Grab cuts grace waiting time for commuters: Has consumer perception towards the brand changed?

Last month, Grab Singapore announced that grace waiting times for commuters who book a ride will be reduced from five to three minutes. From 18 July 2022, commuters who keep their Grab driver waiting for longer than three minutes will be charged a waiting fee of $3 per 5-minute waiting block ($5 for GrabCar Premium).

While most private-hire drivers appear to welcome the move, some commuters have reacted angrily to it – with some saying they will boycott the company. Singapore’s Transport Minister has since been questioned in Parliament on the Government’s supervision over ride-hailing platforms, and their “ability to unilaterally change their consumer-facing terms (of service)”.

But has Grab’s decision significantly altered consumer perception towards the brand?

Latest data from YouGov BrandIndex shows that Grab’s Buzz, Consideration and Customer Satisfaction scores among Singapore residents who say they are very to somewhat likely to use transport providers all significantly declined shortly after its new grace waiting period came into force.

In terms of media metrics, net Buzz scores (which measure whether consumers have heard more positive or negative things about a brand in the past two weeks) fell from 17.9 on 18 July to -2.6 by 1 August, indicating that more consumers heard negative than positive things about the brand.

In terms of customer-related metrics, Grab’s Consideration scores (which track the percentage of Singapore residents who would consider using the platform in the next month) lost nearly 20 points from 47.1 on 18 July to 27.3 by 1 August, while the brand’s net Customer Satisfaction scores (which measure whether Grab’s current customers are generally satisfied or unsatisfied with the brand) dropped 14 points from 27.4 on 18 July to 13.0 by 1 August.

On 2 August, in reply to a parliamentary question, Minister for Transport S Iswaran said that Grab had complied with the Government’s requirement to give commuters at least seven days of notice for any changes in their schemes and fees, and that all “setting of (ride-hailing) fares” are commercial decisions made by ride-hailing operators which the Government does not intervene in.

Data from YouGov BrandIndex shows that Grab’s Buzz, Consideration, Customer Satisfaction scores all started on an upward trajectory in the days after the parliamentary statement. Notably, net Buzz scores returned to positive territory (1.4) by 4 August.

But is consumer perception towards Grab really on the road to recovery? How do consumer views toward other ride-hailing platforms in Singapore compare? YouGov BrandIndex’s daily tracking of the brand will allow interested parties to see just how much – and how soon.

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Methodology: YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Buzz scores are based on the following question: “Over the past two weeks, which of the following Transport Providers have you heard something Positive/Negative about (whether in the news, through advertising, or talking to friends and family)?" (Net score). Consideration scores are based on the following question: "Which of the following Transport providers would you consider using in the next one month?" (% yes). Customer Satisfaction scores are based on the following question: "Which of the following Transport Providers would you say that you are a satisfied/dissatisfied customer?" (Net score). Figures are based on a two-week moving average. Learn more about BrandIndex.