GrabHitch/RYDE-car pooling services

[Shorty]

I register my Mini on Grabhitch.  I wonder how many Chiobu i can pick up?

the chiobus dont care. they think grabhitch also like taxi. don b surprise if they treat u like taxi driver. as mentioned by another bro earlier, many hv the mentality that grabhitch is also like normal grab.

[inlinesix]

the chiobus dont care. they think grabhitch also like taxi. don b surprise if they treat u like taxi driver. as mentioned by another bro earlier, many hv the mentality that grabhitch is also like normal grab.

 

If chiobu wear short skirt, I will open door for her and make sure she climb into backseat.

 

[Leezld]

Not many ppl seems to know GrabHitch is more like carpooling. The impression is that it's another Grab service.

Same here. Passengers always think its a taxi service. Have met some nice passengers though that are very friendly and chatty!

[Zxcvb]

I register my Mini on Grabhitch. I wonder how many Chiobu i can pick up?

You can choose your passenger. Just look at their Facebook profile. Some are very friendly chatty, some quite dao never talk. Maybe cos I drive a Toyota, brudders who drive Mercedes BMW or Audi may have higher chance for girls to open their mouth or below?

 

But anyway, just take note, some pretty girls will use their profile to get a hitch for their boyfriend. Encountered many times.

[Zxcvb]

http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/life-culture/grabhitch-an-express-tinder

 

ONLINE dating is a daunting task. But a good friend of mine thinks he's figured out a uniquely effortless way to score dates. Like many others, he's doing it through a mobile app; it's just not one of those that immediately comes to mind, though. Forget Tinder, OkCupid or Coffee Meets Bagel. My friend (call him Al) swears by Grab - yes, that ride-hailing app - to find love.

 

I learn this over drinks one night. Al is 31, single, a business owner, and drives a nice car. We are discussing his love life, and the girls he's seeing. He says they are nice to spend time with, but he just hasn't met The One, and it's taking him a lot of time. He says he usually finds his dates through Tinder and networking events.

 

Then he reveals one of the most bizarre things I've ever heard. He says he has discovered what could be the quickest, infallible way to meet girls: through GrabHitch.

 

This is Grab's carpooling service that is being beta-tested, which allows regular drivers like you and me to give Grab riders a lift, using our cars. In essence, he gives female (and only female) users a ride - and asks out those he finds attractive.

 

[A quick backgrounder: GrabHitch - unlike GrabCar, UberX or UberPOOL - is not an on-demand commercial service. That is, the private car drivers on the platform provide rides only at their convenience (usually when they are leaving from or headed to the same location as their riders, at about the same time), but still get paid. Moreover, when a rider requests a GrabHitch ride, the driver is able to see the rider's name and profile photo - and even mutual friends they may have on Facebook if they've both linked their accounts to the social networking site. The driver is able to contact the rider, using the latter's mobile number, only after the booking is confirmed.]

 

Al tells me he has been using GrabHitch to get to know girls for 4-5 months now. He says: "At first, I wasn't that serious and just wanted to check out the app. But a few months ago, I had a euphoric moment when I realised that it was better than Tinder!" He proceeds to argue his case by listing out points comparing the two services (See table).

 

Al shares that he has picked up (pun fully intended) about 20 girls through GrabHitch - five of whom he has asked out and still keeps in touch with. He says the best things about the service are being able to skip all the virtual get-to-know-you, the chance to meet new girls right away, and getting to interact with them in person to determine if there's chemistry. "And guess what?" he exclaims. "You get paid for doing it!"

 

I remember feeling appalled, and also a bit concerned. Do these girls know what they're getting into? Al assures me it's not as creepy as it sounds, and that most female riders are genuinely open to meeting new people or their neighbours. He says even if they aren't interested in him romantically, he thus expands his network and enjoys some pleasant company on the way to work. He adds: "The girl has the right to remain in touch, or not. It may sound like she's paying for the 'date', but don't forget: this is still a transportation need being met. She isn't paying to get 'picked up'; she's paying to get to a destination. GrabHitch allows two people to get to know each other in a very respectable and subtle way."

