GrabTaxi ‘sorry’ for taxi shortage during Sept. 8 ‘carmageddon’

Traffic along north-bound lane of Osmeña Hi-way cor Arnaiz not moving. Dennis Maliwanag

THE PHILIPPINE unit behind the ride-sharing smartphone application GrabTaxi apologized to the public on Friday for failing to serve all commuters who sought its service on the night of Sept. 8, when heavy rains and flash floods paralyzed traffic flow across Metro Manila.

In a statement, GrabTaxi explained that its drivers were also “caught in the gridlock” and could not accept all car bookings. Measures were being drawn up to improve its service, among them an “update” in its system of matching supply and demand especially during peak hours, it added.

“Currently, the availability of drivers can be more accurate and we are further developing the app to address that.” It also plans to impose stricter penalties on errant drivers, like those who fail to switch off the app when unable to accept passengers.

“We will not hesitate to investigate and deregister errant drivers. We urge passengers to rate our drivers and give proper feedback in our app so that we may be able to take corrective actions,” GrabTaxi said.

Grabtaxi said it would also review its pricing model and review the effectiveness of its optional tip feature—a matter that will be discussed with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. Miguel R. Camus