SOUTHEAST Asia’s largest ride-hailing company, Grab, is looking at bringing its recently-launched Open Traffic initiative to Davao City.
Grab Philippines’ Country Head Brian Cu, in an email interview with VoxPop Davao, said they are still assessing how they can bring the Open Traffic initiative to other cities including Davao.
“Plans are already there, definitely we are open to bringing this (Open Traffic) to other key emerging economies in the country that could benefit from it,” Cu said.
Open Traffic is a platform developed by Grab in partnership with World Bank to provide the government with free Global Positioning System (GPS) data to help address traffic congestion and road safety challenges.
“Grab and the World Bank have developed an open source tool that provides real-time big data on traffic statistics that include intersection delays, road incident blackspots, and traffic speeds and flows. Extracted information can be used to make critical decisions on traffic and infrastructure,” Cu said.
Last April, the platform was launched in both cities of Manila and Cebu in time for their fourth anniversary.
With the project, traffic management agencies and city planners will be able to access real-time data to better manage traffic flows and congestion on thoroughfares in both cities.
Grab now has more than 10,000 drivers located in seven key cities namely Metro Manila, Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo and Baguio.
It also has been downloaded onto more than 24 million devices regionally in all six Southeast Asian countries it operates.
In the Philippines, Grab operates and has offices in seven cities. Asked on their expansion plans in Davao, Cu said, “we are actively assessing key cities based on their current and potential need to have transportation alternatives and solutions to see where our services are needed.”
Cu added that other factors that they look at are internet access, growth of the middle class, and smartphone penetration.
Cu said Davao City plays a vital role in their business as Dabawenyos welcomed the firm’s GrabTaxi service strongly.
Commuting Solutions
Cu shared that innovation is key in coming up with services to achieve their goal of providing safe, convenient and reliable transportation solutions to every Filipino.
Aside from their GrabTaxi and GrabCar, the company also has other commuting solutions that not only provide more options to people but also incorporate and promote their local culture.
For instance, Grab Philippines deployed the GrabRela service in CDO, which allowed Grab users to book a motorela, one of CDO’s main means of transportation. It also had GrabHorse in Baguio.
“For Davao, however, we’ve only deployed GrabTaxi, but we are actively exploring other transportation options that we can provide Dabawenyos,” Cu said.
The Go-to app
In securing its position as the leading ride-hailing company, Cu said, acknowledging feedbacks from customers is important.
“We continuously gather feedback from our channels, both from passengers and drivers. These are taken very seriously and keep the company on its toes. We also leverage on data and partnerships to make sure our services help solve transportation issues in the country,” Cu said.
For instance, Grab recently launched GrabChat, a free instant messaging platform inside the Grab app that allows communication between Grab drivers and passengers to help drivers and passengers locate each other and cut costs.
Also, the firm partnered with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Honda Safety Driving Center for the Grab Driver Academy which equips Grab drivers with life-saving skills and road safety techniques.
“The current administration has always expressed their desire to solve transportation problems in the country, and as it is one of our goals as a transportation solutions provider, we look forward to discussing our ideas with the government,” Cu said.
