Technology cars 'paralyzed' during rush hour, did drivers turn off their apps altogether?

Many Tuoi Tre Online readers said that these past few days, catching a Grab, Be... car has been difficult. Some people have waited for hours to get a car. Is it because drivers are turning off their apps all at once?

In recent days, people in Ho Chi Minh City have had difficulty catching Grab cars and some other technology car companies despite high fares - Photo: THU DUNG

Ms. Nguyen Nhu Hong - a resident of Thu Duc City - said she waited more than 40 minutes to catch a GrabCar from Pham Van Dong Street to her home on Nguyen Thi Dinh Street on the afternoon of January 18.

At around 3:30 p.m. on January 18, Ms. Hong went to a company party and turned on the ride-hailing app to find a car to go home.

"However, the Grab app searches for a driver for a long time and then says "please give the driver a little more time to accept the ride" or "wait a moment". Even though it's not rush hour, the fare is quite high (about 230,000 - 330,000 VND) for a distance of about 8.5km but it's still difficult to catch a car.

Recently, I often encounter this situation at many different times and locations, which is very inconvenient," said Ms. Hong.

Similarly, some readers also said they had difficulty booking technology-based cars to travel during the last days of the year.

On January 19, Mr. Quang Hung, a resident of Go Vap District, had to go to the center of District 1. When he returned, he turned on the Grab app to book a car many times but no driver accepted the trip.

For more than 20 minutes, Mr. Hung tried to book a car through many apps such as Grab, Be... but all failed.

"Maybe due to traffic jams in Ho Chi Minh City, many tech-based drivers turned off their apps or skipped trips without picking up passengers," said Mr. Hung.

Speaking with Tuoi Tre Online , a Grab representative shared that the current demand for passenger travel in Ho Chi Minh City is increasing before the Lunar New Year, so Grab driver partners' operations on the streets are facing some difficulties.

Drivers are taking longer than before to pick up passengers and complete rides, making it difficult for passengers to book services in some areas, especially during peak hours.

Regarding the issue of customers claiming that drivers turned off the app, Grab said that it recognized that drivers were still actively working and Grab also implemented a number of reward programs to encourage partners, in parallel with promotional programs for users.

"In the near future, Grab is also applying some technological improvements, including technology updated according to the latest traffic situation. We are continuing to make efforts to handle this situation, we hope customers understand," said a Grab representative.

Be Group representatives also noted that the demand for ride-hailing has increased dramatically during this time. Most people travel for New Year's Eve, shopping, buying Tet tickets...

Passengers find it more difficult to catch a bus due to congestion in central areas during rush hours, which lengthens pick-up and trip completion times, reducing driver productivity.

To best meet customer needs, Be Group is improving its maps and navigation features. This will help drivers choose the best route, avoid traffic jams, shorten the distance and reduce travel time.

Basic Grab fares remain unchanged

Although many people complained about the difficulty in catching a car and the increased cost of the trip, Grab said that the basic fare of the service has not changed.

Depending on the time in each area, a flexible price list can be applied to accurately reflect the market supply and demand situation; the distance and actual travel time of the driver partner.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/xe-cong-nghe-te-liet-gio-cao-diem-co-phai-tai-xe-dong-loat-tat-app-20250119160934774.htm