Grab tests DriveYourCar service

MANILA, Philippines —  Ride-hailing giant Grab Philippines is testing the viability of a new service that allows customers with vehicles to hire a driver for almost P2,000 for 12 hours.

In a notification to select users, Grab said that it is running a beta version of Grab DriveYourCar, enabling users to hire a professional to drive their car for up to 12 hours.

Grab said it will observe a fixed set of prices with no hidden charges and surge pricing for Grab DriveYourCar: P890 for four hours, P1,490 for eight hours and P1,990 for 12 hours.

Grab also said every booking with Grab DriveYourCar is insured with an accidental benefit of as much as P500,000 and a vehicle coverage of up to P50,000. Bookings can also be made as early as one day prior to the trip.

On top of this, Grab said it vetted the pool of drivers for Grab DriveYourCar to ensure that all of them are licensed and trained for professional driving.

“All Grab drivers are professionally trained and vetted to ensure safety and comfort throughout the journey,” it said.

Grab will slap a standard penalty of P200 on a person who cancels two hours upon booking, and also reminded users that the rates exclude gas, parking and toll expenses.

Because the scheme is still in beta mode, Grab DriveYourCar is limited in Metro Manila for now.

Before 2023 ended, Grab announced that it is developing new modes of services to keep up with the transport needs of Filipinos.  Back then, the platform teased that it would soon come up with a feature allowing passengers to make advance bookings.

A recent study by the University of Asia and the Pacific showed that Grab contributed  as much as 0.3 percent to gross domestic product  between 2019 and 2021. By value, this translates to as high as P165.6 billion.

Further, the study found that Grab accounted for up to 0.17 percent of total household income, or P40.3 billion, during the period.

Grab is the biggest transport app in Southeast Asia, offering ride-hailing options to more than 400 cities and municipalities in the region.