SINGAPORE: Ride-hailing company Grab said that its main rival in Singapore, Go-Jek, is following its lead in enhancing the welfare of private hire drivers, after the latter launched a benefits programme for its drivers.

Last Tuesday, Go-Jek unveiled the programme, dubbed GoalBetter, which offers its drivers fuel rebates, prolonged medical leave insurance, subsidised doctor consultations and other features.



In response to Channel NewsAsia’s queries on Go-Jek’s claim that it has a “superior driver benefits programme”, a Grab spokesperson said on Thursday (Mar 28) that it was “heartening” to see other players following its lead.

“We have built the most comprehensive driver welfare and benefits programme in Singapore, which includes scholarships and bursaries for our driver-partners’ children, health and dental benefits, Medisave co-contribution, mobile phone plan discounts, and more,” the spokesperson said.

In its email reply, Grab also highlighted areas in its own benefits programme that were seemingly more extensive than Go-Jek’s.



For instance, the spokesperson pointed out how Go-Jek’s medical leave insurance is “only offered to” its gold or platinum drivers for free, while Grab’s is offered to drivers in the diamond, sapphire and ruby tiers.

“As context: Go-Jek covers two out of five tiers of their drivers. Grab covers three out of four tiers of our drivers, which is around 70 per cent of our driver pool and very likely more than Go-Jek’s coverage,” said the spokesperson.

Under GoalBetter, Go-Jek’s drivers from the remaining tiers - green, bronze and silver – would get coverage of S$80 a day if they pay a monthly, age-dependent rate.

The spokesperson added that Grab’s maximum daily pay-out for its drivers is up to S$200 per day, as compared to Go-Jek’s protection coverage of S$80 for its green, bronze and silver drivers.

The spokesperson outlined that S$80 “barely covers” a driver’s daily car rental and Grab’s total potential pay-out “is more than double” that of Go-Jek.

FUEL REBATES: GRAB VS GO-JEK

In terms of fuel rebates, Grab said that its drivers currently enjoy a 30 per cent upfront discount at Caltex, and a 21 per cent upfront discount at Shell.

Under GoalBetter, Go-Jek’s drivers will get a 20 per cent upfront discount on fuel purchases at Esso service stations in Singapore.

Meanwhile, Go-Jek drivers who accumulate higher incentive points will receive additional rebates of up to 10 per cent, capped at S$400 a week. Those who use their DBS or POSB debit cards to pay will also get an additional S$7.50 weekly rebate if they spend at least S$180 a week.

The Grab spokesperson also highlighted other benefits that its drivers receive, including healthcare and dental benefits at SATA CommHealth, Raffles Medical and Unity Denticare.

Meanwhile, Go-Jek drivers get corporate access to video medical consultation services at telehealth start-up Doctor Anywhere. They get a discounted rate for each video medical consultation, where they can be diagnosed and treated for common illnesses, prescribed medication, issued medical certificates and get referrals to specialists.

Grab added that its drivers can redeem a free meal or gift of up to S$50 during their birthday month. The Singapore-based firm also recently added the in-app tipping function to allow passengers to reward drivers.

COMFORTDELGRO DRIVERS ENJOY "A RANGE OF BENEFITS"

Besides ride-hailing companies, taxi companies also offer benefits programmes.

In response to queries from Channel NewsAsia, ComfortDelGro said that its drivers are its “valued business partners” and enjoy “a range of benefits” offered by the firm.

It outlined that cabbies who pump petrol at its 14 petrol kiosks located islandwide get "about 30 per cent discount" off retail petrol prices and that the price of its diesel is “one of the most competitive in the industry”.

On top of that, ComfortDelGro said it has in place a Medisave top-up scheme in which cabbies get 10 cents contributed to their Medisave accounts for every litre of fuel they pump at the company’s petrol kiosks.

ComfortDelGro’s 28,000 taxi drivers are also given personal accident insurance coverage, and they can claim up to S$100,000 depending on their years of service.

To encourage its taxi drivers to stay healthy and lead active lifestyles, they are able to get free access to ActiveSG facilities such as the gyms and swimming pools every Wednesday, ComfortDelGro said.