It’s hard to imagine life before Grab. Before the arrival of the ride-hailing mobile app, we had to contend with rude and picky taxi drivers, buses who act like they’re Formula One racers, and hot and packed jeeps. Now, we can get a car at the push of a button, at the same price (and sometimes more affordable) as a taxi.
Now that Grab is celebrating its fifth anniversary, let’s look at the 10 ways Grab has made life easier for everyone in Metro Manila:
1. Grab gets authorized to operate in NAIA
There was a time when balikbayans returning home from abroad need to grapple with the airport taxis charging sky-high rates that reached thousands. Grab has stepped up its game with Grab booths — booths are available in all terminals to make sure Grab vehicles are accessible to travellers even when they don’t have smartphones or mobile data. Now, balikbayans and tourists can experience an affordable, safe, and convenient ride home.
2. GrabExpress offers a way for people to deliver goods
GrabExpress is a godsend for those who need to deliver something. It’s significantly more affordable than booking a GrabCar and works on demand, meaning your parcel will get picked up immediately and delivered straight to your recipient. This is perfect for those with online businesses, or when you forget something at home.
3. GrabTrike let people get tricycles on demand
Sometimes a tricycle is the only mode of transportation available. And if that’s the case, everyone is scrambling to get one. In Pampanga, Grab offers GrabTrike, where locals and tourists can get around the country’s food capital in a fast, reliable, and affordable way. For a limited time, residents and employees working in Mandaluyong got free GrabTrikes with the push of a button!
4. Need to see the skies? GrabHeli is for you
If GrabCar is not enough, you can choose to travel in style with GrabHeli, a pre-booking helicopter service. For P3,888, a person can board a chopper and take an aerial tour of Makati, Bonifacio Global City, and Pasay. It’s too bad the service was discontinued because we’d love to see the Manila sunset up in the sky.
5. GrabRewards gives exciting perks
Apart from getting to our destination safely and comfortably, we also get rewards with GrabRewards, which we can use to redeem rewards like discounts on our next ride, and discounts and freebies in restaurants, services, and more! Your rewards points also classify you as either Member, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, which has its own perks like priority access to new features or prioritized bookings!
6. GrabShare lets users save on fares
Those who want to have the Grab experience for less can try GrabShare, which lets users carpool with another passenger for up to 30% less than what they would pay for in a GrabCar. It’s also good for traffic and carbon footprint, because it further decreases the number of people and cars on the road!
7. GrabCar offered rides with animal ears
If you’re into cute stuff, you probably know Grab’s cars with cute animal ears. There’s the cat, the rabbit, and the bear cars. It’s a great experience riding it on the road, especially when drivers and pedestrians are looking and taking pictures. They’re quite the rare Pokemon, but worth it when you catch them.
8. GrabPay Credits for cashless payment without debit or credit cards
Grab is the first ride-hailing mobile app to offer cash payments, and now they’re making it easier for users to book rides. Grabpay Credits lets users experience cashless payments even without a debit or credit card. It’s a prepaid mobile plan, and can be availed of in partner banks (online and over-the-counter) and establishments.
9. OpenTraffic can improve traffic for 620 million commuters across Southeast Asia
Grab partnered with the World Bank and Southeast Asian governments for OpenTraffic, an easy-to-use traffic data platform that aggregates anonymized driver GPS data from all the cities Grab operates in. Traffic statistics are shown in real-time, which means governments can look and see how to address transport problems affecting over 620 million residents in Southeast Asia.
10. Grab Driver Academy trains drivers to give the best service
To ensure the safety of passengers, Grab enrolls their drivers in the Grab Driver Academy, which has first aid training from Red Cross, a safety driving seminar from Honda Safety Driving Center, and customer service and hospitality training from John Robert Powers. If ever you’re wondering why your Grab drivers are polite and great at what they do, it’s because of the Grab Driver Academy!
To celebrate its fifth anniversary, Grab held the first-ever Grab Green Light Awards, which recognized 25 exceptional drivers, employees, peers, and passengers.
To experience the comfort and convenience of Grab, download the app on the Google Play Store or the App Store.
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