Agree on route before journey, Grab advises passengers

This follows an incident where a dispute over the route to be taken ended in the assault of the passenger and the driver being fined in court.

PETALING JAYA: Grab drivers and passengers should mutually agree on the route to a destination before the ride begins.

The ride-sharing company gave this advice in the wake of an incident where a dispute over a route ended in a Grab driver assaulting the passenger.

In the Aug 12 incident, the victim, a teenager, had requested the Grab driver to use a route that did not require any toll but he refused, saying he must follow the Waze application set by his company.

The victim was dissatisfied and got down from the vehicle and banged the door shut. This started an argument and both started trading insults.

Angered, the driver punched the passenger and broke her nose. The driver was later fined RM3,500 by the Petaling Jaya Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Magistrate Salamiah Salleh ordered M Thiban, 29, to serve three months in prison should he fail to settle the amount. He paid the fine.

Thiban pleaded guilty to committing the offence at the roadside at Apartment Sri Anggerik in Puchong.

In a statement to FMT, Grab said drivers are encouraged to use a navigation app, such as Waze or Google Maps, to ensure a smooth journey and confirm the location and route before a journey begins.

“This is so that we can avoid any potential contention on distance and timing for the ride and, most importantly, for the general safety of both driver-partner and passenger,” said Wan Khye Theng, the head of GrabCar and GrabTaxi for Klang Valley.

“However, we are aware that some passengers may have a preferred an alternative route.

“Our partners are open to comply but it should be mutually agreed before the ride.”

Wan also urged both the driver and passenger to always remain courteous and calm throughout their ride and to contact Grab’s support centre.

Passengers can also use the emergency button in the app. The drivers can use the police button in their app in the event of an emergency.

Meanwhile, Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca) CEO Paul Selvaraj told FMT the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) should come up with guidelines to address this issue of route selection to avoid disputes between drivers and passengers. -FMT