8 minute read
GRAB FOOD RIDER
GRAB FOOD RIDER EXPERIENCE
The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a heavy toll on ride-hailing services, like Uber and Grab, Southeast Asia’s largest ride-hailing company, has also been impacted, but the company has adapted by quickly transitioning many of its ride-hailing drivers to its on-demand delivery verticals and expanding services needed by customers during social distancing measures.
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The company told TechCrunch that its ridehailing drivers saw their incomes decrease by about a double-digit percentage in April 2020, compared to October 2019, in line with a double-digit drop in gross merchandise volume for Grab’s ride-hailing business in some markets. Between March and April, more than 149,000 Grab ride-hailing drivers switched to performing on-demand deliveries. In some markets, the transition was done very quickly. The platform also saw an influx of new driver requests, many from people who had been laid off or furloughed, as well as merchants who needed a new way to make income. 26
INTERVIEW OF RIDERS
1. Shafik Zhuhairi
He was first started off as a part-time Grab DriverPartner in 2018 after finding out that the company he worked for was shutting down.
He decided to give it a shot when he heard about the benefits of working with Grab from his brotherin-law. According to Shafik, working as a parttime e-hailing driver was a great way to earn a side income, as the money was good. When the company Shafik worked for finally closed its doors in January 2019, he decided to become a full-time Grab driver, instead of searching for another job.
Although Shafik had sporadic working hours, the great thing was that he got to work on his own time. He basically work throughout the day, while having breaks in between. Like, in the afternoon, He will head home to rest and do his prayers. He will start
›Images of grab rider preparing customer's order
making my rounds again at around 4:30pm and he will work until 8pm, but if he haven’t hit his target earning for the day, then he will continue driving until 10 or 11pm
How’s the situation when pandemic it you during that time?
During the pandemic, the demand for rides was low, which is why Shafik stepped out of his comfort zone to try out different Grab services by delivering orders with his car. However, Shafik soon found that he couldn’t rely on just one location, as it could get competitive.
He also said that getting jobs in TTDI eventually became quite competitive and challenging, as more riders and drivers started to hang around the wet market in search of jobs as well. Being a Grab Food delivery driver also came with a whole new set of challenges that Shafik had to get used to. But, it was great doing Grab Food as parking was not much of a hassle. There were even shopping malls that allowed drivers and riders to park at designated valet parking spots.”
What’s the best part of being a Grab riders even though the pandemic had affected you ?
“I think the best part about being a Grab DriverPartner is getting to learn something new every day.” “You learn how to be more patient and you meet all kinds of people. It can be a great and lucrative profession. You can support your family by being a Grab Driver-Partner. It’s just a matter of planning properly and how hardworking you are.”
”Although there have been a few hiccups along the way, what’s great about Grab is that they really listen to their drivers and riders. They are always continuously improving and take our feedback seriously.”
›Shafik Zuhairi, the part time Grab Driver
2. Mohamad Rusydi
A30-year-old man that decided to leave his long time job as an electrical technician and became a Grab Food Delivery-Partner. He mention that the first thing that worrying him was spilling customer’s drink and food. ”I was constantly keeping an eye on the delivery bag’s contents. But, the stress lasted for a while only. After that, delivering customer’s orders became a breeze.”Starting out as a delivery rider during the MCO, when restaurants and eateries were not allowed to operate late into the night, Rusydi’s working hours were usually from 8am to 6pm.
The great thing about Rusydi’s job is that he gets to enjoy flexible work hours by having breaks inbetween. However, the bad weather sometimes affects his income for the day.“If I have to say, the challenging part is when it starts to rain heavily. The bad weather makes it harder for me to hit my target earnings for the day.
