There’s been a significant development for private-hire drivers in Singapore, as ride-hailing giant Grab has decided to delay on upcoming changes to its driver incentive schemes. These revisions, originally set to kick in on July 1, have now been postponed. This decision, announced jointly by Grab and the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) on June 25, came after discussions and in direct response to feedback from many Grab drivers. This pause’s main goal is to ensure that the concerns raised by the NPHVA and the drivers themselves are fully sorted out before any new changes move forward. All drivers on Grab’s platform received an in-app message about this update around 4:45 PM on June 25, confirming that the current monthly bonus scheme will stay exactly as it is for now.
The journey to this pause began when Grab first announced its planned revisions to the existing monthly bonus scheme on June 20. On June 23, the NPHVA stepped in and publicly asked Grab to hold off on these changes. Their main worry revolved around the possibility of reduced earnings for a large number of full-time drivers. The heart of the issue was the new “Streak Zones” scheme. This new system was set to significantly cut the bonus percentages across different levels and trip milestones. For instance, drivers at the lowest incentive level, who usually get an 8 percent bonus for completing their 300th to 499th rides, would have seen that amount slashed in half, down to just 4 percent.
Currently, drivers who complete at least 300 rides in a month can earn an extra cash bonus of $30, $80, or $100, depending on how high their incentive level is. However, if the Streak Zones scheme had gone live on July 1 as planned, drivers at the lowest incentive level would have completely lost this cash bonus. For those in the next two tiers, the amounts would have been reduced to $30 and $50, respectively. The Streak Zones idea itself was first tried out in May 2024 and was designed to let drivers book two-hour time slots, mostly during busy periods, where they would drive in areas with high demand. In these slots, drivers were supposed to earn a 5 percent cashback on every trip they completed.
The NPHVA provided clear feedback to Grab, explaining that many drivers depend heavily on these bonuses to boost their income beyond the basic fares they get for each completed trip. Both Grab and NPHVA acknowledged that there were genuine worries that these updated bonus schemes might make it much tougher for some drivers to hit their usual earning targets. In a joint statement, both parties shared that “While Grab intended to help driver-partners reduce driving hours and reach their earning goals faster, Grab recognised that the planned changes could have been better implemented.”
Both Grab and the NPHVA have confirmed their commitment to keep working closely together to “find effective solutions” that truly tackle the drivers’ concerns. Grab also expressed deep appreciation for the NPHVA’s ongoing guidance in supporting its driver-partners, and the NPHVA, in turn, acknowledged Grab’s willingness to partner and stated it would continue to champion the interests of the workers. Interestingly, Grab had already scheduled a feedback session with its drivers for June 26 to talk about the bonus scheme changes, and the in-app message confirmed that this session would still go ahead as planned. Drivers who spoke to The Straits Times specifically pointed out that those completing fewer than 500 trips each month would likely see a noticeable drop in their earnings, and they felt that the 5 percent cashback in Streak Zones slots was quite small.
