Grab tests use of drones for deliveries

MANILA, Philippines — Ride-hailing giant Grab Philippines is piloting what could be the future of courier delivery in the country: the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, to avoid traffic congestion.

Grab is doing a pilot study of drone-powered deliveries in the Philippines with the Departments of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Transportation (DOTr) and property developer Megaworld Corp.

Grab Philippines country head Ronald Roda said the initiative would assess whether drones can improve urban logistics in Metro Manila.

Specifically, the test will explore the prospect of using UAVs in delivering time-sensitive items that could be challenging to fulfill in Metro Manila’s traffic. Roda said the initiative would adopt a hybrid model to ensure job security of couriers.

Under this, Grab’s delivery partners will take care of the pick-up and drop-off in dedicated drone landing stations. The UAVs, for their part, will handle the in-between journey, which is expected to be quicker than the way by land.

Roda said drones can be tapped for deliveries not only in urban districts, but also in underserved towns, some of which are hard to reach due to the archipelagic terrains.

“This pilot is an opportunity for us to learn and understand how drone deliveries might work in the Philippine context, from dense urban neighborhoods to underserved areas,” Roda said.

“We are optimistic about the insights this pilot will bring, and we look forward to co-creating the solutions that benefit everyone in the ecosystem – consumers, merchant partners and our delivery partners,” he added.

The initiative will be limited between two Megaworld townships in Metro Manila to give Grab, DICT and DOTr a controlled space to assess operational and regulatory factors. Initial access to the pilot is restricted to select users and merchants in the chosen Megaworld properties.

If the solution proves viable, Roda said the service may be introduced to more locations. It would also require building drone corridors to ensure that air safety standards are observed.

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said the use of drones for deliveries is one way to enhance logistics in Metro Manila given how congested the roads are right now.

“If we want to solve traffic and improve our connectivity in a meaningful way, we have to think beyond roads, (and) drone logistics is one of the tools that could help us move faster, smarter and more sustainably,” Dizon said.