GrabCar: Passengers are soon required to fill up a health declaration before ride

Though Grab is one of the many companies impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve become one of the most in-demand services needed by customers during social distancing measures. To further gain trust and dependability from customers, Grab announced GrabProtect, which aims to help minimise the spread of COVID-19.

GrabProtect includes new safety features, partnerships, and a distribution of hygiene kits to over 100,000 drivers and delivery partners nationwide. The hygiene kits include hand sanitisers and disinfectant sprays to protect vehicles and delivery bags.

“With GrabProtect, we are setting a higher bar for safety and hygiene standards in ride- hailing and delivery services. This new hygiene routine starts before ride even starts: with ensuring drivers and users are healthy and have taken the necessary precautions before booking a ride, giving people the flexibility to cancel and provide feedback to Grab if either party is not wearing a mask, and encouraging safer and more hygienic practices like frequent hand sanitisation and use of cashless payment,” said Rashid Shukor, Head of Operations, Grab Malaysia.

Here’s what GrabProtect includes

New in-app feature

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Grab drivers and delivery-partners have submitted daily health declarations through the Grab Driver app. However, Grab will be rolling out a new feature for customers when they use the Grab app (iOS, Android) where they also have to fill in a health and hygiene declaration.

This online health and hygiene declaration form will need to be filled in by all drivers and delivery partners, as well as passengers. They will declare that they do not exhibit COVID-19 symptoms, have adopted the necessary safety and hygiene measures, and have not had close contact with a COVID-19 patient in the last 14 days.

Over 100,000 hygiene kits distributed nationwide

Grab distributed 1 million face masks in April, directly to the homes of their delivery partners to help them “stay protected as they play their part as an essential front-liner.” The company is also partnering with manufacturers and brands like Dettol to make hygiene products available free-of-charge for their workers.

In addition to those efforts, their new GrabProtect plan includes distributing hygiene kits to over 100,000 of their drivers and delivery partners across the country. The items in the kits include hand sanitisers and disinfectant sprays to protect their vehicles and delivery bags.

Car and delivery bag disinfection services will also be made available to them. However, the services won’t exactly be free. It’ll be at a subsidised fee, and only at selected locations. 

Other measures

Grab drivers and delivery partners are required to wear a mask whenever they are on the Grab platform. Passengers will also need to mask up. If either party shows up without a mask on, passengers and drivers can cancel the booking by selecting “driver/passenger did not wear a mask” as their cancellation reason. 

Grab has also updated their in-app ratings and feedback feature as well as their Help Centre with options to report health and hygiene-related concerns. Users can provide feedback to Grab if a driver may seem unwell or was not wearing a mask during the ride. Grab will then monitor the feedback and will take necessary actions.

Passengers are required to sit in the back seat to minimise contact. GrabCar operating hours currently run from 6am to 11pm. However, customers must book their rides before 10.30pm.

According to Grab, users can expect more information on these measures through in-app updates over the next few weeks.

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