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The latest upgrade builds on existing benefits that provide income assistance for prolonged medical leave, reduce daily operating costs, and offer upskilling and education opportunities.
Grab has announced an upgrade to its holistic welfare programme for driver- and delivery- partners in Singapore. Under the new GrabBenefits 2.0, Grab is committing an annual investment of S$4mn to support the welfare of platform workers.
Launched in 2018, GrabBenefits is a benefits programme that seeks to address the top concerns of platform workers. The latest upgrade expands support to include common health-related expenses, building on existing benefits that provide income assistance for prolonged medical leave, reduce daily operating costs, and offer upskilling and education opportunities.
GrabBenefits 2.0 aims to align with the protections that were established under the recently enacted Platform Workers’ Act, which focuses on long-term retirement savings and work injury insurance. Beyond this, Grab also intends to sponsor six months of membership for partners to join NTUC’s Platform Work Associations.
The upgraded benefits were guided by feedback from focus groups consisting of Grab’s driver- and delivery-partners. Key concerns highlighted include:
- rising medicine costs
- reducing downtime due to illness
- addressing physical ailments like backaches not covered by doctor visits
Taking this into account, GrabBenefits 2.0 will feature new offerings such as subsidies for doctor visits, access to telemedicine services, and free preventive health and wellness initiatives such as flu vaccinations and massages.
GrabBenefits 2.0 was launched at the GrabBenefits 2.0 health and wellness day event, where more than 300 driver- and delivery-partners benefitted attended free health, eye, and spinal screenings, as well as discounts on products and services from Grab’s corporate partners.
Guest-of-honour Ng Chee Meng, NTUC Secretary-General, commented: "Today's launch of the upgraded GrabBenefits 2.0 programme is an important step for platform workers' welfare. NTUC and our associations — the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) and the National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA), are proactively paving the way with partners like Grab for better support systems.
"It is encouraging to see Grab taking our associations' and workers’ feedback seriously and this shows that when platform operators and workers' associations come together, we can make meaningful progress."
Yee Wee Tang, Managing Director, Grab Singapore, also spoke on the enhancements. With the latest industry development, he acknowledged the importance of revamping Grab's programme to ensure the benefits offered to partners remain meaningful and relevant. As such, taking into account feedback from partners who highlighted the need for greater support in managing healthcare expenses, GrabBenefits 2.0 will offer more subsidies in this area, he shared.
"Our enhanced benefits, together with the new regulatory protections, will offer a holistic end-to-end care package for partners that covers both their immediate and long-term needs."
An end-to-end care package for platform workers
From 1 January 2025, driver- and delivery-partners will be able to access the following new benefits under GrabBenefits 2.0, in addition to existing perks spanning insurance, fuel discounts, and career development opportunities:
Subsidies for doctor visits and new access to telemedicine services: Eligible partners will only need to co-pay S$5 for a medical bill of S$50 when engaging a range of over 700 GP clinics and telemedicine providers. Grab will subsidise the remaining S$45, available for two visits a year.
Complimentary preventive healthcare services: Grab will sponsor flu vaccination for selected partners once a year to provide them additional protection against the virus.
Complimentary wellness services: Recognising the physical strain of being on the road for extended hours, Grab will offer free massages to partners at least once every quarter, which is in addition to discounted spine check ups. This will be offered via an all-new GrabBenefits Partner Welfare Van, which will rove to neighbourhoods where driver- and delivery-partners tend to gather, reducing travel and increasing convenience for Grab partners.
Complimentary Platform Work Associations membership: To encourage Grab partners to join the NTUC Platform Work Associations, Grab will sponsor six months of associations membership for new member sign-ups. The associations can represent and assist Grab partners on work issues, and to provide tangible support to them and their families through care schemes, savings at NTUC social enterprises, and training grants.
Lead image / Provided by Grab
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