So you, like this writer, are an obedient, law-abiding citizen.
The first time you stepped out of your house into a seemingly dystopian world, you needed to ask how to use SafeEntry. Just like a caveman discovering technology for the first time.
And you were blown away by how much Singapore has changed drastically.
Even ride-hailing has taken on new standards of safety and hygiene, with GrabProtect paving the way during the time you were hiding in your cave.
Help. What is GrabProtect?
Launched by Grab for its ride-hailing service, GrabProtect is a comprehensive set of safety policies to protect drivers and passengers from the process of booking a ride to alighting.
Leveraging its technical expertise, Grab is dedicated to enforcing higher safety and hygiene standards in the ride-hailing industry.
All in six simple steps.
1. No sitting in the front seat
Having a passenger in the front seat increases the risk of Covid-19 transmission through spread and expulsion of respiratory droplets, especially when drivers share their nuggets of wisdom animatedly.
To promote greater safety precautions in minimising contact between drivers and passengers, riders are not allowed to sit in the front seat.
Although GrabHitch has been reinstated, ride-sharing is also disabled during this period to minimise cross-contamination between strangers.
Grab hopes that these extra steps to enforce safe distancing within the drivers’ “workspaces” can safeguard its partners and customers.
A Grab spokesperson tells Mothership:
“Passengers in the front seat can pose a higher risk of infection to our driver-partners and this measure aims to introduce a degree of control over the front half of the vehicle where driver-partners are most exposed. Passengers in the front seat are in closer physical proximity to driver-partners and the surfaces a driver-partner comes in contact with while driving such as the handbrake and vehicle dashboard.”
In other words, Grab is acting as a protective and concerned parent of the ride-hailing community who only want the best for you.
A regular four-seater car will thus, only be able to take up to three passengers.
Remember to book another Grab ride or a six-seater if you're lucky enough to have more than two friends.
2. In-app health declaration
Grab's drivers and delivery partners have been submitting daily health declarations since the Covid-19 outbreak.
Starting from the rollout of GrabProtect in July, all passengers will have to complete an in-app online health and hygiene declaration form.
![GrabProtect Health Declaration](https://static.mothership.sg/1/2020/07/GrabProtect-health-declaration.png)
Health declarations have to be done once every 24 hours, for both drivers and passengers. You will not be allowed to accept or book a ride unless you have done so.
If you're bringing along other passengers, you also have to ensure that they comply with Grab’s health and hygiene measures.
Those exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms are encouraged to stay home and seek emergency medical care instead.
Both drivers and passengers are able to cancel their rides if they suspect that they have been taken for a ride (geddit?) and the other party appears unwell or has not masked up.
This new requirement is Grab's way of taking the extra precaution to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 in the community as more people travel between work, social events, and their homes during Phase 2.
It also reinforces the importance of personal responsibility when it comes to health and hygiene. (Be a responsible human being, please.)
3. Drivers and passengers must wear a mask
For drivers, the last step of the health declaration is uploading a selfie as evidence that you’re wearing a mask, with your nose and mouth covered.
Because actions speak louder than words, obviously.
![Grab Mask Selfie](https://static.mothership.sg/1/2020/07/GrabProtect-health-check.png)
Although only drivers are required to submit a selfie, both drivers and passengers have to keep their masks on throughout the journey, in accordance with Singapore’s mandate.
Should someone remove their mask mid-ride, users can use the in-transit feedback function to report the safety breach.
Drivers are advised to keep their masks on at all times, even when there are no passengers.
Some may argue that this step is redundant since both parties have already declared themselves free of Covid-19 symptoms, but wearing a mask is still necessary as asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic Covid-19 cases continue to emerge in Singapore.
This revelation shifted the government’s narrative from “wear a face mask only if you are sick” to mandatory wearing of face masks for everyone in Singapore.
As Singapore slowly opens up, Grab is taking this additional step to ensure that wearing masks is enforced to lower the risk of community spread.
Mask up to play safe and stay extra safe on your Grab ride.
4. Cancellations with penalty waived
Under GrabProtect’s updated safety policies, both passengers and drivers can cancel the booking if either party appears to be unwell, or is not complying with the safety measures.
Grab is also waiving its cancellation penalty for both drivers and passengers, should one find that the other party in the vehicle is not wearing a mask and/or appears unwell.
To do so, pick “driver/passenger did not wear a mask” or “driver/passenger is unwell” when you cancel your rides.
![Grab cancellation policy](https://static.mothership.sg/1/2020/07/GrabProtect-cancellation-policy.jpg)
Grab will investigate each cancellation and, if necessary, limit them to ensure the feature isn’t abused by users.
Grab’s updated in-app ratings and feedback feature as well as Help Centre allows both disgruntled riders and drivers to report health and hygiene-related concerns. Hooray, you don’t have to rant on Facebook anymore.
Grab is doing so to emphasise the importance of safety and hygiene in our community's fight against Covid-19.
Drivers and passengers who violate these safety and hygiene measures repeatedly will face consequences, including the suspension of their accounts to protect the well-being of everyone else in the community.
5. Hygiene kits for all drivers
For added protection of drivers and passengers, every driver can redeem a GrabProtect Hygiene Kit for their ride.
It is a known fact that we should avoid touching our face, and to wash our hands with soap regularly to lower the risk of transmission.
In view of these factors, each GrabProtect Hygiene Kit contains one large bottle of Walch sanitiser, one bottle of NaOClean disinfectant for interior car cleaning, and some masks.
![GrabProtect hygiene kit](https://static.mothership.sg/1/2020/07/GrabProtect-hygiene-kit.jpg)
The GrabProtect Hygiene Kit further addresses the concerns raised in the online survey conducted by Grab across Southeast Asia regions in May 2020.
According to the survey, the majority of riders believe that wearing masks, providing hand sanitisers in-car, followed by regular disinfecting of car surfaces, are the most important hygiene measures against Covid-19.
The GrabProtect Hygiene Kits are issued to drivers to ensure that their vehicles are kept safe and clean to ensure both their safety and the passengers’ safety.
![GrabProtect car](https://static.mothership.sg/1/2020/07/GrabProtect-sanitiser.jpg)
By keeping a sanitiser, disinfectant and masks conveniently within the reach of drivers and passengers, Grab hopes to reiterate the importance of personal responsibility and facilitate in maintaining high standards of hygiene — even for forgetful people.
6. Cashless payment
According to CBS News, public officials and health experts said that the danger of contracting Covid-19 via money is minimal, although the possibility is not completely eliminated.
CNBC similarly reported that Covid-19 can be transmitted through the virus being transferred from contaminated objects and to our mouth, nose or eyes.
Therefore, during this period, Grab's customers are strongly recommended to use cashless payment methods such as GrabPay, credit or debit card to minimise contact.
In a time of uncertainty during the Covid-19 pandemic, dining in and meeting our friends have become a privilege, not a right.
Grab’s commitment to setting a high bar for safety standards in the ride-hailing industry with heightened hygiene measures serves not only to assure its partners and customers, but also remind Singapore as a whole the importance of personal responsibility during pandemic.
To avert another round of Circuit Breaker, we need to continuously observe personal hygiene to ensure that community spread remains low and stable.
Top image courtesy of Grab.
This sponsored post gave this writer the confidence to go see the outside world in a Grab ride.
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