 

Lim Kell Jay, head of Grab Singapore, tells me that socialising is a big part of GrabHitch - but it is also a personal choice ultimately and not the main focus of the service. What GrabHitch wants to do is contribute to a car-lite society, help drivers share the cost of their ride, and offer riders an additional, more affordable option. He says: "It can be 20-40 per cent cheaper than other options like taxis."

 

Mr Lim adds that an important thing to note is that both the driver and rider can choose whether or not to accept the booking after they have been matched. That is, both of them ride only with someone they're comfortable with. Both also have the option to request same-gender drivers or riders should they prefer that.

 

I'm somewhat heartened after speaking to female riders I know who regularly use the service. One tells me: "It's not uncommon to have drivers ask to keep in touch after a ride. You feel like you've made a new friend. If I feel uncomfortable, I just politely decline."

 

Another says she routinely uses Grab's safety features such as "Share my ride" to let loved ones track her ride in real-time, as well as "Driver rating" to "make sure Grab knows whether their drivers are great or not".

 

Interestingly, a male user of GrabHitch tells me he has never encountered overly friendly advances, from either male or female drivers.

 

Mr Lim says Grab knows of cases where drivers and riders have found love and become couples. "We've also had drivers and passengers who've met long-lost friends via GrabHitch, received career advice or gained insights from meeting passengers from overseas and discussing current affairs."

The use of GrabHitch as an express Tinder is disturbingly imaginative, and an example of how companies should never underestimate the potential of a new product. What they can do is get out there, trial it with diverse users, and request feedback.

 

Only when real customers use the product can they tell you what it can really do: change their lives, let them compete in an entirely different space - or even have the potential for misuse.

[Jumpmanz]

You can choose your passenger. Just look at their Facebook profile. Some are very friendly chatty, some quite dao never talk. Maybe cos I drive a Toyota, brudders who drive Mercedes BMW or Audi may have higher chance for girls to open their mouth or below?

 

But anyway, just take note, some pretty girls will use their profile to get a hitch for their boyfriend. Encountered many times.

 

kana before too. book for mother/father/mother-in-law/sister/brother/cousin/friend/gf/bff.....

 

[fastmari]

Anyone has any experience with GrabHitch? Does your travel end up taking much longer than expected?

[ulysses84]

Anyone has any experience with GrabHitch? Does your travel end up taking much longer than expected?

 

What should you do as a GrabHitch Driver?

1. CALL or TEXT to confirm your booking

2. Inform all your passengers if its not just you in the car

3. Remind your HitchBuddy you are on the way!

4. Complete your ride ONLY after you have dropped of your passenger

5. Don't cancel! It affects your HitchBuddy.

6. Do not charge for ERP gantries

7. Be socialable!

[Zxcvb]

Anyone has any experience with GrabHitch? Does your travel end up taking much longer than expected?

Definitely. A little bit of detour to pick up passenger and a little bit detour to drop off passenger can add up a lot. If passenger is late, will add up further.

 

Hence grabhitch give some allowance time. If in a hurry, don't do it.

[Jumpmanz]

What should you do as a GrabHitch Driver?

1. CALL or TEXT to confirm your booking

2. Inform all your passengers if its not just you in the car

3. Remind your HitchBuddy you are on the way!

4. Complete your ride ONLY after you have dropped of your passenger

5. Don't cancel! It affects your HitchBuddy.

6. Do not charge for ERP gantries

7. Be socialable!

ERP can ask pax to split.

[Mustank]

Signing up to über grab hitch lorry drive nao!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If wait, no pretty girls will want to sit lorry one :(

[Zxcvb]

https://www.facebook.com/rushdaneilyaas/posts/10154397663823425

 

 

Hello everyone, I have a personal story to share with you. It's an extremely important one if you are a frequent user of apps such as Grab or Uber. 

