The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said it would summon Grab after a transport network vehicle service driver claimed in a vlog that TNVS partners were allowed to decline passenger bookings.
LTFRB chair Vigor Mendoza said ride-hailing drivers, like other public utility vehicle operators, are required to transport passengers to their destinations under the authority granted by the government.
Mendoza said refusal to convey passengers is a violation of the conditions attached to a provisional authority and certificate of public convenience.
The clarification came after netizens sent the LTFRB a video of a vlogger who claimed to be a Grab TNVS partner.
In the video, the vlogger allegedly said Grab allowed its driver-partners to decline bookings, especially when they were uncomfortable with a passenger’s destination.
Mendoza rejected the claim, saying the authority to operate TNVS units was granted for the benefit of the riding public and not for the personal convenience of drivers or operators.
He said the statement was wrong and dangerous because it could undermine rules governing ride-hailing services.
The LTFRB said it would issue a show cause order directing Grab to identify the TNVS vlogger and explain whether it allows driver-partners to decline bookings, while reminding transport network companies to make their partners fully aware that refusing passengers and failing to provide safe and convenient public transport service are punishable violations.