KUALA LUMPUR: E-hailing service provider Grab Malaysia today clarified that there was no reduction in base fares for their delivery services.
In a statement today, it said the recent concern raised by a delivery partner in July was due to a glitch in Grab Malaysia's system, where the rider noted a discrepancy in his earnings.
"We have since rectified the issue, and have transferred the shortfall to all affected partners, and clarified the matter via our official communication channel to our partners on July 21.
"We apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused for our partners and would like to encourage our partners to reach out to us via our Facebook, or visit us at Grab Driver Centre & Kiosks (GDC) should they have any further queries," the statement read.
Grab Malaysia said it was this discrepancy in riders' earnings that had sparked calls for a strike on Aug 5.
The media reported that Grab delivery partners were unhappy with the current flat rate paid per delivery in view of the rising cost of living.
Several riders claimed that they were not compensated fairly for deliveries, especially ones that take a longer time to complete.
In one of the Facebook groups, "GrabFood Rider Community Malaysia", comments have flooded the page with calls to boycott GrabFood for a day (Aug 5).
Grab Malaysia, meanwhile, reassured all users, including consumers and merchant-partners, that Grab remains committed to supporting its delivery partner community.
"Over the years we have introduced various efforts to support our delivery partners. This includes on-the-job protection with free personal accident coverage and a partnership with EPF to ease contribution, and up to 10 per cent additional incentives for those applicable.
"We are also assisting our partners to save on their operational expenses (such as discounts on petrol, vehicle maintenance, daily necessities and more)."
Additionally, it said, Grab Malaysia had introduced multiple promotions and campaigns such as its recently launched GrabUnlimited to help partners.
"The subscription pack with more than 50 different discount vouchers aims to not only increase sales for merchants, but also provide more jobs for our delivery-partners.
"As always, we want to remind all our delivery partners to be safe while on the road. Should they encounter any issues, please report to the relevant authorities and Grab.
"To the public we would like to advise not to share any rumours or false allegations as to not cause panic," it added.