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By June Ramli
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When it comes to rideshares, South East Asian countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia does it way better than Australia does.
Now, let me explain in detail.
I recently returned to Malaysia, my home country after a three year hiatus no thanks to COVID and resorted to using Grab as I no longer have a car there.
After using the app extensively for the past three weeks, I can safely say that Grab is way better than Uber in so many ways.
The one thing that I liked most about Grab is that the price per ride doesn’t change at all after the quote is given to you at the start of the journey.
This is unlike Uber where the fees can change from the original quote of the app which is later passed down to the customer.
I once had a meltdown with my Uber driver because of this.
I had booked an Uber to go to the airport on Nov 14 for my flight to Malaysia.
As a former Uber driver myself, I realised that he was taking the longer route that came with a toll which had annoyed me to no end.
I told him that my place was close to the airport and asked him why he didn’t take the shorter route that came with no tolls?
To which he replied it was because I didn’t tell him to do so.
After a bit of a shouting match and he threatening to leave me by the roadside, he switched routes and immediately took me to one that didn’t have any tolls.
This was the second time I had a meltdown with my Uber driver owing to the rise in fare.
With Grab I am sure that I won’t have any such situations since the fares are fixed.
Meaning what you see on the screen is usually what you get charged after the ride is done and dusted.
With Grab, there are hardly any surprises in between, in fact, after taking multiple Grab rides in the last month, I can assure you that there were no price hikes at all.
With Uber the cab drivers often take you on the longer routes just so they can charge you more.
I know because I have been using Ubers in the past month or so for my multiple trips to the airport.
This is a horrible practice that needs to be stopped once and for all.
So, now everytime I get into the Uber, I always tell the driver the route that they should take in order for me to pay the exact amount that has been quoted to me on the screen when booking my ride.
Also, Uber is pretty expensive with a subpar service thrown in.
Grab in Malaysia is way cheaper in comparison to Uber in Australia and the best part is their prices never changes unlike Uber where prices can change and fluctuate especially if you get a cheeky driver that is waiting to grab your hard earned money by taking a longer route to reach your destination.
My suggestion would be for Uber to either emulate Grab or for the Australian government to allow Grab to come and operate in Australia.
After all Australia, you are an Asian country so why can’t you get these Asian headquartered companies to operate in your soil?
Grab also has an option where they often text the passenger and ask them if they want a quiet ride or a chatty one?
I normally pick the quiet ride.
Why do I like choosing a quiet ride to my destination you might ask?
Because sometimes you just want to bask in your thoughts and chill while the driver drives you to your next destination.
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June Ramli is the editor of DailyStraits.com. To stay in touch with June, look her up on Twitter @junesairaramli