Getting from A to B matters, but arriving safely matters most. For Grab, feeling safe isn’t just important; it’s fundamental. Passengers, drivers, and delivery partners, everyone in Grab’s ecosystem deserves that peace of mind. Guided by this principle, Grab achieved a remarkable milestone of 99.9% incident-free rides and deliveries, as highlighted in its 2024 ESG Report.
Safety comes before the destination
Safety is anchored to Grab’s platform since the very beginning. Built on a vision to make transportation safer and more reliable for all, this commitment is evident in every part of the Grab experience – from rides and deliveries to payments and everyday interactions across the platform. With safety embedded in every touchpoint of the journey, Grab’s super app goes the extra mile to serve millions of users in Malaysia, including Sarawakians.
As Grab grows, so does its responsibility in fostering a safer and more connected ecosystem. The company’s safety efforts are driven by technology and innovation, ensuring the well-being of everyone on the platform is protected.
“For Grab, safety remains our top priority and it’s never a finished task. It’s a continuous commitment to protecting passengers, drivers, and delivery partners at every stage of their journey – before, during, and even after a trip ends,” said Bintulu-born Naomi Sundrasaykarum, Head of Regional Platform Safety at Grab.
“As a super app serving millions, we recognise that every feature we build has real-life impact. That’s why we will keep introducing advanced safety tools that protect users at every stage of their journey, from the moment a booking is made and even after it ends,” she added.
This holistic approach reflects Grab’s belief that safety doesn’t begin or end with a single trip, it’s embodied into the entire user experience.
“Safety isn’t an afterthought, it’s a core element built into the foundation of our platform. Through technology-driven, user-centric measures, Grab can proactively prevent, minimise, and quickly respond to risks, ensuring high safety standards at all times,” she emphasised.
Grab’s safety features are embodied in the Holistic Management System.
Safety is in place before you book
From the moment a booking is initiated, every Grab experience is designed with safety in mind, incorporating precautionary and preventive measures throughout its end-to-end processes to protect the well-being of everyone.
The following requirements manifest Grab’s proactive safety framework:
● Customised Onboarding Training – All driver-partners need to undergo role-specific programmes to operate safely and confidently, whether driving passengers, delivering food, or handling parcels.
● Rigorous Screening – Prospective driver-partners must pass background checks, driving behaviour assessments, and health evaluations before approval.
● AI-Powered Facial Verification – Prior to becoming a Grab member, driver-partners and passengers must submit a live selfie for identity verification by machine learning models to detect authenticity via movements and lighting.
● Number Masking – To protect privacy, a temporary, random number is shown instead of users’ real phone numbers.
● Women Passengers Preferred (BETA) – Lets women driver-partners accept women passengers only, preferred by 50% of them since launch.
Protection throughout the journey
Grab believes no one should feel alone once a trip begins, therefore, a suite of in-app features helps offer real-time transparency, support and protection all the way.
The peace of mind comes from features like:
● Share My Ride – Allows users to share real-time trip details such as route, pick-up and drop-off locations, driver info, and ETA, with contacts via SMS or chat apps.
● Emergency SOS Button – A one-tap 24/7 safety hub for driver-partners and passengers to request emergency assistance, report safety issues, and share trip details to track their whereabouts.
● AudioProtect – An opt-in feature that records in-ride audio (encrypted and accessible only if a safety incident is reported) for investigation; covered rides have increased 2.4x and in-person safety incidents dropped by 24.5% since its rollout; this feature is now mandatory for nighttime rides (10 PM–6 AM).
● Trip Monitoring Technology – Uses GPS, traffic data, telematics, and map intelligence to detect real-time anomalies such as unplanned stops, route deviations, or collisions, which helps identify potential safety incidents as they happen.
● Content Moderation – AI-powered tools have enabled Grab to detect and block 50% more sexually inappropriate messages on the platform last year.
Safety after the trip behind the scenes
Grab’s commitment to safety doesn’t end when a ride concludes or a delivery is completed. The system never sleeps. It works round the clock to safeguard users through continuous monitoring and analysis.
The post-trip tools include:
● Telematics Solution – Grab detects risky behaviours like speeding, hard braking, and sharp turns through smartphone sensors and cautions driver-partners with personalised safety insights such as Fatigue Nudge that alerts drivers who exceed recommended driving hours, prompting breaks, and Driving Safety Report that highlights unsafe driving events for future improvement.
● Post-trip feedback – Passengers are prompted to rate and share feedback after every trip or delivery, helping partners to improve their service.
● 24/7 incident response team – A dedicated team offers round-the-clock assistance to address and resolve safety incidents whenever they occur.
Safeguarding the wellbeing of partners
Beyond safety features, Grab also prioritises partners’ welfare through GrabBenefits, which is structured around three key pillars:
● Protection – Free Group Personal Accident Insurance via GrabInsure for on-the-job incidents, plus full subsidy of PERKESO’s Skim Keselamatan Sosial Pekerjaan Sendiri (SKSPS) contribution.
● Savings – Special discounts on fuel and vehicle maintenance, along with complimentary meals and merchandise.
● Education – GrabAcademy offers partners upskilling, reskilling, and safety training programmes like Driver & Passenger Safety, Road Safety, and Harassment Avoidance.
People-first policies and practices
Grab holds firm to the belief that safety is a core culture driven by clear policies, regular training, and everyday diligence to support its partners – on and off the road.
“We are constantly raising the safety standards for our drivers and delivery partners. Through technology, training, or smarter processes, our goal is to equip them with the necessary tools and support they need to work confidently and safely every day,” said Naomi.
But support alone is not enough, accountability is equally important.
“We maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy for violations of our Code of Conduct, simply because a safe platform requires everyone in the ecosystem to take responsibility,” she stated firmly.
Learn more about Grab’s safety policies at: https://www.grab.com/my/about/trust-and-safety
