Grab, Malaysia’s leading and SEA-preferred ride hailing service announced today the opening of the first driver centre in the northern region. The Grab Driver Centre (GDC) is a dedicated one-stop on-ground support centre dedicated to cater to the needs and enquiries of current and potential driver-partners.

Present to officiate the centre was Y.B. Dato’ Haji Mohd Rashid Bin Hasnon, Deputy Chief Minister 1 of Penang; Zamri Mahmud, Head of Operations (Group), Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (SPAD), Wilayah Utara, Wan Md Hazlin Agyl Bin Wan Hassan, Head of Taxi Division, Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (SPAD), and Sean Goh, Country Head of Grab Malaysia.

The GDC is part of Grab’s commitment to serve their driver-partners and provide the necessary training for a seamless driving experience benefiting both drivers and passengers. Some of the key services facilitated at the GDC are:

• On-going Queries: Managing the daily queries by both current and potential drivers.
• Driver Registration and Screening: Managing new driver registration, mandatory in-person verification.
• Education and Training: Conducting mandatory driver training and re-education sessions for all drivers. Will also serve as a venue for other periodic and upskill training sessions as Self Defence and Awareness Training and First Aid courses.

“Our drivers are a critical component to our service and because of their dedication and passion to serve their passengers, they have made us the preferred ride hailing service in Malaysia.  Therefore, establishing a Grab Driver Centre in one of the major cities in Malaysia enables us to put their needs and welfare as our driver-partners at the forefront of our business,” said Goh.

He also added that the on-going face-to-face interaction between Grab staff and driver-partners at the GDC will also help to nurture a sense of community that will not only attract committed rideshare drivers, but will also translate in the Grab Ride Experience they offer their passengers.

Dato’ Haji Mohd Rashid shared that, “As e-hailing services are rapidly flourishing in Malaysia, the Government commends e-hailing operators like Grab that are constantly engaging and educating their drivers to ensure a high level of service that is consistent throughout all the cities they are currently in. The kind of new-driver training, support and upskill training provided by Grab through their Driver Centres are crucial to improve the transport service as ride hailing services are fast becoming a preferred form of transport.

As part of the event, Grab also recognised 14 of their top performing drivers and presented them with a customised GrabKit consisting of a Grab light, Grab water bottle a Grab window sticker. These drivers were selected based on their overall performance, rating and feedback from their passengers.

“We want to commend all our drivers in Penang for their laborious efforts to serve their passengers. Penang is a well-known favourite tourist destination and an economic hub in the northern region; as such, the Island plays host to a huge number of annual business travellers, expats and tourists who are well versed with the using their mobile device to secure a ride. Our drivers not only provide transport but they are also exemplary agents of our unique Malaysian Hospitality,” added Goh.

Grab currently has three GDCs in Malaysia (including Penang) with a fourth one opening soon in Sabah. For further information on the Grab Driver Centres in Malaysia, log in www.grab.com.

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