Grab, the leading superapp in Southeast Asia, is expanding its mobility services and operational area in Negros Occidental, particularly in towns and cities surrounding Bacolod City.
Grab gears to offer its flagship mobility service to more Negrosanons as it grows its serviceable area from Manapla in the north all the way to the southern reaches of Bago City, Jocelyn Yoshida, Grab Philippines Regional Manager for Western Visayas, said.
Along with the geographic expansion, Grab also announced the upcoming launch of GrabRent in Bacolod. Set to be activated on the superapp by November, GrabRent allows passengers to rent a GrabCar for hours instead of the usual per-destination booking, Yoshida said.
Through GrabRent, both tourists and locals exploring Bacolod City will be able to easily rent a four- or six-seater GrabCar for a minimum of four hours, she said.
Yoshida said that the recent expansion of the operational area and service portfolio in Bacolod is Grab’s solution to the expected surge in mobility demand during the holiday season.
“With more reliable mobility options like GrabCar and GrabRent in Negros Occidental, we aim to make this holiday season more special and hassle-free for our kababayans ”, she said.
In line with the growing presence of Grab in Negros Occidental, it is also bent on onboarding more driver-partners on the platform as it fills the 900 franchise slots allocated by the LTFRB for the region, Yoshida said.
“Our goal is to maximize the slots released by the LTFRB for Negros Occidental. This will not only enhance booking reliability on our platform for passengers but will also help provide livelihood for more aspiring TNVS drivers. Every TNVS slot filled is another Filipino family with an additional stream for income – hence our dedication and focus to welcome new members to our fleet,” Yoshida said.
Grab is also growing its operations in Panay Island. It is also bringing the GrabRent feature to Iloilo by end-year, with a particular focus on serving tourists traveling to and from Kalibo, Aklan – the gateway to Boracay, she added.*