On 25 Dec, after my work had ended during my shift during X’mas eve, in the wee early morning of about 2am, I decided to take on Grabhitch (cos you know 50% off). Within minutes, my booking was accepted, and I received a call directly from the driver. But during the call, these were messages that he had conveyed to me:

1) Firstly, he does not know where Harbourfront Centre taxi stand is, and insisted that I walk to him. He was all the way at the other side of Vivocity (near to St James Powerhouse). Mind you, I have been on my feet for the past 9.5 hours. The thought of walking to St James from Harbourfront is clearly daunting to me at that point of time. Furthermore, isn’t it the driver's responsibility to pick a passenger up straight from the stated pick up point? 

2) Secondly, during the tele-conversation, he also mentioned that he is not driving the stated Mercedes-Benz car (plate number: SJV6527Z) in my booking screen. Instead, he was driving a silver Cheverolet. I didn’t think too much of it but I don’t think that’s the standard grab/uber practice? Correct me if I’m wrong.

Eventually, the driver and I decided to make a compromise, and picked me up at the bus stop in front of Vivocity, which is somewhat far from where I was. But I didn't want to waste time further as I was so exhausted. As I walked to the car, I saw a dog, which initially I thought was a soft toy. As I got closer, I realised the driver had a REAL LIVING DOG (It was a small chihuahua as I got to know later) with him inside the car! While I was shocked, I didn’t want to kick up a fuss out of it. I really wanted to just get home. 

Never in my life have I encountered a taxi/grab/uber driver that brought a dog along to pick up customers. I mean I know it's Grabhitch but it is just plain unprofessional to do that. I know there are many animal lovers out there who wouldn’t mind this. But I thought it’s just very basic courtesy to at least inform your passenger especially with a muslim-sounding name if he might be okay with it?  

So many lines crossed here; safety issues, health related issues, religious and cultural issues etc. Yes, I'm very much Muslim. However, at that point of time, I thought to myself that it's just a dog, and the driver should probably have the dog well tamed to be comfortable with strangers. But I later realised that the driver is the one that needed taming.

I proceeded to open the back door of the vehicle to take a seat, but was welcomed with some rude remarks from the driver. His exact words,"Eh you no shame ah, not embarrassed ah? This is Grabhitch leh, not Grabcar you know!". Of course, I was taken aback and was appalled at his comments and barbaric mannerisms of speaking to a customer, but I politely apologised and even sat at the front passenger seat, not wanting any unnecessary confrontation. He then placed dog was onto his lap, and covered it with a blanket.

Upon being seated, I then realised that the driver immediately ended the trip. How did I know this? There’s a notification each time my credit card has been charged via grab. How is this a problem? It is a problem of ethics because even before he delivered his service of completing the trip, I was charged a fee. In short, he was dishonest. 

Throughout the entire trip, the driver didn’t stop being obnoxious. He lectured me about the 'hitch culture', and remained adamant about how he thought his way of "educating" me about the hitch culture was appropriate. He claimed that as passengers taking the Grabhitch option, it isn't right to sit at the back and treat the owners of the car as our "cheapest drivers to get to our destination". 

He further said that he was "doing a service to the community by allowing people to sit in his car at a very small fee and helping people reach their destinations". He added on saying that many people don't want to perform Grabhitch because of people like me. Like seriously?!! If you want to really give a real hitchhiker’s ride, then don't expect any payment at all maybe? I'm still paying for your service at the end of the day, so you don't need to be all high and mighty about having to drive me to a destination which I paid for. And I've taken many rides from the Grab app before, and had no problem with me sitting at the passenger seat or the back of the car.

When I asked him if his dog is generally okay with strangers, he defensively lashed back at me and said,"My dog never disturb you, why you so concern about the dog?!! Whether my car got a roof or not, got aircon or not, it's all not your concern what. Your only concern should be if you reach your destination at the cheapest rate.". I just kept quiet throughout as I didn't even want to begin any arguments whatsoever. He also began boasting about how he normally drives a Mercedes. Seriously, I do not care. All I wanted was to have a peaceful ride home!

