Ricky Adlawan has been driving full time for Grab in the last three months, bringing strangers to different parts of Cebu City and counting on what he earns every day to support his wife and three children.
He works up to 16 hours a day, usually leaving his house at 9 a.m. and returning home just a few hours after midnight.
Now, the 42-year-old Adlawan is considering cutting his trips short following the death of a fellow Grab driver in Pasay City after being shot in the head by a lone assailant last Thursday.
“Nahadlok g’yud ko. Nagduha-duha na nuon ko og drive sa kaadlawon. Karon, nagplano ko nga kutob na lang (I was really afraid. Now I’m getting second thoughts of driving in the wee hours. I plan to go home by) 11 p.m.,” he told Cebu Daily News when asked how he felt when the news broke.
Gerardo Maquidato Jr., hailed by the transport network vehicle service (TNVS) as one of its “best drivers,” was killed by a gunman who pretended to be a passenger, bringing with him the victim’s car on his escape.
The victim went viral months ago for helping out a sick passenger. The assailant is still at large.
As a response, Grab has taken additional measures to keep their drivers safe and to prevent this incident from happening again.
In a letter sent to its riders early this week, the TNVS said their driver-partners may ask the riding public to show a personal identification card (ID) to verify their identity, especially during night shift hours.
“We assure you that all information shown to our driver-partners will be kept confidential and will only be used for verification purposes,” Grab said.
If passengers fail to present an ID, drivers may decline to accommodate them.
Grab also advised passengers to input their correct pick-up and drop-off points before booking a ride, adding that their driver-partners will only bring riders to the indicated booking destinations.
“These are really good initiatives. In case something bad happens to the driver, it will be easy to trace who did it,” said Adlawan.
Grab Philippines public affairs head Leo Gonzales, in a phone interview with CDN, assured the public that drivers will not be turning down passengers just because they do not have IDs.
“Most likely, they would just like validation and verification, especially during evening or late at night. During daytime, I don’t think they will do that. If they do, it is only because they find passengers suspicious,” he said.
Gonzales added that booking a ride for other people will still be allowed, but it has to be communicated to the driver.
He said that because of the incident, their driver-partners have become very wary and careful at this time.
“On our part, we just support our drivers. One death is a death too many,” he added.
Trust issues
Regular Grab rider Van Miñoza, 22, said people prefer the TNVS because it is safer than taxis, especially with being able to know the name of the driver as well as one’s family and friends having the power to track one’s whereabouts.
She said passengers can complain about drivers’ unruly behavior since the company regulates those who get to drive for them.
“I think it’s different for the drivers. They have no choice but to trust the passengers. Anyone can just sign up so it’s easy to use fake names,” she said.
She added that while the new ID policy is good, it still won’t stop people from making fake accounts.
Grab, for its part, said they were still discussing other tech solutions that would decrease, if not completely hamper, the chances of carnapping incidents involving TNVS.
The company said it is also working closely with the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group to ensure that justice will be served and perpetrators will be put behind bars.
Following the death of Maquidato, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said it was working with app-based transport companies to protect their drivers.
LTFRB board member Aileen Lizada said among the early proposals that would be further discussed are for passengers to send their photos to transport network companies and for drivers to share their location with their loved ones.