SHAH ALAM - In an age where convenience is key, safety remains paramount. It is not just about getting from point A to B, but about ensuring every journey is secure.
Leading e-hailing platform Grab Malaysia understood the importance of this balance.
Its Platform Safety head Naomi Say highlighted the company’s ongoing commitment to safety, explaining how they continuously innovate to address every aspect of the ride experience.
"As an everyday app, we understand the interlinked nature of our services and the critical implications for safety and security.
"We have continuously innovated and introduced various safety features on the Grab app, considering every aspect of a ride or delivery, from start to finish," she told Sinar Daily.
Say said the company has put a strong emphasis on preventing and minimising safety risks, which she noted were pivotal to maintaining Grab’s high standards of service.
Grab's annual Environmental, Social and Governance 2023 report indicated that 99.99 per cent of rides and deliveries on the Grab platform occurred without incident, highlighting their commitment to safety.
She said Grab's safety features have effectively prevented and minimised safety issues, ensuring passengers feel secure and their loved ones are at ease.
She also stressed that driver- and delivery-partners were equipped with necessary safeguards, ensuring safe, timely deliveries.
"We remain committed towards continuous improvement of our safety tools to ensure peace of mind for both driver-partners and passengers, with measures designed to protect them before, during and after rides," she said.
Safety protections start even before a ride begins
Say highlighted several key safety measures, starting even before a ride begins.
She said Grab’s customised onboarding training programme equips driver-partners with the skills needed to work safely and effectively.
Strict screening processes, including security checks, driving behaviour evaluations and physical health assessments, are also in place for all driver-partners, she added.
Additionally, AI-powered facial authentication required both drivers and passengers to submit a live selfie for identity verification, ensuring authenticity through machine learning.
To protect privacy, Grab uses number masking to display random digits instead of real phone numbers.
It also introduced the "Women Passengers Preferred BETA" feature, which matches women drivers with women passengers who opt into the feature, when available nearby.
Grab ensures peace of mind during trips
Grab has introduced several safety features to enhance user security.
Naomi shared that the "Share My Ride" feature that allows driver-partners and passengers to share real-time ride details, including the route, pick-up and drop-off locations, driver information and estimated time of arrival with their contacts via SMS or messaging apps.
"The "Get Emergency Help" SOS button provides 24/7 access to emergency assistance, enabling users to report safety issues and share ride details with loved ones.
She said Grab also offers AudioProtect, allowing both drivers and passengers to enable audio recordings during rides. These recordings are used to expedite and resolve safety-related reports.
Grab’s trip monitoring technology helps detect potential safety incidents by analysing signals from GPS, traffic conditions, ride status, telematics and map intelligence to identify unplanned stops, route deviations, or collisions.
She said Grab also employed AI-powered content moderation, which has led to the discovery and blocking of 50 per cent more inappropriate messages, particularly of a sexual nature.
Grab’s commitment to safety does not stop even after a ride ends
Say emphasised Grab's telematics solution, which tracks driving behaviours such as speeding, hard braking and sharp cornering using data from sensors on drivers' mobile phones.
This system allows Grab to provide personalised reports, helping driver-partners identify unsafe driving habits and rewarding those who adopt safer practices.
"Grab’s Fatigue Nudge feature sends timely alerts to drivers who have exceeded the recommended driving hours.
"These reminders encourage drivers to take necessary breaks, ensuring they remain well-rested and alert on the road," she said.
Additionally, drivers receive a customised Driving Safety Report with details on unsafe events and their locations to improve road safety.
Passengers would also be prompted to rate their trip, offering valuable feedback to help drivers enhance their service.
Say also noted that Grab has a 24/7 incident response support team trained to handle safety issues and provide assistance around the clock.
Alongside a comprehensive suite of safety tools, Say said Grab offers its partners the GrabBenefits programme, which provides additional support through training and other valuable resources.
She highlighted that the programme was built on three main pillars, Protection, Savings and Education to ensure the well-being of Grab’s partners.
Under Protection, GrabInsure also provides free Group Personal Accident Insurance for on-the-job incidents, now in partnership with the Social Security Organisation. Grab also subsidises contributions to SKSPS, fully covering active partners.
Savings benefits include fuel and vehicle maintenance discounts, as well as complimentary meals and merchandise.
Through Education, GrabAcademy offers targeted training to upskill and re skill partners, covering areas like Driver-Partner and Passenger Safety, Road Safety and Harassment Avoidance, helping partners build the knowledge to work safely and effectively.