Earlier this month, Grab has announced that it will be rolling out a SGD4 cancellation fee if users cancel a ride more than five minutes after securing a booking. The new policy was set to come into effect today, March 11.
However, the ride-hailing giant said on Sunday morning – just a day before the policy kicks in – that the move will be delayed to March 25. This is to allow passengers “sufficient time” to adjust, according to a report by Todayonline.
The SGD4 charge also applies if the user cancels the ride after a driver has waited for more than five minutes at the pick-up point.
Announced last Sunday, the new fees have annoyed some riders, who felt it was unfair as some drivers fail to proceed to the pick-up point after accepting a booking. Grab spokesperson told Todayonline that the decision to postpone the roll-out was not due to the public backlash. Rather, it was because the company noted some confusion among riders about the new policy, and wanted to explain it better and give them more time before it kicks in.
Grab reassured passengers that they will not be charged for cancelling on a ride that is taking much longer to arrive at the pick-up point than indicated. “Just as we are able to show you your driver’s current location, we have safeguards in place to detect if the driver’s not moving towards you."
The new policy will override current one, in which a passenger pays a SGD5 penalty after his third cancellation in seven days. GrabShare's cancellation rules are stricter – passengers have to fork out SGD4 if they cancel after three minutes. They will also be charged if drivers cancel their GrabShare ride after waiting for more than three minutes.
The cancellation fee will be deducted from users’ GrabPay electronic wallets, or credit or debit cards, and drivers receive the full amount. Passengers using cash will have the fee added automatically to the fare of their next ride and the driver will be told to collect the fee on Grab’s behalf.