It is now official. Grab has emailed its drivers that it will be coming down hard on those drivers with low acceptance ratings.
Grab is imposing a new minimum weekly acceptance rating requirement of 30%. Drivers who fall below 30% for the 1st time will be notified to improve their acceptance rate.
2nd-time offender (what Grab use to describe drivers who do not meet the requirements) will be suspended for 1 week.
3rd-time offenders will be dealt with harsher actions. The new acceptance rate will be based over a calendar quarter (3 months).
Why is Grab doing this
Many drivers are no longer chasing after incentives and prefer to cherry-pick for high fare trips. As a result, it is very difficult and slow for riders to get a ride confirmed, especially it is a low-fare or short distance trip.
This round of announcement will not go down well with existing Grab drivers. Many are very unhappy about the weekly incentive criteria of minimum 90% acceptance rate and a cancellation rate of less than 10%. The introduction of a punishment system will only add to their resentment towards Grab.
What could happen
Jump ship – Drivers who are not able to abide by Grab’s new acceptance rating requirement could jump ship to the competitor. Uber has been making many pro-driver changes to make the driving experience better for drivers. They have announced plans to improve experience and earnings in the next 90 days.
Play by the book – If you cannot beat them, join them. Drivers who are stuck with Grab may just have to adhere to the new policy and do their bidding.
You cannot go left then go right – Private-hire drivers are street smart. They know the system so well that they probably have a plan up their sleeves to beat the system. The system has undergone so many changes in the past few years but yet drivers still found their own way to beat it.
