Ride-hailing company Grab has reportedly delayed the rollout of its new policy for riders who cancel their bookings. As per trusted sources, the enforcement of the new policy has been delayed by two weeks so passengers have enough time to get accustomed with the new move.
The policy that was officially set for launch on 11 March, calls for a cancellation fee of S$4 on rides canceled 5 minutes after confirmation. The move is now alleged to be effective from March 25 instead, revealed a company statement.
As per the new rules, the company will also charge customers if a driver waits for over five minutes at a pick-up point then cancels the ride. The move provoked negative response among some riders who believed it was unfair as drivers would sometimes confirm a booking and then fail to make it to the pick-up point on time, cited credible sources.
In response to the queries, a Grab spokesperson clarified that the company has not delayed the roll-out owing to public backlash. However, it witnessed some confusion among riders pertaining to the new policy and wanted to convey the policy in a better way and give them more time to understand before the actual rollout.
For example, Grab restated that riders would not be charged for canceling a vehicle that’s failed to arrive at the pick-up point on time.
Just as the company can display the driver’s current location, it has safeguards in place that can help detect if the driver’s not moving toward a passenger’s location, Grab stated in its announcement.
The new policy will overrule the one enforced currently, where a passenger is charged S$5 after cancelling three rides within seven days, said the company. The new policy would enable more flexibility for passengers and assure it stays fair to its drivers as well, Grab elaborated.
Furthermore, riders using its car-pooling service GrabShare will witness more stringent cancellation rules and face a S$4 fee on canceling their rides or if the driver cancels their GrabShare ride after waiting for over three minutes, reported sources.