Empowering women behind the wheel: Grab’s capacity-building program renews confidence in female drivers

Grab works with various agencies and organizations for its women-first capacity-building programs

Determined to build up the confidence of its women driver- and delivery-partners in offering ride-hailing and delivery services, Grab Philippines has rolled out a vigorous capacity-building program covering key competencies required in the industry. This initiative is a key pillar of the Women Program under Grab’s social upliftment campaign GrabAsenso.

Through its active discussions with women driver leaders and women driver communities, Grab Philippines has discovered that among the leading reasons why women feel discouraged from pursuing a career in transportation and deliveries is the mindset that driving is not suitable for them. There is also a lack of confidence in their capability to manage challenging situations like irate passenger handling, vehicle breakdowns, and safety.

In line with this, the leading superapp has fortified its partnership with agencies and organizations like the  Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Philippine Red Cross (PRC), and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) to design and implement a comprehensive capacity-building program dedicated to female drivers. This is geared at uplifting the confidence of every current and potential Ate Grab in plying roads daily.

On 21 March 2024, Grab women drivers attended a Safe Spaces Training with PCW. PCW speaker Danielle Alexandria Anteola delved into the Safe Spaces Act and how it protects women and ensures justice for misconduct against them. “Efforts such as this lunch and learn session by Grab are critical in making sure that more Filipinas know what the Safe Spaces Act is, and how they can co-create harassment-free and discrimination-free environments as enshrined in the law. We commend Grab for joining the campaign for safe spaces for all our kababayans – a step forward to a more inclusive society,” Anteola shares.

Grab Philippines Head of Operations CJ Lacsican underscores the company’s full dedication to enriching the diversity, inclusivity, and equality within the Grab driver- and rider- network. “The digital economy brings viable opportunities for everyone, intensifying the hope and capability of our kababayans to attain their aspirations. As a leader in ride-hailing and on-demand deliveries, we aim to lift more Filipinos to help them capitalize on these opportunities. Every Filipino wanting to better their life should be able to do so without doubts about their safety, skills, or even fears of gender-based discrimination. These are barriers that we relentlessly try to break down at Grab – for every Ate wishing to join our platform.”

On its part, Grab touts a slew of technological features that ensure its women driver- and delivery-partners are safe and protected:

• Women Passengers Preferred Toggle: Activated last February 2024, this new feature gives our Ate Grab driver the option to prioritize the matching with female passengers.

• Emergency Assistance Button: This feature allows driver-partners to readily access law enforcement when in distress with just a few simple taps.

• Trip Monitoring: This feature enables Grab to track atypical stops and routing taken by driver-partners, consequently encouraging them to contact law enforcement or medical teams if needed. Through Trip Monitoring, Grab is also able to make proactive calls to drivers and passengers to check on their wellbeing.

• Share Live Location: For a worry-free ride, driver-partners can share a tracking link to their loved ones and colleagues showing their live location as they fulfill a ride.

Grab has also produced e-learning content for its women driver-partners through Grab Academy, which is an online learning platform exclusive to Grab partners. Courses on passenger handling, road safety, and vehicle maintenance can be easily accessed by partners at their preferred time and pace.