Nevertheless, he still enjoys working as a delivery rider very much and shared that he come across plenty or heartwarming and memorable moments in his work . He mention that there one time a customer tipped him RM50, which made his day meaningful .But the most heartwarming part of my job is when he receive free food. He always feel so touched when they intentionally order food for him as well. Rusydi also shared some tips that for those people who are interested in becoming a Grab Delivery-Partner and he mention that road safety was the most important of all. “It’s a great job opportunity. But remember, you’re always gonna be on the road, so make sure you drive your car or ride your motorcycle carefully. Don’t get obsessed with picking up too many orders and start speeding around. You’re endangering not only yourself, but other motorists on the road as well. In case riders do get in an accident, every Grab rider is by default covered by free accident insurance provided by Grab.”
3. Ke Wei Liang
Mr Ke is a Grab Food delivery man in Singapore since he lost all of his art income due to the COVID-19 climate. He would describe his experience as an experiential ethonography of privilege and empathy. There’s few incident which were heartbreaking and bad experiences, he mention he once encounter a migrant worker who asked him to give him some of the food which he was supposed to deliver to a paying customer and the worker had no money to buy lunch because his employer was not paying him wages on time. And Mr Ke then received a one star out of five star rating for due to a delayed delivery. For Grab Food deliverymen, this is highly detrimental as ratings are used when calculating their performance.
But, There also kind people also exist. Mr Ke also had his share of heartwarming encounter. He said that On his first day delivering food, one waitress offered him refreshments when his order took a while to prepare. She shared some kind words with him as well, saying, “It’s tough to be in this line, here’s some tea for you as encouragement!” Mr Ke also had a kind elderly woman tip him $5 for her order. This was a relatively generous tip, as the granny looked to live in a rental flat. Her tip also cost her nearly as much as her order.
Ever since the pandemic had started, Mr Ke believes that staying at home is a form of privilege that is being abused by people who choose to go out for non-essential reasons.
However, he does acknowledge that for each person that goes out for fun, another person goes out as they genuinely do not feel safe at home. But he’s still advises citizens to stay home if they can, as curbing the pandemic is a team effort.
›Hariz is putting customer's food into the bag
4. Hariz
Hariz, 26, and his family were hit hard by the Movement Control Order (MCO). His contract ended just as the first MCO was implemented in March 2020, and it was never renewed.
Meanwhile, as most of the country moved to work from home, his mother, who was employed as a tea lady in KLCC was let go as well, causing both mother and son to lose their sources of income. Hariz shares that Malaysia’s unpredictable tropical weather is one of the challenges he faces as a food delivery rider. One moment, it’s as sunny as anything, the next thing you know it’s pouring rain with thunder and lightning. Otherwise, if he feels like he wants to work, he can keep on working. He shared that he has also been able to spend more time with his job has also given him some memorable experiences, such as the time he delivered food to a customer who turned out to be a local celebrity. Hariz said that some customers assume that riders purposefully take their time and delay delivering their orders.
In reality, there are a few factors that can result in late delivery orders, no matter how fast a delivery rider rushes through his jobs.
One common factor is the rainy weather. Hariz said that sometimes customers need to consider the rider’s perspective on whether or not they dare to brave the storm as this endangers their lives as well. Another factor is the order queue at the vendor. Hariz said that often, vendors don’t have just one order to fulfill. Instead, there may be 5, 6, 7, or 8 orders to fulfil. Waiting for their turn at the shop can also cause late deliveries. Regardless of these misconceptions, Hariz shared that Malaysians are generally appreciative towards their food delivery riders.
When delivering food to a customer’s house, some give me tips, others give me something to drink. Those are the ways Malaysians show their appreciation.
Fulfilling food delivery orders on time is paramount, but, being extra careful on slippery roads will mean that the orders will be delayed.
“Of course, my helmet doesn’t have a wiper. Sometimes, I can’t see the road and I have to make sure I deliver my order on time.”
He no longer had to just pick up cooked meals from restaurants. Now, he also had to pick up groceries for customers. Hariz shared that he would walk into supermarkets himself and pick out products and produce for his hungry clients. Hariz said that since he started working with Grab full-time, he’s had the flexibility to work based on his own timing
