Co-founder and Group CEO of Grab, Anthony Tan, went undercover as a Grab driver in Singapore for a day.
Posting on LinkedIn on Sep. 26, Tan documented his journey and noted that heading on the ground was the best way to put the Grab driver app to test in a real setting.
It also helps "get some real good ground truths", and direct feedback from passengers, he added.
Testing
In his vlog, Tan shared that he drove with a GrabRentals' Hyundai Kona EV, and it was the first time he had driven in a couple of months.
He mused that the traffic situation would not be too bad as he was driving on a Sunday afternoon.
After verifying himself on the driver's app, he quickly got a job at Dempsey Hill.
While driving, he described Grab Maps as "very good" and "very specific" about lane detection and safety precautions.
However, he noted that the auto messages that pop in the app blocks the map, as the message covers half the screen.
Screenshot via Anthony Tan/LinkedIn
Tan also added that while the jobs were "all coming back-to-back", he could imagine drivers getting tired from driving all the time.
"Something we always have to think about drivers is [that it's] not easy," he said.
Tan also shared that his second passenger told him Grab drivers would cancel on her if her pick-up point was too far.
Tan agreed in his post that far pick-up points was previously a "top driver pain point".
To solve this issue, he shared that Grab introduced a new driver fare structure where drivers are compensated from the moment they accept a booking instead of only when they have picked up the passenger.
This appears to have had positive results, with driver acceptance rates increasing for longer pick-ups, he said.
Not easy
At the end of the shift, Tan admitted that being a driver was "not easy".
"This is a good reminder to always have empathy and be kind to our drivers," he added.
Top photos via Anthony Tan/LinkedIn