Grab drivers call for two-day app shutdown over fare, fee concerns in Vietnam

The call, which has circulated in several driver groups on social media in recent days, has drawn attention to how fares and fees are calculated on the platform and how much drivers actually receive from individual trips.

Drivers raise concerns over earnings

Some drivers have shared their trip histories to illustrate what they consider an imbalance between fares and operating costs.

On one GrabCar trip, for example, a passenger paid VND37,000 (US$1.41).

The system showed a VND5,000 ($0.19) platform fee, a VND2,000 ($0.08) Ride Cover charge, as well as app-related fees and tax.

The driver's recorded earnings were VND19,500 ($0.74), comprising VND19,232 ($0.73) in trip fare and VND268 ($0.01) in pickup fees.

The amount received by the driver was therefore equivalent to about 52.7 percent of the total amount paid by the passenger.

However, the difference should not be viewed entirely as revenue collected by Grab, as it includes the platform fee, Ride Cover charge, tax and other components.

Ride Cover charge is an additional benefit selected by passengers when booking a ride and it is associated with insurance and certain service commitments. It is not a direct deduction from the driver's earnings.

Concerns have also been raised over fares for GrabBike Tiet Kiem, which is Grab's lower-priced motorcycle ride service.

One driver said he completed an 18.53-kilometer trip on September 5 but received only VND46,900 ($1.78), equivalent to about VND2,530 ($0.10) per kilometer based on the distance traveled.

Drivers said such earnings do not cover fuel, vehicle maintenance and depreciation, the time spent traveling to pick up passengers, and other incidental costs.

Still, these examples being circulated online are individual cases and do not represent the overall operation of the platform.

But the growing number of similar sharings has become one of the factors driving the call for drivers to turn off the app.

Grab's current fee structure is not based solely on a fixed commission rate.

For two-wheel driver partners, the company applies a 'flexible app usage fee,' which can vary from trip to trip depending on factors such as the time, location, and supply-demand conditions.

As a result, commonly cited commission rates of 20 percent or 30 percent do not fully reflect how the amount paid for an individual trip is allocated.

Passengers also pay platform fees.

GrabBike currently charges VND3,000 ($0.11) per trip, while four-wheel Grab services, excluding GrabTaxi, charge a platform fee of VND5,000-19,000 ($0.19-0.72), depending on the pickup area and travel distance.

Some drivers argue that the various fee components make it difficult to determine in advance how much they will ultimately receive from a trip, while operating expenses remain largely their responsibility.

Drivers seek changes to fare, fee policies

The current call among Grab drivers is for their peers to voluntarily keep their applications offline and refrain from accepting trips on September 12 and 13.

As no officially recognized organization has been identified as the organizer, it would be inappropriate to describe the action as a 'strike.'

Those supporting the call hope that a significant reduction in the number of drivers accepting trips would put pressure on Grab to review its fare, fee, and income policies.

The potential impact, however, remains uncertain.

Some drivers have pointed out that if only a portion of drivers participate, those who continue operating could potentially receive more trips as the supply of available vehicles declines.

Grab said it was aware of the call among drivers but had yet to announce any changes to its policies.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper has asked Grab to clarify its fee structure for two-wheel and four-wheel drivers, the breakdown of payments for individual trips, and its income-support policies.

Further updates will follow.