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Photo Sharing on GrabChat
Grab Driver could not locate you?
No way! Right?
Booking cancellations can be frustrating, costly, and unpleasant.
That’s one of the reasons Grab launched GrabChat in 2017, an in-app chat feature that allows drivers and passengers to message one another directly so they can, for example, find the best location for a pick-up.
Today, 44% of all bookings in the Philippines use GrabChat, and since its launch, we’ve seen GrabChat make a real dent in cancellation rates.
Across Southeast Asia, bookings with GrabChat have been proven to reduce cancellations by up to 50%. The frequency of drivers canceling rides because of “passenger no-show” decrease by 56% here in the Philippines. As there are as many as over 6 million rides each day, that represents a lot of people who have finally found their rides!
While the numbers are encouraging, they also tell Grab that there’s more they can do to bring down cancellations, and make the pick-up experience a lot more convenient for passengers and drivers.
Introducing Photo Sharing on Grab Chat
Grab is introducing photo-sharing on GrabChat – the first regional ride-hailing app to do so!
So if you are waiting for your ride at SM Megamall, or NAIA Terminal III Departure area, and not sure if your driver can find you – just snap a quick photo of where you’re standing and send it to your driver – all through GrabChat.
Grab will also use these photos to enrich and bring more accuracy to designated Points-of-Interest (POIs – the green dots!). This is important in a country like the Philippines where roads can be complex, and pick-up locations may not be as straightforward as “in front of the mall”
GrabChat and photo-sharing could one day be built into other Grab services as well. As a customer, this could mean you would be able to share a photo of your favorite meal so that your driver can help you find it and have it delivered to you faster, fresher and warmer in the bag.
GrabChat photo sharing FAQ
When will this be available in my market?
The GrabChat photo-sharing feature is already available in all countries. Passengers and drivers should make sure they have the latest versions of the Grab app. If either party is not on a version of the app that supports the feature, the “camera” icon will not be visible and neither party will have access to this function.
How exactly will this work?
In GrabChat, passenger taps on the “camera” icon to share a photo. A passenger can then take a photo and send it. The driver will receive the photo in GrabChat.
Can drivers send photos to passengers?
In this version, drivers cannot send photos to passengers. They can only receive and view the photos. We plan to let drivers share photos with passengers later in the year – for even fewer cancellations and an even shorter time to find their ride.
Can PAX choose a photo from their existing gallery?
In GrabChat, once Pax taps on the “camera” icon, the interface changes to the device’s default camera app. Some Android devices may have a button to access the user’s Photo Gallery, and some may not. It depends entirely on the device and default camera app. The gallery feature is not available on the iOS app.
How will you prevent passengers from sending inappropriate pictures?
We cannot control what users choose to send, but we store the photos as we do our chat logs for safety reasons, so that they can be made available to assist in investigations.
Does Grab keep a copy of the photos being shared?
Yes. The photos can be used for investigation purposes in the event of harassment reports.
Do PAX/DAX have a copy of the photos being shared?
No. The photos are removed once the booking is completed.
Which other ride-hailing apps also have this feature?
We are the first regional ride-hailing app to offer this feature.
