Southeast Asia super app Grab said its recent restructured delivery fee and bonus framework in Malaysia effective Jan 16, 2024, will ensure bookings that require “more time and effort will be more fairly compensated.”
“This is done with reference to our delivery-partners’ recent feedback about bookings that involve longer wait time at merchants’ outlets or farther pick-ups. Apart from adjusting the base fare, we will increase the bonus pay out for such bookings that require more time and effort to complete,” Grab Malaysia said in a statement on Thursday.
Grab Malaysia also said it is committed to fostering economic growth for all Malaysians.
“For our driver- and delivery-partners, we do this by ensuring they have a steady stream of earning opportunities from our platform and they are fairly compensated for every booking they complete,” the company said.
The statement came after calls for protests from a group of Grab riders. Local media Malaysiakini reported that riders have planned convoys from multiple locations in the Klang Valley and head to the Grab headquarters in Petaling Jaya on Friday to voice their dissatisfaction over the rate cut for delivery riders.
According to an invitation shared on social media, participants will gather at 3pm. The riders were told to come equipped with their Grab bags and jackets, the report added.
An association known as Persatuan Perpaduan Rakan Penghantar Malaysia (PPRPM) has called on the government to expedite the establishment of the gig economy regulatory body to protect the welfare of gig economy operators, especially p-hailing operators, national agency Bernama reported.
In a statement on Thursday, PPRPM has urged the Malaysian government to implement short-term measures to address persistent problems plaguing p-hailing drivers, especially reduced wages.
“We urge the government to take action and intervene in the p-hailing issue. Only the government can formulate and issue a policy or guidelines for the entire gig economy ecosystem,” Bernama reported, quoting the statement.
The association also called on the p-hailing service GrabFood Malaysia to immediately return to the original pay rates for drivers and replace the “drastically reduced new rates”, Bernama reported.
On the other hand, Grab Malaysia said that to strike a balance between all its stakeholders, the company constantly seek to review its policies to provide a fairer, more stable earnings to those who need it the most.
“We expect the new fee and bonus framework to benefit our most active delivery-partners who have been working hard to fulfil challenging consumer orders such as those that require more effort to complete,” Grab Malaysia said.
Grab Malaysia said its recent improvements to maximise earnings include:
– Reduced wait time at merchants by rolling out features that ensure partners’ arrival at the store are more well-timed with when the food or products are ready.
– ‘Heatmaps’ of demand are shown within the app based on real-time data to help our delivery-partners identify zones with the highest demand, and receive more peak hour incentives.
– Far Pick-ups: We’ll be raising the far pick-up bonus by 20 percent to 30 percent.
– Peak Hour Services: Partners would be better compensated for their services during high-demand periods, with greater emphasis on Tambang Puncak, Bonus Prestasi, and Bonus Mingguan.
– Wait Times: We acknowledge our drivers’ need for effective time management. To compensate for longer waiting durations at merchants, we’re raising wait time compensations.
– Multiple service offerings give delivery-partners the freedom to earn more by receiving jobs across multiple Grab services, including GrabExpress and GrabMart.
– High Demand Promotion: Consistent earnings opportunities for our partners is a priority. Thus, Grab will keep investing in promotions like GrabUnlimited, HotDeals, Kombo Jimat, particularly during peak demand periods.