There were other parts of his character that was utterly shitty, but I was too appalled by it that I couldn't remember every single ******** that came out of his mouth. As we were about to approach the carpark of my home, he asked if he could drop me before the gantry. As I was very tired physically and also with the driver, I agreed and he stopped at the block furthest from my home, even if by right he should have dropped me at my block. (It was an additional 5 minutes distance by foot.) 

As I was trying to unbuckle the seat belt, the sound I made probably riddled the dog. The DOG THEN JUMPED AND BIT ME! Yes you read correctly, it actually bit me and left a wound on my right arm. The driver did not ordered it to bite me. But it seems a little plotted ah? 

I immediately told the driver I'm leaving, opened the door and slammed it shut. He didn't even apologised or offered to take a look at my arm. I walked away quickly as I wanted to get away from the possible danger - like getting mauled by a ferocious dog.

This all happened in the wee hours of Sunday morning after a tiring day at work. Like I said, all I wanted was to go home and get some sleep. And such luck had to strike me. Nevertheless, I have taken necessary steps to this whole issue and have approached the proper authorities.

The first thing I did was to call up Grab customer service hotline to explain the whole situation to them. They encouraged me to file for a police report, and have been very helpful throughout the whole process, although they mentioned that they are unable to divulge the driver's details to me, or the other authorities.

I have gone to the doctor at NUH who was very caring and concern while I was consulted by her. She even ensured that I ascertain if the dog is approved by the authorities by allowing me to call the Grab customer service hotline in the room, and patiently waited before making a decision to give me a rabies shot or not. It was not administered as we found that the dog was certified healthy, according to the driver who admitted that there was his dog in his car but denied that it has bitten me. Come on la, the mark is on my arm already. Whatever it is, his pet has already caused harm and injury to me. 

I have also gone to the police who have referred my case to Agri-food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA). Officers on both sides had handled the matter professionally and quickly. I even received a phone call from AVA the very afternoon, which was after Sunday and on Christmas.  

All in all, everything is pretty much settled. I'm just left with updates so I can make a decision on my next steps. I am posting this so that you are aware of what you may get yourself into when travelling with a stranger, especially if you're like me who love the convenience of these apps. 

Ultimately, this is a story of how my $6 Grabhitch ride became into $123.40 matter as I had incurred $117.40 worth of medical bill, that included a tetanus shot and antibiotics. This story is very much real, and has happened to me. It is no joke. So please be safe.

P.S. Some of you may wonder why I didn't take immediate action like calling the police at the scene, or at least take pictures of the owner and dog with the vehicle. Even my parents asked me.

Being in a dangerous position, all I could think of is getting myself out of that dangerous situation and far away from it. Imagine if I had confronted the driver in the car, he may have unleashed his dog on me, and may have been dead by then. If I had confronted the driver outside of the vehicle, he may have injured me or I may have injured him. Nobody knows what other implications could have occurred. At least, now I've done whatever I did to mitigate any further possible damage.

[Kusje]

stupid fool. why get on board the car if there's a dog inside?

 

No doubt the driver is an ass but I think passengers also have to use some common sense to protect themselves. 

[Jman888]

why hitch or pool a grab/uber when there is not much regulations on this group?

[Wyfitms]

Once I called for grab hitch for my 20 yr old cousin

When car arrived there were already 4 guys in the car. One of them looked a little drunk.

 

I apologized to the driver and told him I have to get a cab for my cousin instead. He was cool about it

 

It's ok to reject the driver, no need to feel bad about it

[Mustank]

 

[Yeshe]

https://www.facebook.com/rushdaneilyaas/posts/10154397663823425

 

 

Hello everyone, I have a personal story to share with you. It's an extremely important one if you are a frequent user of apps such as Grab or Uber.

