Grab PH sees 100% growth in female drivers
By EMMIE V. ABADILLA
Grab Philippines sees a "consistent increase of active female driver-partners" joining its ride-hailing platform, at least 100 percent annually, the company told the Manila Bulletin.
“Active” drivers are those who have been Grab driver-partners for over 6 months. Grab re-affirmed its commitment to provide equal opportunities and inclusive work environment for female delivery partners as the world celebrates International Women’s Month this March.
"We ensure that all our drivers and delivery-partners have access to meaningful livelihood opportunities through our tech and platform—regardless of their gender," said Grab Philippines Country Head Grace Vera Cruz .
"By empowering them, we can break the bias that exists in this line of work, as we advance our advocacy for gender equality in the industry,” she elaborated.
"We've historically seen an increasing trend in women partners on all our services, and we hope this continues in the years to come," she said.
However, "We cannot give a definitive number of women driver-partners in the Philippines or in Metro Manila as we do not mandate our driver-partners to declare their gender when onboarding on the platform."
When asked how much a female driver partner earns versus their male counterpart, the company said "there is no definitive amount that we can use to compare their earnings."
But Vera Cruz said that Grab does not discriminate based on gender when it comes to income opportunities.
A lot of factors affect one's earnings, such as the number of deliveries per day and how many days a week does the driver-partner do deliveries.
The different lockdown situations can also affect daily earnings.
But overall, "There are tremendous income opportunities with Grab even for our female driver-partners."
Women can have safe and stable work as delivery or driver-partners. They can start investing or pay for their own vehicles while earning enough to make a decent daily wage more than the general average pay for women in the Philippines.
For prospective female delivery-partners, Grab’s Partner Centers across Metro Manila provides end-to-end assistance from application to onboarding.
Across the country, female driver-partners can access any of the Grab Driver Centers for any assistance or concerns they may have as they start their journey.
"As a single mother and a woman fighting for my child, Grab gave me an opportunity to prove myself and help my family at the same time,” according to delivery-partner Ellice Mae Fabian Atilano.
For Rachel Rotante-Navarroza of Davao City, being a delivery-partner allowed her to wear many hats—all while also augmenting her family’s income alongside her husband who’s also a Grab delivery-partner.
“It was actually my husband’s idea to get me a driver’s license and a motorcycle, but then eventually, I decided to become a Grab rider, too," she noted.
Some people are still surprised seeing a woman deliver essential goods and services— roles traditionally held by men.
For driver-partner Gina Dayao, the surprise of her passengers is usually accompanied by relief. Some even feel safer with a female driver behind the wheel.
"People still ask me if female Grab drivers really exist," she acknowledged.
"A lot of elderly female passengers wish to have more female drivers because they feel more comfortable and safe as they are accompanied to their destination.”
Seeing women taking on roles in the male-dominated transport industry also empowers female passengers, observed driver-partner Ann Justine Salo Millare.
"Female passengers say they wish they also had the courage to drive," she revealed.
To date, the Grab app has been downloaded onto over 185 million mobile devices, giving users access to over 9 million drivers, merchants, and agents.
Grab offers the widest range of on-demand transport services in the region, in addition to food, package, grocery delivery services, mobile payments, and financial services across 339 cities in eight countries.