Screenshots from Grab drivers have made the rounds on social media showing that the e-hailing giant is planning to launch a new feature called Fare Bidding. Similar to how InDrive operates, Fare Bidding will allow users and drivers to haggle on a fare instead of the usual fixed fare that the app gives out.
This is an optional feature that drivers can choose to turn on if they wish and even if they do, they will still receive fixed-fair ride requests. How it works is that it will start on the passenger side where they will propose a fare that they are willing to pay and drivers will then accept the bid or counter with a higher fare within 15 seconds.
Passengers can choose their preferred driver based on the offers they receive. When contacted by The Star’s LifestyleTech, Grab stated that Fare Bidding is a “small-scale experiment” that will be tested in select towns, although the company did not specify which towns exactly will be involved with this test.
The firm called Fare Bidding a feature that will help create a “more transparent and flexible pricing system” by “allowing passengers and drivers to have a mutual agreement” on the fare. It has not provided other details such as when it will roll out or if there is a minimum amount for passenger requests.
