Do you use GRAB in Pattaya? Better read this

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Gaybutton
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Do you use GRAB in Pattaya? Better read this

Post by Gaybutton »

If I or anyone else gets any updates, please post.
_________________________________________

Over 150 Grab motorbike drivers in Pattaya, Thailand strike, demanding better pay and benefits

By Adam Judd

November 19, 2019

Pattaya – Over 150 GRAB motorbike delivery drivers gathered this afternoon at the back of a Big C department store in South Pattaya. They were refusing to deliver to customers until management from Grab addressed their concerns.

A representative from the striking drivers, 44 year old Mr. Sanoh Engseng, told The Pattaya News that it is not fair for them as they have been getting reduced income but do more work since recent company policies changed. He said the company has significantly cut commision and overall pay while hiring more drivers at reduced rates.

Mr. Engseng alleged that most commission, which is their main pay, has been cut nearly in half. A ride that would previously pay him 55 baht, for instance, now paid only 35 baht on average.

The strikers also claimed they have no insurance and pay for their own gasoline. They want the company to review the policies regarding this again.

The reduced pay and lack of benefits, according to the strikers, has also come with additional work, such as larger delivery areas to include the Dark Side on the other side of the highway in Pattaya and Na Jomtien but with no additional pay or benefits. Some of the strikers also claimed hours had increased and quality of life lessened.

No official public response was given from the Grab corporation to the Thai press, however, one driver told The Pattaya News before the crowd dispersed that the company had agreed to come to the table with the drivers privately and discuss their complaints.

https://thepattayanews.com/2019/11/19/o ... -benefits/
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Re: Do you use GRAB in Pattaya? Better read this

Post by ilz »

I never use Uber or Grab in Thailand and elsewhere. These are exploitative companies that regard their workers as slaves and I refuse to give the slightest baht to these crooks.

I am all for the drivers who defend their rights and strongly hope they will win over the company.
Jun

Re: Do you use GRAB in Pattaya? Better read this

Post by Jun »

I'm not a regular user of taxis in Thailand.

One of my objections is those with "Taxi Meter" written on top of the taxi and then when you try to take a ride, they refuse to use the meter & try to apply a farang price. If they had honest advertising, such as "Haggle Taxi", then I wouldn't mind. I usually reject the ones who refuse to use the meter, unless the offered price is obviously reasonable. I've also encountered taxi drivers who take non-optimum routes.

So having encountered too many like this, the last time I took a Thai taxi was in Khon Kaen. As the main rail station was closed for a massive rebuild, I had to get to the temporary rail station on the southern edge of the town & figured I couldn't trust their bus system.
There was a meter taxi parked across the road from my hotel, but I checked on Grab and their price was below the price of the taxi I had to use upon arrival. This has the advantage of being a fixed price and I know what I'm getting, with no haggling. I took the Grab taxi.

If meter taxis want to keep what little taxi business there is from me, they need to raise their game and start using the meter.


Whilst in Cambodia, I extensively used a Grab equivalent called "Pass App". This has a couple of clear advantages over the old fashioned method of booking tuk tuks.
Firstly, I am not subject to "Farang Pricing" and haggling. The last time I compared the old method with Pass App, the Tuk Tuk driver quoted me 3x the Pass App cost.
Secondly, I specify the exact destination on Pass App. The driver uses Pass App on his screen to navigate me to exactly where I want to go to. So it removes all problems where the driver has no idea where my destination is.

If drivers don't like Grab, or any other form of ride hailing app, they should just stop using it & either ply for business with traditional methods, or change career.
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Re: Do you use GRAB in Pattaya? Better read this

Post by Gaybutton »

Here we go again. I have deleted posts that have nothing to do with the topic. Any further posts that also have nothing to do with the topic are going to be deleted.

If some of you gents want to start up a back-and-forth, do it via PM.
gera

Re: Do you use GRAB in Pattaya? Better read this

Post by gera »

My understanding of the article is that it is about food delivery motorbike drivers and not about car taxi drivers.Grab taxi is very convenient and actually not cheap.
It is not surprising that a lot of grab taxi are actually regular yellow cabs.
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Re: Do you use GRAB in Pattaya? Better read this

Post by Captain Kirk »

gera wrote: Tue Nov 19, 2019 10:09 pm Grab taxi is very convenient and actually not cheap.
...and like Uber when the price is expensive the vast majority of it goes to the company. I absolutely despise these companies. They use their financial muscle to drive out small operators and then leech off the people who actually do the work. Best wishes to the motorbike drivers.
gera

Re: Do you use GRAB in Pattaya? Better read this

Post by gera »

Captain Kirk wrote: Wed Nov 20, 2019 12:29 am
gera wrote: Tue Nov 19, 2019 10:09 pm Grab taxi is very convenient and actually not cheap.
...and like Uber when the price is expensive the vast majority of it goes to the company. I absolutely despise these companies. They use their financial muscle to drive out small operators and then leech off the people who actually do the work. Best wishes to the motorbike drivers.
I disagree. Uber and most of similar companies are losing huge amount of money. In particular, they no longer operate in Thailand. The reason that the number of different companies operated in this area (despite the fact that it is very easy to copycat the business model) is precisely the very low margins. As for concrete situation, I would not jump to any conclusions. Grab is foreign company operating in Thailand on a very shaky legal ground.
And what does it mean to be employed by such company? It is equivalent to downloading the app. Nobody forces mocy drivers to do that. I would not be surprised if the only reason for "mutiny" is the opportunity to shake up Grab using their uncertain legal status.
odd

Re: Do you use GRAB in Pattaya? Better read this

Post by odd »

The first line of GB's post identifies the problem.It has nothing to do with Grab taxis it is to do with Grab Food and its delivery m/c's. We have used this service many times and have been delighted with their service. Delivery to the Dark Side, where we live, cannot leave the m/c's with much profit.
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Re: Do you use GRAB in Pattaya? Better read this

Post by Gaybutton »

odd wrote: Wed Nov 20, 2019 9:02 am Delivery to the Dark Side, where we live, cannot leave the m/c's with much profit.
I think most people would give them generous tips, but the drivers cannot rely on tips in order to make a living or supplement their income.

My take on this - corporate greed strikes again. Even if the corporate end of GRAB is losing money, why do I doubt the higher-ups are having any personal money problems?
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Re: Do you use GRAB in Pattaya? Better read this

Post by Undaunted »

odd wrote: Wed Nov 20, 2019 9:02 am The first line of GB's post identifies the problem.It has nothing to do with Grab taxis it is to do with Grab Food and its delivery m/c's. We have used this service many times and have been delighted with their service. Delivery to the Dark Side, where we live, cannot leave the m/c's with much profit.

Maybe they should limit the areas they serve, expecting establishments on the Bright Side to deliver to the Dark Side is absurd.
"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
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