On 25 Dec, after my work had ended during my shift during Xâmas eve, in the wee early morning of about 2am, I decided to take on Grabhitch (cos you know 50% off). Within minutes, my booking was accepted, and I received a call directly from the driver. But during the call, these were messages that he had conveyed to me:

 

1) Firstly, he does not know where Harbourfront Centre taxi stand is, and insisted that I walk to him. He was all the way at the other side of Vivocity (near to St James Powerhouse). Mind you, I have been on my feet for the past 9.5 hours. The thought of walking to St James from Harbourfront is clearly daunting to me at that point of time. Furthermore, isnât it the driver's responsibility to pick a passenger up straight from the stated pick up point?

 

2) Secondly, during the tele-conversation, he also mentioned that he is not driving the stated Mercedes-Benz car (plate number: SJV6527Z) in my booking screen. Instead, he was driving a silver Cheverolet. I didnât think too much of it but I donât think thatâs the standard grab/uber practice? Correct me if Iâm wrong.

 

Eventually, the driver and I decided to make a compromise, and picked me up at the bus stop in front of Vivocity, which is somewhat far from where I was. But I didn't want to waste time further as I was so exhausted. As I walked to the car, I saw a dog, which initially I thought was a soft toy. As I got closer, I realised the driver had a REAL LIVING DOG (It was a small chihuahua as I got to know later) with him inside the car! While I was shocked, I didnât want to kick up a fuss out of it. I really wanted to just get home.

 

Never in my life have I encountered a taxi/grab/uber driver that brought a dog along to pick up customers. I mean I know it's Grabhitch but it is just plain unprofessional to do that. I know there are many animal lovers out there who wouldnât mind this. But I thought itâs just very basic courtesy to at least inform your passenger especially with a muslim-sounding name if he might be okay with it?

 

So many lines crossed here; safety issues, health related issues, religious and cultural issues etc. Yes, I'm very much Muslim. However, at that point of time, I thought to myself that it's just a dog, and the driver should probably have the dog well tamed to be comfortable with strangers. But I later realised that the driver is the one that needed taming.

 

I proceeded to open the back door of the vehicle to take a seat, but was welcomed with some rude remarks from the driver. His exact words,"Eh you no shame ah, not embarrassed ah? This is Grabhitch leh, not Grabcar you know!". Of course, I was taken aback and was appalled at his comments and barbaric mannerisms of speaking to a customer, but I politely apologised and even sat at the front passenger seat, not wanting any unnecessary confrontation. He then placed dog was onto his lap, and covered it with a blanket.

 

Upon being seated, I then realised that the driver immediately ended the trip. How did I know this? Thereâs a notification each time my credit card has been charged via grab. How is this a problem? It is a problem of ethics because even before he delivered his service of completing the trip, I was charged a fee. In short, he was dishonest.

 

Throughout the entire trip, the driver didnât stop being obnoxious. He lectured me about the 'hitch culture', and remained adamant about how he thought his way of "educating" me about the hitch culture was appropriate. He claimed that as passengers taking the Grabhitch option, it isn't right to sit at the back and treat the owners of the car as our "cheapest drivers to get to our destination".

 

He further said that he was "doing a service to the community by allowing people to sit in his car at a very small fee and helping people reach their destinations". He added on saying that many people don't want to perform Grabhitch because of people like me. Like seriously?!! If you want to really give a real hitchhikerâs ride, then don't expect any payment at all maybe? I'm still paying for your service at the end of the day, so you don't need to be all high and mighty about having to drive me to a destination which I paid for. And I've taken many rides from the Grab app before, and had no problem with me sitting at the passenger seat or the back of the car.

 

When I asked him if his dog is generally okay with strangers, he defensively lashed back at me and said,"My dog never disturb you, why you so concern about the dog?!! Whether my car got a roof or not, got aircon or not, it's all not your concern what. Your only concern should be if you reach your destination at the cheapest rate.". I just kept quiet throughout as I didn't even want to begin any arguments whatsoever. He also began boasting about how he normally drives a Mercedes. Seriously, I do not care. All I wanted was to have a peaceful ride home!

 

There were other parts of his character that was utterly shitty, but I was too appalled by it that I couldn't remember every single ******** that came out of his mouth. As we were about to approach the carpark of my home, he asked if he could drop me before the gantry. As I was very tired physically and also with the driver, I agreed and he stopped at the block furthest from my home, even if by right he should have dropped me at my block. (It was an additional 5 minutes distance by foot.)

