KUALA LUMPUR – Today’s so-called blackout staged by a small group of Grab Malaysia’s P-hailing riders, took a political turn with the presence of Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal and members of PAS party organ Harakah.
Their attendance at the gathering of around 100 people near the company’s headquarters in Petaling Jaya this afternoon lends credence to the assertion that the protest was politically motivated.
However, the Bersatu Youth chief and Machang MP denied organising the event and insisted that he joined the rally at the insistence of the riders.
“I was invited by the riders,” he told Scoop after he was asked whether he was leading the blackout.
“I came to show solidarity over the unfair decisions made by Grab.”
Wan Fayhsal said the Grab P-hailing riders’ complaints over the recently-revised base fare will be brought to the Dewan Rakyat this February in the next parliament session.
“We (MPs) will urge the government to enact an act for p-hailing and e-hailing riders and drivers’ welfare.
“This act will also guarantee (Grab) riders and drivers’ future who helped Malaysians from dawn till dusk.”
He urged the riders to tell MPs if there were any parties or individuals who treated them unfairly.
Meanwhile, Abdul Hakim Abdul Rani, the deputy president of Persatuan Penghantar P-Hailing Malaysia (Penghantar), 43, conveyed the riders’ concerns to a Grab Malaysia representative.
The proposals include raising the base fare to RM5 for the first 2 km in the Klang Valley and RM4.50 for other areas, expediting the process for cancelling cash-on-delivery orders, and enhancing the bonuses for pickups.
Abdul Hakim was among a handful of p-hailing riders who participated in the ‘blackout’ today to demand better fares.
This comes despite Grab Malaysia having revised its slew of benefits, including the revenue and incentive structure.
Yesterday one p-hailing rider, 35-year-old Mohd Hakimi Ahmad, urged his fellow riders to think long and hard before participating in today’s strike.
“Regarding the fare, there is no denying that there are riders who are frustrated. But Grab is providing a basic weekly fee for peak hour deliveries and this allows riders to catch up or reach their earning targets.
“So you can’t blame Grab. If the basic fare is less than RM4, they (riders) need to be more diligent and look at the market areas that are in high demand,” Hakimi said when contacted yesterday.
“Also, not everyone agrees to protest or strike, there’s a lot to think about. So it’s advised for fellow riders to look into this week or two first, work hard, and make an income comparison before and after restructuring. See if there is an increase or decrease in income.”
Grab Malaysia recently restructured its payment and bonus framework, aiming to provide fair compensation for delivery riders and p-hailing drivers, especially for orders that demand more time and effort.
The company said in a statement that the new revenue structure, effective on Tuesday (January 16), particularly benefits the most active delivery partners.
With the restructuring, deliveries that require more time and effort would be awarded fairer compensation.
While base fares have been revised, incentives have been increased for peak-hour deliveries, remote pick-ups, and additional waiting time during pick-ups.
The changes were done after receiving feedback over the last few months from p-hailing partners, with the additional amount from the fare going towards giving them higher incentives – such as bonuses for distant pickups, long wait times and peak-hour deliveries.
As of the first quarter of 2023, 97% of Grab’s p-hailing partners across Southeast Asia earned above the minimum wage benchmarks in their respective countries.
Despite these adjustments, some Grab riders have expressed dissatisfaction and encouraged others to boycott the company.
Posters distributed yesterday called for a strike at seven locations in the Klang Valley, with riders gathering at Grab’s headquarters in Petaling Jaya today.
However, it is understood that those who will participate in the strike are mostly part-time p-hailing riders who are not necessarily active on the Grab platform. – January 19, 2024