GrabTaxi is Now in Davao: The Good, The Bad, and The Hungry

I'm a taxi girl.

I know folks from Manila or other places in the Philippines would be wary of riding cabs, but here, no one really hesitates to ride them (unless budget is the issue haha). That's because taxi drivers in Davao City are generally kind and courteous and honest.

H&M breton shirt | River Island jeans | CLN flats | Coach bag

I've been hailing cabs all my life. In fact, I began riding them on my own when I was 11 or 12. Again, nobody thinks twice about that here! Now, I'm generally comfortable with taxi cabs, but I'm always up for new services. You never know what you're missing, diba? That's why I immediately agreed to join the media launch of GrabTaxi last Wednesday at Saging Repablik.

I'll only be giving you a narration (chos) of my personal experience and insights about GrabTaxi. To be honest, I still haven't had the time to peruse the press kit since I've been so busy working, being a full-time yaya, and helping organize the village's Halloween party. Yada yada yada. I'm rambling na, so I'll go ahead before I ramble on some more.

Last Wednesday was a mixture of good, bad, and "hungry." Let's start with...

THE BAD

The bad news is that I waited to be picked up in the pickup location for more than an hour.

Free pickup was offered, so I told the organizer that I want to be picked up at 10:45 (event starts at 11) in a place around 15 minutes away from home. I wanted to be picked up there because my home was quite far from the venue.

I actually arrived a little late because I didn't know roads are blocked near where I live. I arrived at the pickup location at 11, so I was 15 minutes late.

To my surprise, no service cab was waiting for me. Moments later, I decided to contact the organizer. The driver was on his way na daw, she said. Okay, I'll wait.

A few text messages and a call later, there was still no service cab in sight. And it was lunch time, which means I was not only waiting in sweltering hot weather but also getting hungry.

To make the long story short, I was finally - FINALLY - picked up at 12:20. Huhuhu. The driver explained that someone was supposed to pick me up earlier but never arrived? I'm actually not sure but that's what I understood.

Truth be told, I was super disappointed because I had to miss work and had to leave Yuri with his lolo (no yaya, remember?). It was also ironic that I was about to attend the launching of a transportation service but I waited for more than an hour to be picked up under the heat of the midday sun!

BUT BEFORE WE MAKE ASSUMPTIONS...

I was extremely disappointed, of course, but I couldn't stay angry for two reasons. First, the driver who picked me up was kind and friendly, and second, the organizer was sincerely apologetic. Oh, the driver also said that everyone was so busy at that time so it might have been a case of oversight or miscommunication. I just hope this doesn't reflect the service of GrabTaxi in Davao.

Obviously, I was late. I was actually the last person to arrive in the room, which was embarrassing. I think I missed a lot and I arrived in the middle of an entertaining talk that ended soon after I was seated. :-(

THE GOOD

But the good thing is that the speakers were great and I was still able to learn a lot about GrabTaxi. The event was actually hosted by Bogart the Explorer (who seems to be everywhere) who is not only funny and smart but also seemed like a nice person. Mayor Duterte wasn't there but we were graced with the presence of Councilor Leo Avila (one of my favorite local politicians - I have a back story but I couldn't afford to digress now haha).

Natasha Bautista, GrabTaxi's Assistant General Manager, and Paolo Evalle, GrabTaxi's Driving Experience Head, spoke clearly about the service.

About GrabTaxi, I'll be extremely honest here and tell you that I thought it was unnecessary in Davao. But after hearing its advantages, I decided it's a good service to try after all.

Why? I know it's a very convenient option for commuters. I imagine it would be really useful for me if ever I end up at a mall, shopping during Christmas season. I imagine booking a taxi using my phone while the rest of the frenzy shoppers wait outside. I hope it's as easy as what I imagine it to be haha.

We also get to have the driver's information beforehand (and then text it to our boyfriends, husbands, brothers, etc.). Given that the transpo scene here is already safe, I think there's no harm done by still erring on the side of caution.

But more than that, I really like the advantages it offers to the taxi drivers. I don't personally know any public utility vehicle driver, but I've always been pro-worker. We were told that taxi drivers who work with Grab Taxi usually gain 30% - 300% more than their regular daily income. P600 takehome pay can become P2000, even P3000. I'm so up for Filipino hardworkers to expand their income and uplift their lives!

It's also more convenient for them to get booked rather than waste time and fuel driving around looking for a passenger.

Aside from that, taxi drivers are expected to have their own smart phones to use the app, so they're supplied phones using micro-financing options. I could only imagine the look on their tweeners' faces!

What else? Ah, I heard there are also rewards programs for top-rating taxi drivers. Rates, nga pala, are given by customers. It's like eBay where you leave a feedback on the seller. This is also good for us because we can avoid those drivers with bad comments on their profiles!

Later at home, I opened the media kit and found several cutesy green items. My favorites are these:

This is a flash drive!

THE HUNGRY

And, finally, the hungry. I won't deny that one of the reasons why I immediately confirmed attendance is Saging Repablik. I've been wanting to try it but just didn't get the chance to.

Then add to it the fact that I arrived at the event at almost 1 pm when I was already super hungry! When I sat down, I immediately looked for the food hahaha. It was a good thing that I was finally served food after around 10 minutes.

But because I was late nga, I was the only one who was eating at our table. Thus, it was embarrassing to keep digging in. I didn't get embarrassed, though, to polish the food off my plate.

I was glad that they served "gigingka" soon afterward, but I didn't get to eat any because they were placed across the table. I was terribly shy to reach for one for fear of being told "late na nga, ang siba pa." Haha! But God heard my silly prayer for more food hehe and moments afterward, we were served this:

Banana Walnut Torte

Alleluiah! Muchas gracias señor!

But it still wasn't enough. You see, even though my breakfast that day was arroz caldo, Yuri ate almost all of it, so I was running on a virtually empty stomach. If I were thin, I would've passed out, but that didn't happen because, obviously, I'm not thin.

So right after the event ended, I didn't mingle with the other media people (I barely do, but this time, I didn't try at all) because I went straight to the counter and ordered more food. (I paid for this order, just to clarify.) Since it was already 2pm, I ordered them to go.

Which explains why I went out of the restaurant bearing not 1 but 3 paper bags. #SorryNotSorry

To sum all of these up, my day started bad because of the pickup mishap, but I'm glad I still went ahead and attended because I learned a lot about the service. More than the customer benefits, I love the advantages for taxi drivers.

And I ate food and bought more food. Bakit ba eh gutom ako eh! :-P

What about you? Have you tried using GrabTaxi's services? What are your insights? Feel free to share!

PS: Booking fee for Davao and Cebu clients is free until December 31!