Three Things I Love and Hate About Grab Car and Uber

In my ten years of commuting, I have experienced taxi drivers with different personalities.  Some were honest while others were rude. Before LTFRB calibrated and sealed all taxi meters, half of the drivers tampered with their meters.   I never tolerated cheating that’s why almost  every cab ride was stressful.  I always end up debating with the driver for refusing to pay what was on their tampered meters. Then the taxi booking apps became popular.  I then joined the bandwagon and started using their services.

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There are currently three major players and a new one coming soon.  These are Grab, Uber and Easy Taxi. Since I only use the first two, I would like to compare them to guide first time users and other commuters using the app.

GRAB

What I Love

1.  I started with this app using my battered mobile phone with a speed of 250MB RAM and an internal storage of 150MB.  This meant that I could not use any mobile application requiring a big memory space.  Grab Taxi is one of those apps.  Google Play is also required so the app could properly run on your mobile.   I was very frustrated when I learned this information but downloaded it anyway.  Guess what?  The application ran on my mobile phone.  Features like Maps were not running but I was still able to use the app when needed.  This was how I started using the Grab Taxi app.
2. They have many partner drivers on the road.  The more partners they have, the more chances of getting booked.  Well, this, of course, only applies during off-peak hours for Grab Car.

    3.  I love discounts.  Believe me when I say you can save a lot on your transportation costs whenever they have a promo. Like their page on Facebook to know about their latest promo.

Runner Up:   You may cancel your booking anytime, before the driver arrives, without extra cost on your part.

What I don’t Like

1.  The drivers choose passengers during peak times!  I have never successfully booked a Grab Car during peak times when going to far places like Quezon City from Ortigas.  This despite seeing a lot of car icons on my app.  Since the drivers know your destination, it’s quite obvious that their refusal is not due to traffic or heavy bookings. They simply do not want to leave their comfort zone during rush hours.  Book a Grab Taxi instead.

   2.  The company’s incentive scheme for Grab Car drivers is based on the number of passengers they book for a day. This may be the culprit of their being choosy with passengers’ destinations.  If you do the math, one passenger going to Quezon City is equivalent to four passengers or more traveling within the Ortigas Center during peak times.  Again, book a Grab Taxi during peak times.
3.  I am unable to use promo codes for Php200.00 discounts because they refuse to accept me as their passenger. Dear Grab Car drivers, you are not a shuttle service of the Ortigas, BGC and Makati business districts.

UBER

What I love

1.  Driver’s can’t choose their passengers simply because they would only know your destination once you enter the car.  To the developer of this app, thank you for being pro-consumer.
2. I love and hate the fact that you use your credit card to pay the driver.  Love because you can go anywhere you want even without cash.  Hate because there are times when I’d rather pay in cash.
3. Rate for Uber cars during peak times comes out cheaper than a Grab Car (without a promo code).  I have tried  it and the fare I paid for was close to a taxi cab.  Do take note of the surge in price during peak times.  Let me also add that it is easier to book an Uber Car during peak times than a Grab Car.

What I Don’t Like

1.  You would only know your fare upon reaching your destination.  It also means that you have to do your math before booking.  Use the fare estimator option on the app to know how much your card will be charged, more or less.  Take note too that from experience, estimated price is always higher than the actual amount you will pay for during non-peak times.
2. Always ask the driver for your total fare before leaving the car.  It will remind them to “drop you off” on their app. Otherwise, the system may continuously charge your card until the driver picks up his next passenger.
3. Grab Taxi is more aggressive with promotions than Uber.  The only promo I enjoyed with the latter was a referral code given by my housemate which gave me Php200.00 worth of free rides.  I have to share my own code to get another set of free rides.

Runner Up:  There is a Php100.00 cancellation fee if you cancel your booking.  I don’t blame them for having this     because people  have the tendency to abuse “free” cancellation privileges. However, what about honest people like me?

Technology is supposed to make our lives more comfortable. Life indeed became easier when these taxi booking apps arrived in our country.  Less arguments with the driver, less stress and more convenience for me.  Hopefully, the new player will learn from the mistakes of the first two and launch an app with a system that is more consumer friendly.