Grab not so fab

It seems we have to settle for Grab in the meantime.

Yes, the alternative means of transport that is TNV has alleviated, to immeasurable degrees, the burdens of ordinary commuters. Yes, it has given enterprising self-starters an opportunity to either earn or augment their incomes. Yes, it has allowed idle assets to be harnessed and made the economy far more efficient. We know all this. But despite these pluses, the apps aren't perfect. Far from it.

My pet peeve is the ability of the driver to pick and choose their passengers. Have you ever had the experience of utter joy when finally locating a Grab vehicle during peak hours, after frantically trying for long, drawn-out and excruciating minutes to search for an available ride, only to have that euphoria dashed into tiny, bitsy pieces when the driver suddenly cancels? Well, I have! Now, who gave Grab the license to foul my mood and break my heart?

That feature distinguishes Grab from erstwhile competitor Uber, which has decided to up and "leave" the Southeast Asian market a few years after roaring up with such pizzazz, wheels squealing and engine motors gunning. After battling infantile corporate controversies and a sexual harassment backlash, and despite Softbank coming to the rescue, Uber has made the strategic decision to stop operating in this neck of the woods.

But, when Uber was still around, the drivers were compelled to take you to your intended destination, wherever it was going to be. Didn't matter whether it was 10 or 20 kilometers away, whether it was to the airport or the pier, the driver didn't (and shouldn't) have a choice.

Plus, the beauty of Uber was their amazing turn-around time in resolving complaints. Shoot an email out, and in ten minutes max, the matter was resolved. Wrong route, reckless driving, incorrect fare; you name it. Uber had it resolved fast - to your satisfaction.

So what now? We have to grapple with the only other choice that is Grab. And it's not looking pretty. (Which reminds me, yes, they're really not pretty. Grab cars have a tendency to be comparatively dingy or smelly, as compared to newer Uber cars.)

And would you believe, Grab keeps on peddling the notion that family wagons (I will not name the brand) are luxury vehicles worth paying an extra premium for? I experienced three instances when I was aiming for the more upmarket carriage to my destination, but the cars that landed on my phone were ordinary family wagons. Please! Definitely had to cancel.

(And then a few months later I get an email about my special history with Grab, but that feel-good email contained a sweetly passive-aggressive reminder about how I had cancelled on them exactly nine times. So, I guess we're keeping score, aren't we, Grab?)

So, a little bit of regulation please, LTFRB. Allow them to exist, but protect us, the dependent consumers. It's good that the agency is looking at surge pricing and trying to keep them within reasonable limits, balancing the principles of a free economy with protection of the public. But it's not just the rates - it should also be about stopping abuses and the ability to extort from a sometimes-desperate riding public.

(And really, can we stop the ability to add notes to the request that enable a rider to offer big tips as a bribe? Talk about incentivizing drivers to refuse fares until the right exorbitant price comes along. That sucks, big time.)

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