Disgruntled GrabCar driver also accuses company of not helping to cover the cost of damage to cars in the event of an accident.

A GrabCar driver has accused the company of advising its drivers to make a personal report in the event of an accident, instead of stating that they were serving the company’s customers at the time.

Lim Kim Hwa said the company had also refused to bear any responsibility for damage to his car, obtained in an accident while on duty.

The 30-year-old said he had no choice but to get help from Grab, the company behind the service, after his insurance company rejected his claims application.

“Before I filed a police report and the insurance claims, I called Grab asking for advice, and they told me to make a personal report.

“But after I filed the report, the insurance company told me that they would not pay for the damages to my car because I had used my personal car for commercial use,” Kim Hwa said at a press conference organised by Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng today.

He added that Grab then refused to pay for the damages to his car, saying that it bore no responsibility towards GrabCar drivers when it came to accidents.

A check on the Grab website states the terms of agreement between the company and driver, which suggest that the law may be on the side of the firm in this case.

“You shall be solely responsible for any and all claims, judgments and liabilities resulting from any accident, loss or damage which is due to or is alleged to be a result of the motor/passenger vehicle and/or taxi/passenger delivery service howsoever operated,” the Grab website said.

Aside from GrabCar, Grab also operates the GrabTaxi service (formerly known as MyTaxi), GrabHitch and GrabShare.

Based on the police report, where he had declared his occupation as “pemandu Grab” (Grab driver), Kim Hwa said a passenger had opened the door to alight from his car but did not see a motorcycle coming up from behind, causing an accident which damaged his car door among others.

Kim Hwa said based on his experience, he believes that GrabCar drivers who may have been involved in accidents have been falsifying their accident police reports in order not to get rejected when filing claims with their car insurance providers.

“I think I may be the first person to tell the truth as a GrabCar driver,” Kim Hwa said, referring to the report he had filed on the accident.

He added that as such, he believes that the thousands of GrabCar drivers on the road across various cities in Malaysia are driving without the protection of insurance.

“I just hope that GrabCar service will be stopped temporarily until all issues are resolved,” Kim Hwa said.

Meanwhile, Segambut MP Lim expressed hope that the bill tabled by the government in April would protect the interests of all parties in the industry.

The DAP lawmaker said the government would have to implement an act that ensured the safety of all Uber and GrabCar users as this was a growing industry in Malaysia, comparable to the e-commerce industry.

“I hope that in the Parliament debate in July, the government will come up with a holistic bill that will complete the e-hailing services, as there are no laws and regulations protecting this industry as of now.”

Last August, the cabinet gave the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) the green light to regulate Uber and Grab.

Under an amendment to the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) Act, e-hailing vehicles will be classified as public service vehicles, and operators will need to obtain an “intermediation business licence”, which will be issued by SPAD.

The licence is for the business of facilitating arrangements, bookings or transactions of a ride-sharing vehicle.

The amendments are part of the move to legalise Uber and Grab services in efforts to transform the country’s public transport services.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...surance-claims/

Grab communications manager Regina Robin says company provides coverage of up to US$10,000 per person for their driver-partners, but any damage to the car is not covered.

Ride-sharing company Grab has denied allegations that it does not provide insurance coverage, as claimed by a GrabCar driver-partner at a press conference yesterday.

Grab communications manager Regina Robin said any driver-partner wanting to get on the Grab service platform – including GrabCar, GrabTaxi, GrabHitch and GrabShare – to provide transport services to the public, must sign an agreement which includes clearly spelt out terms and conditions.

“One of our terms and conditions clearly states we will not bear responsibility if there is a damage to their vehicles,” Robin said, referring to the following clause:

“You shall be solely responsible for any and all claims, judgments and liabilities resulting from any accident, loss or damage which is due to or is alleged to be a result of the motor/passenger vehicle and/or taxi/passenger delivery service howsoever operated.”

Yesterday, Lim Kim Hwa alleged that Grab had refused to pay for the damages to his car, which had occurred in an accident while he was on duty as a driver. He claimed that Grab informed him that it bore no responsibility towards GrabCar drivers when it came to accidents.

At a press conference organised by DAP’s Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, the 30-year-old Kim Hwa said he asked Grab to help cover the cost of the damage after his insurance company had rejected his claims because “I had used my personal car for commercial use”.

Robin said the other matter brought up by Kim Hwa with which Grab took particular issue was his questioning of the integrity of his fellow driver-partners, for allegedly driving without insurance.

“As a GrabCar driver or anyone who is keen to be a driver will know, they are required to have their insurance cover note before signing up.

“It is also stated in our website, and we have also mentioned several times in statements and interviews, that we provide Personal Accident Insurance for our drivers. It covers medical bills, loss of limb and of life.

“Hence, any claim by a current driver-partner, who has signed and agreed to the terms and requirements to be a GrabCar driver, to then state that Grab does not provide any insurance coverage is quite a bold allegation against the company, and one we take very seriously,” Robin said.

She added that as of 2017, Grab is working with The Great American Insurance Company that provides coverage of up to US$10,000 (RM43,000) per person, and that the premium for this policy is completely borne by Grab.

She also welcomed the opportunity to meet with the Segambut MP, to discuss the issues that were raised at the press conference yesterday, including on ways to improve the country’s public transport network.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...ce-cover-claim/