Grab - what happened?

[Dolf]

On 1/18/2024 at 7:08 PM, retarius said:

What did you expect exactly? Reduced competition is unlikely to bring down prices. 

More competition now. Also Indriver, Maxim, Bolt etc

[Dolf]

1 minute ago, Lee65 said:

 

The point - for those too thick to understand - was that Grab is evidently adding a 'fee' for Cash payment higher than the 'fee' for foreign credit cards.  

2 baht times 300 trips a year is 600 baht a year. That's a steak in a middle class restaurant.

[Ralf001]

5 minutes ago, Lee65 said:

 

The point - for those too thick to understand - was that Grab is evidently adding a 'fee' for Cash payment higher than the 'fee' for foreign credit cards.  

 

Are you calling me thick ?

 

Go <deleted> yaself cocksucker.

 

I save every damn satang I can .

 

An 18lt water bottle is my moneybox, when full it has Bt7,000 in it.

[richard_smith237]

On 1/19/2024 at 9:38 AM, Gaccha said:

 

The initial low prices were to grab (pun intended) market share. They were clearly not sustainable. And even with the current prices they are not earning a profit. 

 

But it is fantastic that Grab exists since it breaks the local motorbike/car cartels, forces better behaviour of drivers, and gives more options to us.

 

The initial low prices were comparable to using flag-fall fare taxis... but with the ease and simplicity of using the app to make the booking. 

Competition with UBER ensured service standards were competitive.

FFWD to Grab nudging UBER out of the market (and giving them 30% of Grab ride hailing revenue) and that was that.. competition demolished, service standards dropped, prices went up. 

 

In any major city I've been to recently, UBER or its local Equivalent works extremely well, is efficient, simple, excellent service - I don't need to think or worry about availability - it just works and has done for years. 

 

In Thailand, things have changed - Out this weekend, not in a central area, but not outskirts by any means (think Bangkapi area) I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to easily get a Grab back to my home late at night - in any other major city I've been to recently this is an absolute no brainer. 

 

On 1/19/2024 at 9:38 AM, Gaccha said:

Obviously not great news for drivers. It means low wages for them and they must achieve higher standards. I can only welcome them to the new world of neoliberalism!

I'm not so sure it does mean lower wages - If the Grab service is extremely reliable, people will use it more. 

The price don't need to be 4x... but a little more than flagfall ensures convenient simple reliable service that will be used. 

 

Currently - if I want to go to Sukhumvit Soi 11, I have to consider getting home after midnight.

That means either accepting a 400-500 baht 'non-metered' fare... or walking to Sukhumvit, then trying to get a flagfall fare, though they still refuse the meter but offer a more realistic 200 or 300 baht fixed fare. 

 

As far as Grab & Bolt - at that time its nearly a 100% guarantee that no driver will take  Grab or Bolt ride. 

 

 

IMO - I agree...   GRAB has certainly driven the 'ride sharing' Taxi business model backwards in Thailand.... 

Or rather, Thainess has... as GRAB works perfectly well in Singapore. 

 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

On 1/19/2024 at 10:13 AM, FritsSikkink said:

Pay cash

 

Kind of removes the convenience... 

 

Having just spent much of Dec / Jan / Feb in the UK, France and Japan... I hardly used cash...  I hardly got my Wallet out at all.. 

All payment either through Apple Pay (tap the phone on the billing machine) or through a direct App like UBER... 

 

Extremely convenient without having to mess about with change etc. 

 

This is also the way it was with GRAB and UBER at the start - very simply linked to a credit card (in my case my local Thai credit card)... and that was that....    Then UBER was nudged out, drivers started rejecting 'non-cash' fairs, BOLT started up, cash only and a lot of drivers jumped to them (now bold have a credit card payment option).

 

Now we have cheaper BOLT, but not drivers wanting to take the ride because they are trying to get rides on Grab for 4x there fare rates. 

 

Its very rare I get a BOLT... its becoming harder and harder to get a Grab. 

 

I used to use them all the time, numerous times throughout the week because it was so convenient. 

No I get the wife to take me everywhere...  because Grab and Bolt have become a PITA to use.

 

 

Going to the Airport last month friends had a GRAB car (that they'd booked the day before) just cancel on them early in the morning, they nearly missed their flight...      Its no longer worth the risk and Book and AOT limo next time.

