Grab Philippines head Brian Cu 黑料社 file photo / CATHY MIRANDA
Grab Philippines did not inform its riders when it implemented its P2 per minute travel charge in July 2017, the transport network company鈥檚 (TNC) top official in the country admitted聽on Wednesday.
In a press briefing, Grab Country Head Brian Cu said there were no communications made through their application to inform the riders of the charge, which was a component of their fare.
鈥淭here was no comms to the riders inside the app. In the information card, we鈥檝e updated that, but when we raised the P2 per minute, we did not include that. So 鈥榙i namin nailagay,鈥� Cu told reporters.
But Cu pointed out that unlike in usual taxi rides, the price for Grab rides is 鈥渘ot a pre-agreed per minute or per kilometer fare.鈥�
He said what is important is that the riders were at least informed of their total fare when using the application.
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing illegal with failing to update the information,鈥� he said.
Grab earlier said that they 鈥渦nilaterally鈥� implemented the charge, which they said was allowed under the Land Transportation and Regulatory Board鈥檚 (LTFRB) Department Order 2015-011.
The order allowed TNCs to set its own fares but with the oversight of the LTFRB.
Grab鈥檚 legal counsel Miguel Aguila said the LTFRB was informed of this change during a technical working group meeting in late July 2017.
鈥淧er minute charges remain part and parcel to Grab鈥檚 fare structure today and we have continuously been transparent about this truth,鈥� Grab said in a previous statement.
Last week, Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) part-list Rep. Jericho Nograles said Grab should refund its customers around P3.2 billion because based on his research, it 鈥渋llegally鈥� charged customers P2 per minute of travel charge.
READ: LTFRB starts probe of Grab鈥檚 unauthorized travel charge
This charge, he said, is on top of Grab鈥檚 P40 flagdown rate and P10 to P14 per kilometer charge.
Apart from this, he said Grab has also 鈥渃ommitted acts of deception by putting out online collaterals claiming that unlike regular taxi services, they do no impose extra charges for travel time.鈥�
After聽Tuesday鈥檚聽hearing on the petition filed by Nograles before the LTFRB, Chair Martin Delgra III told reporters that in one of their technical working group meetings last year, there were 鈥渄iscussions鈥� about Grab鈥檚 plan to collect a P2 per minute travel charge. Bu he said the TNC did not inform them when it was implemented.
Pressed if that meant that Grab had been illegally charging passengers, Delgra said 鈥渨e have not decided on that yet.鈥� /jpv
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