 

As I was trying to unbuckle the seat belt, the sound I made probably riddled the dog. The DOG THEN JUMPED AND BIT ME! Yes you read correctly, it actually bit me and left a wound on my right arm. The driver did not ordered it to bite me. But it seems a little plotted ah?

 

I immediately told the driver I'm leaving, opened the door and slammed it shut. He didn't even apologised or offered to take a look at my arm. I walked away quickly as I wanted to get away from the possible danger - like getting mauled by a ferocious dog.

 

This all happened in the wee hours of Sunday morning after a tiring day at work. Like I said, all I wanted was to go home and get some sleep. And such luck had to strike me. Nevertheless, I have taken necessary steps to this whole issue and have approached the proper authorities.

 

The first thing I did was to call up Grab customer service hotline to explain the whole situation to them. They encouraged me to file for a police report, and have been very helpful throughout the whole process, although they mentioned that they are unable to divulge the driver's details to me, or the other authorities.

 

I have gone to the doctor at NUH who was very caring and concern while I was consulted by her. She even ensured that I ascertain if the dog is approved by the authorities by allowing me to call the Grab customer service hotline in the room, and patiently waited before making a decision to give me a rabies shot or not. It was not administered as we found that the dog was certified healthy, according to the driver who admitted that there was his dog in his car but denied that it has bitten me. Come on la, the mark is on my arm already. Whatever it is, his pet has already caused harm and injury to me.

 

I have also gone to the police who have referred my case to Agri-food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA). Officers on both sides had handled the matter professionally and quickly. I even received a phone call from AVA the very afternoon, which was after Sunday and on Christmas.

 

All in all, everything is pretty much settled. I'm just left with updates so I can make a decision on my next steps. I am posting this so that you are aware of what you may get yourself into when travelling with a stranger, especially if you're like me who love the convenience of these apps.

 

Ultimately, this is a story of how my $6 Grabhitch ride became into $123.40 matter as I had incurred $117.40 worth of medical bill, that included a tetanus shot and antibiotics. This story is very much real, and has happened to me. It is no joke. So please be safe.

 

P.S. Some of you may wonder why I didn't take immediate action like calling the police at the scene, or at least take pictures of the owner and dog with the vehicle. Even my parents asked me.

 

Being in a dangerous position, all I could think of is getting myself out of that dangerous situation and far away from it. Imagine if I had confronted the driver in the car, he may have unleashed his dog on me, and may have been dead by then. If I had confronted the driver outside of the vehicle, he may have injured me or I may have injured him. Nobody knows what other implications could have occurred. At least, now I've done whatever I did to mitigate any further possible damage.

Wall of text, in short, stupid driver n hitch rider giving hitching a bad name.

 

1) hitching is like giving a fren a ride, nobody owes anyone anything. It's all about compromise and making the journey enjoyable

2) if the driver has anyone or anything else in the car, inform the rider in advance

3) if rider wants to sit at the rear seat, go take a taxi

4) if the driver or car or circumstances doesn't make the rider feel comfortable, dun board the car. No point complaining because in the end deep down in the heart still wanna some cheap and fast ride back home.

[Zxcvb]

Wall of text, in short, stupid driver n hitch rider giving hitching a bad name.

 

1) hitching is like giving a fren a ride, nobody owes anyone anything. It's all about compromise and making the journey enjoyable

2) if the driver has anyone or anything else in the car, inform the rider in advance

3) if rider wants to sit at the rear seat, go take a taxi

4) if the driver or car or circumstances doesn't make the rider feel comfortable, dun board the car. No point complaining because in the end deep down in the heart still wanna some cheap and fast ride back home.

 

Driver can't even drive to the pick up point. Took a different car to hitch?! That's strictly wrong. Straight away report to Grab liao. Spoil Grabhitch drivers face this tattoo ah beng fella.