 

 

[Dolf]

2 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Kind of removes the convenience... 

 

Having just spent much of Dec / Jan / Feb in the UK, France and Japan... I hardly used cash...  I hardly got my Wallet out at all.. 

All payment either through Apple Pay (tap the phone on the billing machine) or through a direct App like UBER... 

 

Extremely convenient without having to mess about with change etc. 

 

This is also the way it was with GRAB and UBER at the start - very simply linked to a credit card (in my case my local Thai credit card)... and that was that....    Then UBER was nudged out, drivers started rejecting 'non-cash' fairs, BOLT started up, cash only and a lot of drivers jumped to them (now bold have a credit card payment option).

 

Now we have cheaper BOLT, but not drivers wanting to take the ride because they are trying to get rides on Grab for 4x there fare rates. 

 

Its very rare I get a BOLT... its becoming harder and harder to get a Grab. 

 

I used to use them all the time, numerous times throughout the week because it was so convenient. 

No I get the wife to take me everywhere...  because Grab and Bolt have become a PITA to use.

 

 

Going to the Airport last month friends had a GRAB car (that they'd booked the day before) just cancel on them early in the morning, they nearly missed their flight...      Its no longer worth the risk and Book and AOT limo next time.

 

 

In Bangkok it's hard but not elsewhere. I booked both Bolt and Grab and then took the first one to turn up. Felt bad but I didnt want to miss a flight.

[Korat Kiwi]

In Vientiane they have kok kok move.  EV TukTuks.  Similar to Grab in that you use an app. 

 

Very cheap and oh so quiet.  For the 3 Days I was there, they were great. 

 

I'd love to see them here 

 

[richard_smith237]

2 minutes ago, Dolf said:

In Bangkok it's hard but not elsewhere. I booked both Bolt and Grab and then took the first one to turn up. Felt bad but I didnt want to miss a flight.

 

I did similar way back when UBER and GRAB were in competition...     It was by only negative UBER encounter here.

 

I'd ordered an UBER from a friends house, driver accepted the ride, was about 5 mins away but didn't move for 20 mins... 

I didn't care, I was at a friends house chilling...  but it was clear this driver didnt want the ride (once he'd accepted and found out the destination) so he'd waited me out, hoping that I'd cancel. 

 

Instead I'd booked a GRAB and was home...  before the UBER driver himself cancelled. 

 

Sometimes the drivers just don't want the journey, but have to accept so many out of x number of fares that pop up within their vicinity otherwise they'll loose some sort of 'rating' within the App..... 

What I now see is that the drivers just don't care about their rating anyway, so the call up to cancel, or just cancel themselves etc... 

 

It turns a great service into something we can no longer rely on.

 

First world problems ???... Yes, it is a first world problem, but while we like to see Thailand develop and improve, this silly juvenile stuff really lets it down sometimes. 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

3 minutes ago, Korat Kiwi said:

In Vientiane they have kok kok move.  EV TukTuks.  Similar to Grab in that you use an app. 

 

Very cheap and oh so quiet.  For the 3 Days I was there, they were great. 

 

I'd love to see them here 

 

Would you bring your own Air-Supply / tank so you don't have to breath in the thick traffic fumes on sukhumvit.. 

Also, spare clothing to change into after getting hot and sweaty while stuck in traffic ???

 

The reason AC taxi's are popular is that people want the AC not a tuk-tuk...   

 

If only these Apps (Grab) were as reliable as they were 5 years ago.. .

[FritsSikkink]

13 hours ago, samtam said:

 

I'm sure a cash payment is as much of a pain in the derriere for the driver as it is for me. And will the driver have no have change, (like a taxi driver)?

 

I always have a lot of small bills. When I buy things at 7/11, Bic C, Lotus, department stores etc. I pay with a 1000thb bill to get these small bills. 

Then I use these for taxi, tuk tuk and street stalls. 

[FritsSikkink]

14 hours ago, Lee65 said:

 

Just selected 'Cash' as a payment method on a Grab order and the total was 2 baht higher than that for my foreign credit card ...

 

Getting jerked around by Grab (Lazada, Shopee, etc. etc.) has made using their services annoying.  But these companies don't seem to care: in Asia there's always another 10 million uneducated, non-discerning, serfs potential customers happily lining up to be manipulated. 

 

 

 

 

Walk if you need to worry about 2 thb.