Uber drivers with existing Lion City Rental contracts can now accept Grab bookings
Reuters file photo
SINGAPORE — Drivers who have signed on with Lion City Rentals (LCR) — Uber’s vehicle rental subsidiary in Singapore — will now be able to accept Grab bookings.
In a statement late on Tuesday (March 27), Grab said: “Drivers with existing LCR contract can continue with their contract, and can take Grab bookings.”
“We are fully committed to serving our passengers and drivers, and this means protecting our drivers’ livelihood while ensuring our passengers’ safety,” the company added.
Grab added that once the drivers’ contracts with LCR expire, they can opt to rent a car from GrabRentals, which includes more than 50 rental partners.
Earlier in the day, the South-east Asia based ride hailing company also held a townhall meeting for over 500 full-time Uber employees.
The meeting came a day after Uber announced that it would be selling its South-east Asia operations for a 27.5 per cent stake in Grab.
Top Grab executives said on Monday night that they were committed to finding a role for Uber’s staff under the new setup.
Following Monday’s announcement, some drivers who had rented cars from LCR had been thrown into a limbo, given that they could only take up jobs from Uber as part of their contract.
Those who had attempted to reach the rental company were told that the LCR office in Paya Lebar has been “closed until further notice”.
But in a message on LCR’s Facebook page on Tuesday night, it stated: “To all our LCR Rental Partners, please be aware that your LCR rental is not impacted. You are still able to drive with Uber until April 8.”
“We are working together with the Grab team to onboard all of LCR’s rental partners onto Grab’s platform so that they can use their LCR vehicles for driving with Grab,” it added.
The news that they will now be able to accept Grab bookings came as a relief for some drivers.
A 61-year-old driver, who only wanted to be known as Mr Mike said: “I feel much more relieved. A lot of us were shocked when we found out that the LCR office was closed... that scared a lot of us. The clarification that we can now accept (Grab) bookings clears the air slightly.”
Mr Mike, who has been renting from LCR for a year and half, said he would consider his options before deciding whether to switch over to GrabRentals or other rental operators.
“I have to examine my options, see if I can get a car cheaper outside… I also have to consider the pricing of cars on GrabRentals, the type of cars available and also the perks and incentives offered to drivers,” he said.
Grab added in its statement that it takes safety and security violations seriously.
Drivers who are banned on its platform can appeal their suspension, Grab said. “Grab will review the suspension on a case-by-case basis.”
Some Uber drivers had previously joined the company after being banned on the Grab platform.
Besides the drivers, Uber employees also got some clarity at the townhall meeting.
TODAY understands that Grab’s co-founders Anthony Tan and Tan Hooi Ling were present at the townhall, addressing wide-ranging questions by Uber employees, including the transition period between positions at Uber to Grab as well as the roles available.
“The town hall was an opportunity to speak with many of the Uber employees directly and to start and make this transition as smooth as possible for them,” said Grab, in response to TODAY’s queries.
When asked if they would also address the concerns of their contract staff — who were not invited to the townhall — Grab said the procedures for them are different.
“Grab will work with the agencies who are managing contract staff to communicate next steps. We will work with the agencies to place staff under existing contracts in appropriate roles.”
Grab declined to comment on the number of Uber employees who attended the townhall.
“Today was just the start, but we will have many more conversations with all of Uber’s employees,” it added.
