Yee Wee Tang, managing director of Grab Singapore, said that the ride-hailing firm would help and encourage gig workers whose goal is to move to other jobs. — TODAY pic
Even before the coronavirus outbreak struck, many gig workers with Grab — such as food delivery riders and private-hire car drivers — had “expressed interest in exploring other earning opportunities”, Yee noted. “Our goal is always to try to help them when they are with us,” Yee said. “But also, if their ultimate goal is to go move on to something different, we will encourage them, and we will help them as much as we can.”
For example, during the circuit breaker, Grab drivers were instrumental in delivering larger amounts of food for longer distances to families islandwide, he said. “We will continue to monitor the situation, and stand ready to adjust our services and extend support wherever possible.”As Grab tackles the challenges linked to the Covid-19 crisis in the coming months, Yee believes that the shift for businesses to go online will be “a dominant one”.
There were obstacles in getting hawkers on the app, since many of them are not technologically savvy or have language issues. For instance, Grab employees have had to provide on-site help to teach hawkers how to navigate the app.