guarantee you a trip but increase your chances significantly. Learn about the 10 Things that GrabHitch Riders do that pissed off GrabHitch Drivers and learn to be a good GrabHitch rider.
Not driving for GrabHitch yet? Sign-up today and complete your first trip to receive a sign-up bonus. Already driving, check out our GrabHitch Driver FAQs for all questions related to GrabHitch or learn how to use the GrabHitch Driver app.
