Grab To Introduce 'Quiet Ride' Option In Malaysia To Minimise Driver-Passenger Interaction
Keeping the momentary chit chat to a bare minimum.
By Wayne Garreth — 03 Oct 2022, 02:32 PM
Many Malaysians often prefer the solitude of sitting quietly in the backseat during a Grab ride.
However, we've all encountered a chatty driver at least once in our lifetime from a booking.
Never fear! Grab has heard us loud and clear.
Soon, Grab Malaysia will be offering a new option within their booking selections called Quiet Ride. Operating in a rather simple fashion, passengers will just need to reply an automated message in the GrabChat after securing their Grab booking, stating that they'd prefer a quiet journey.
Using this method, drivers will be aware of your preference not to chat much during the ride.
The feature is expected to go on trial beginning 7 October, and occur only in selected locations
Initially posted by a Lowyat.NET user by the screen name of PeopleOfPerlis, the screenshot was shared from the Grab app, listing all the information as to what the feature is about.
"To improve Grab users' experience, we will be trialling Quiet Ride beginning 7 October (Saturday)," began the post. Under the section 'What is Quiet Ride?', it is explained that the selection gives passengers the option to request for a conversation-free ride. "You'll be informed of this conversation preference via GrabChat when the ride is confirmed," as explained above.
According to the post, Grab is carrying out such a trial as they are aware of how awkward and stressful conversations during a ride can be for both the passenger and driver.
Nonetheless, the option should not be anticipated as a zero communication feature, but merely a method to reduce as much interaction as possible
Grab has since confirmed that Quiet Ride is indeed on trial in Malaysia at the moment. Due to conflicting releases, it has been revealed that the feature also went on trial back in April, as reported by multiple other social media pages.
However, it has expanded the trial to additional users within the Klang Valley and Penang, while it has been initiated in other areas including Ipoh, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, and Melaka for selected users.
Internationally, the feature was also tested in the Philippines and Vietnam.
Grab has also stated, however, that the Quiet Ride selection does not mean the driver cannot speak to their passengers at all. Passengers should continue to anticipate essential questions from drivers, which include (but are not limited) to the route preferences, air-conditioning settings, or even music playback.
It is important to note that the Quiet Ride option is still being assessed, and there has been no date for a roll out of the feature to the mass market of Malaysia.
