Increased Traffic Congestion & Not Enough Rides Causing Active Grab Drivers To Turn Off Their Apps

By Aqasha Nalani  •  07 Jun 2022 in News

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After recently facing criticism over unexpected fare increases, Grab is now dealing with a new problem.

While Grab continues to struggle to re-engage drivers, existing Grab drivers are turning off the application on their smartphones.

Logically, drivers should be taking advantage of the current driver scarcity as they could make more money by taking in more jobs.

However, this isn’t the case as drivers are running away from the platform because they are seeing unattractive incentives according to the Grab Drivers Malaysia Association (GDMA).

30% to 40% of Grab drivers would opt not to reply to requests from prospective customers since they may be stuck in traffic for more than an hour according to GDMA president Arif Asyraf Ali as reported by The Malaysian Insight.

“The traffic jam is massive, even in the afternoon, and it is getting worse each day,” said the President yesterday.

Public transport users in massive urban cities especially in the Klang Valley as well as Penang have expressed frustrations for not being able to get a booking through the platform.

While some are struggling to get a driver, most are still complaining about the insane fare prices caused by traffic jams.

“Because there are fewer drivers, the active ones have to drive further to pick up passengers, using more fuel and getting stuck in traffic,” Arif added.

He also said that the scarcity of drivers was roughly 30%, as the range of active drivers reduced from 70,000-80,000 to only 50,000-60,000.

It has been claimed by passengers that the price increase might be as much as 400% in certain circumstances.

Over 10 million cars have been on the road in just the previous two days, according to the Federal Highway Patrol.

Putrajaya has been advised by former transport minister Anthony Loke to deal with rising traffic problems, especially in city centres.

The congestion, he said, was greater than it had been before the pandemic and that public transit was inefficient as well.

DAP deputy secretary-general Liew Chin Tong has also expressed concern over Klang Valley congestion by suggesting that public transportation has to be supported in order to encourage more people to get out of their cars and use public transportation.