I was actually a supporter of Grab and even endorsed them a few times, but during the Circuit Breaker there were a few things they did that really ticked me off. Even prior to Covid-19, there were already some measures Grab implemented that weren't really transparent and it seems as though they are just trying to make money off their customers.

So here are 7 reasons why I won't be using Grab anymore and I have since moved on to other platforms such as FoodPanda and Ryde.

Also, I'm not looking to be sued. These are just allegations and opinions, but still good things to think about.

My boyfriend was previously subscribed to a monthly GrabFood delivery plan (see screenshot below). It cost him $9.99/ month and he was eligible for 50 free deliveries with a minimum spend of $10. We then enjoyed free delivery for a few months until one day when Grab decided to include a $0.20 service fee for every order. This ticked us off a bit because the subscription plan was supposed to give us FREE delivery, but whatever since $0.20 wasn't that much anyway.

Then later when the Circuit Breaker started, GrabFood actually CANCELLED the GrabFood delivery subscription plan. And they were super shady about it because it sorta just happened out of the blue. Why suddenly stop it now during a period that Singaporeans need it the most? Is Grab doing this so customers have no choice but to pay the higher delivery costs?

And this leads me to my next point.

With the Circuit Breaker and tighter measures, we did expect GrabFood delivery charges to shoot up. But, not THIS much. Usually, GrabFood delivery fees were always around $3-$4 per delivery, but once the Circuit Breaker started, the fees shot up to as high as $16. Though that's an extreme case, and on average the delivery fees now cost $6-$7.

Understandably there's a supply and demand algorithm that Grab uses to determine delivery fees, and the high demand during the Circuit Breaker may be the cause of the surge, BUT do note that the supply of drivers joining Grab have since increased as well. So with much more drivers joining Grab, it makes me wonder why there is still such as drastic surge in delivery fees. Anyway, even if there is really a shortage of drivers, isn't a $16 delivery charge too much?

Even when you decide to order small meals, you're kinda forced to hit a minimum spend or you'll need to pay an extra fee (see screenshot below). Grab has since introduced a minimum spend of $8 and a platform fee of $0.20 for every order. According to Grab, this is make the orders "worthwhile" for their merchants and delivery partners, so now - small orders are no longer worthwhile.

Do take note that FoodPanda also has a minimum spend of $5 to avoid extra charges and Deliveroo was the first to implement the $0.20 surcharge on top of their $12 "minimum basket value".

However, since FoodPanda (which I have been using now instead of GrabFood) still manages to charge below $5 for most of their food deliveries (see screenshot below), I don't understand why Grab can't do the same.

Update: I recently discovered that Grab's minimum spend has gone as high as $20, which is ridiculous. My boyfriend wanted to order bubble tea and immediately switched from Grab to Food Panda when he saw this.



Just look at the difference - we spent only $12.19 for 2 cups of R&B Tea on Food Panda; if we bought it via Grab, we would have been forced to spend $23.70.

Apparently, the GrabFood app tends to depict restaurants distances to be further than they actually are. In the screenshot below, you can see that the Roti Prata House was only 1.1km away from my place according to Google Maps. However, on the GrabFood app, it shows the distance from Roti Prata House to my place to be 1.8km which begs the question of HOW THE EXTRA 700 METRES CAME ABOUT.

I'm not sure if this is a bug, but depicting restaurants as further than they actually are can be quite misleading, especially when distance correlates with delivery charges. For anyone reading this, feel free to go and try it out. You'll realise that the distance shown on the GrabFood or Grab app is almost always inflated compared to Google Maps.

Now, I'll move on from GrabFood to the Grab transport service.

Yes, I know this happened quite a while back, but I really have issues with this. GrabShare has always been a convenient and economic option for customers, especially those of us who use Grab during wee hours. I used to work in a club so taking the MRT or bus home wasn't an option for me and I relied on GrabShare a lot. My workplace was at Clarke Quay and I stayed in Hall, so a trip from CQ to NUS would usually cost about $18-$25. With GrabShare, I saved about $5 and that meant a lot already since I was only earning $10/ hour.

So when GrabShare got suspended from 1am-5am, I was quite upset. Grab said it was because of "unruly passengers", but honestly if they were really concerned about this, then why were there still GrabHitch services? Can be unruly in GrabShare but cannot in GrabHitch? Explain to me pls.

And again, Grab didn't inform us of this suspension beforehand.

For those of you who don't know, Grab actually disallowed GrabHitch bookings from 1am-5am in October 2018. They gave the same reason as to why they suspended GrabShare from 1am-5am and brought up safety concerns. If they put it that way, it seems pretty legitimate. But then again, is safety really the main concern, or is this just a ploy so customers have no choice but to choose costlier Grab options?

We'll never know, but there's still other ride-hailing companies such as Ryde that offer carpool services. Their fares are generally cheaper than Grab too. On the other hand, you can just make earlier GrabHitch bookings before 1am.

I used to use GrabHitch very often because it was the cheapest option for me to go home. Sometimes my boyfriend would come visit me at work and we would hitch home together, and it would usually cost about $9 in total.

A few months ago, I realised that I had to pay an extra $0.50 for every extra passenger coming with me on the GrabHitch. Of course I was damn pissed off because if me and my boyfriend are dropping off at THE SAME PLACE, the $0.50 was freaking unnecessary. So yeah I really don't understand why did was implemented other than reasons for making money.

Did you know that a third of our total bill goes into delivery platforms? Commissions imposed on restaurants have been increasing, and GrabFood riders and drivers find their incentives slashed during an already critical period.

I don't want to go on a full on rant, but if you want to read more about the impact of high delivery app fees on restaurants and businesses, you can read this 8 Days article.

Here's another instance of GrabFood being shady and non-transparent with their partner Burgertory (screenshot below).

As a consumer who used to use Grab religiously and even endorsed it, I'm really disappointed with Grab because it just seems like they're a big company who takes advantage of their customers and employees. They know they monopolise the industry, which is why they can do anything they want.

After all, Grab is a business and they care about making money. But if they really care for their customers like they claim they do, this just doesn't show it.

Moving forward, I really hope that Grab will start to care more for their customers and employees, because it is their ethical responsibility. Yes, many of us have no choice but to use your services, but earning just a teeny weeny bit less to make our lives easier and more convenient won't make your company go bankrupt.