Grab tests new feature pairing female drivers with female passengers

share on

twitter /
facebook /
linkedin /
- email
- telegram
- whatsapp
- wechat
- pinterest
- line
- snapchat
- reddit

This International Women's Day (IWD), Grab is testing a new “Women Passengers Preferred BETA'' programme where it pairs female drivers and female passengers for a ride. The beta programme is part of the brand's 'Women Programme', a new series of initiatives for International Women's Day.

The new feature will be displayed as a toggle switch exclusive to female driver-partners of the service. When toggled on, it increases the chances of matching a woman driver-partner with a woman passenger, if there is a woman passenger in the vicinity.

Don't miss: Brand Finance report: What is the most valuable mobility brand of 2024 across ASEAN?

"Women passengers preferred beta" is one of Grab's efforts to increase safety for women driver-partners as well as to lower the barriers to entry for women looking to access income opportunities on its platform.

"Our partner community is still very much male dominated, and we recognise that we need to do more to increase women participation on our platform. Our new 'Women Programme' aims to empower women to take up platform work by addressing their unique concerns around safety and dispelling the notion that driving is not suitable for them," said Yee Wee Tang, managing director for Grab Singapore, in a statement.

"By leveraging our technology and tapping into our existing women partner community, we hope women partners will feel better supported and confident enough to join us."

Based on survey done by Grab's existing female drivers and delivery-partners, the platform found that women are usually deterred from joining due to safety concerns and the mindset that driving and deliveries are not suitable for them.

Common considerations that stop women from taking the first step, according to Grab, include the need to manage different type of consumers, having the right digital know-how to use the driver app effectively or the ability to manage unforeseen situations such as vehicle breakdowns.

As such, Grab has also introduced other initiatives under its '#WomenWelcome' campaign.

This includes a new female-only online community and info-sessions where new and existing female partners can connect, share and support one another as well as safety and confidence training sessions to help female drivers feel safer on the road.

In addition, Grab is expanding its existing women co-pilot programme such that more new female driver-partners are paired with experienced female Grab driver-partners for the onboarding process.

Lastly, Grab will also be looking at improving the welfare for female driver and delivery-partners with tailored welfare benefits and perks.

The campaign will run on digital and social media channels such as YouTube, META and LinkedIn. This, according to a Grab spokesperson when MARKETING-INTERACTIVE reached out, is to drive conversations about the brand’s cause and intent to make driving more accessible to women.

The campaign will run in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

For IWD last year, Grab released an ad titled 'While she sleeps'. The ad aimed to convey Grab’s prioritisation of female passengers’ safety on grab rides.

In the ad, a few women were seen slumped over, falling asleep, while a voiceover says, “Isn’t it nice when women can travel without worry?” The tagline of the campaign was "Most boring ride ever".

Ostensibly, the ad seemed to be a fairly commendable effort on Grab’s part, considering past reports of female rideshare drivers and passengers facing increasing risks of being assaulted.

However, some netizens pointed out the fact that Grab was celebrating making its rides safe for women and argued that in actuality, safety should be a given. Equating safety to boredom seems to have rubbed some people the wrong way.

Join us this coming 24 - 25 April for #Content360, a two-day extravaganza centered around four core thematic pillars: Explore with AI; Insight-powered strategies; Content as an experience; and embrace the future. Immerse yourself in learning to curate content with creativity, critical thinking, and confidence with us at Content360!

share on