RICHARD A. REYES
THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Wednesday ordered Grab to explain why 8,000 of its driver-partners failed to get accredited as transport network vehicle services (TNVS) drivers.
“If a Grab driver’s profile shows you that [his] LTFRB number is still [being processed], it only means two things: Either [he] applied but has yet to be accredited, or [he] really didn’t apply,” LTFRB chair Martin Delgra III told the Inquirer.
“What we want to hear from Grab is how many drivers really failed to apply at all,” he said.
The transport board will hear the side of the ride-hailing app on June 11.
Grab had announced it would remove on June 10 from its platform the 8,000 drivers who failed to beat the June 7 deadline to secure a franchise.
According to Grab, the deactivation of the 8,000 “colorum” but active drivers would trigger longer booking periods and higher price surges due to fewer available rides.
But Delgra noted that the number of active drivers was much lower than those who had been given accreditation.
“So if you’re talking about service disruption … ideally, if all those who were accredited were online, they should be able to serve all the bookings,” he said.
According to LTFRB data, 45,522 TNVS drivers currently have either a provisional authority or a certificate of public convenience, allowing them to operate legally.
Because Grab does not have an employer-employee relationship with its driver-partners, those who will be removed from its platform will not get benefits or subsidies.
Grab promised only to assist them in renewing their franchise once the LTFRB opens 10,000 new slots for TNVS drivers on June 10. -With report from Krixia Subingsubing
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