In the bustling city of Singapore, where every minute counts, ride-hailing services like Grab have become an essential part of daily life. But what happens when the convenience of these services collides with the realities faced by drivers?
Can’t seem to get a ride
The story begins with a customer in a familiar predicament – running late for an appointment at Takashimaya, a prominent shopping center in Orchard Road. Faced with the need for quick transportation, the customer turns to Grab, hoping for a swift solution.
However, their journey starts with a series of booking attempts. They initially try booking a ‘JustGrab’ ride, only to find that there are no available drivers.
Undeterred, they attempt to book a ‘GrabCar (Gogek),’ but once again, no drivers are available. With time ticking away, the customer turns to ‘GrabShare,’ a carpooling service that proves to have an available driver.
A Candid Conversation
As the customer boards the GrabShare car, they engage in a conversation with the driver. What the driver shares sheds light on the challenges faced by ride-hailing drivers.
The driver candidly admits, “I didn’t want to pick up passengers to Orchard or from Orchard because it’s Saturday, and it’s jammed.”
They go on to explain that had they known the destination would be Orchard, they wouldn’t have accepted the ride, regardless of the fare offered, due to the expected traffic congestion.
Driver hates driving to Orchard
Despite the driver’s initial reluctance, the customer’s journey from the pick-up point to the drop-off location turns out to be relatively smooth. The traffic congestion, while present, is not as severe as feared, and the customer reaches their destination without significant delays.
What stands out in this story is a recurring theme among drivers: their complaints about the challenges of their profession.
The customer notes that during approximately 80% of their Grab rides, drivers have expressed grievances about the state of their business.
He questioned why the drivers are complaining about business being bad when they are the ones picking and choosing their customers.
Here is what he said
Yesterday I was running late for my appointment at Takashimaya. So I book Grab/Gogek. I book justgrab (no drivers available), book gogek (no drivers available) so I decided to try Grabshare. Thankfully there is driver.
So when I board the car the driver chatted with me. Then he said this “I didn’t want to pick up passengers to orchard/from orchard because its Saturday and its jam.
I didn’t know that you were going to orchard area. If I know, I wouldn’t have accept it no matter how much you pay me because its very sian”
I was like no wonder no drivers wanted to accept it. But the thing is throughout the ride from my pick up point to the drop off point.
The journey was pretty smooth. The jam wasn’t that bad as if driving from Singapore to JB. Its just that have to drive a bit slower.
Then the thing is…….. 80% of the time I took Grab ah when the drivers chatted with me they always complain about how business was bad, how hard it was to have passengers to book Grab but yet they want to pick and choose the area they want to go.
Honestly, when I alighted at my location so many people were waiting for Grab or want to take cab. Earning money is never easy and relax.
So if the Grab/gogek/taxi drivers wants to pick and choose location. Don’t complain about how business has drop, nobody want to book cars. The fact is that you just have to go to the right location.
