Vietnam Grab Drivers Plan Weekend App Shutdown Over Pay Cuts
Swan.my.id - Jakarta, Grab drivers in Vietnam are calling for a weekend boycott to protest service fees that they say have pushed their earnings to unsustainable levels.
Drivers for Grab, the Singapore-based ride-hailing company, have used social media to urge colleagues to stop using the application on Saturday and Sunday. They are also asking fellow drivers not to accept orders during the protest.
Several drivers shared screenshots on Facebook showing lower earnings after Grab changed its payment structure. The appeal has circulated in the public Vietnam Grab Driver Community group, which has around 169,000 members.
Grab Drivers in Vietnam Protest New Payment Structure
One Facebook user urged drivers to unite by turning off the application and taking a break to demand fair treatment. The post reflected growing frustration over the amount drivers receive after deductions are applied.
Grab had not responded to Reuters when the report was published regarding the boycott calls. The company’s position on the planned action was therefore not immediately available.
The complaints emerged after Grab changed its payment structure in July 2026. VTC News, a Vietnamese state-run media outlet cited by Reuters, reported that deductions charged to drivers could now reach 50% of the trip fare.
Driver Earnings Face Pressure From Operating Costs
The deductions have reduced estimated net earnings for motorcycle drivers to about 2,600 Vietnamese dong, or roughly US$0.10, per kilometer. Car drivers receive around 6,000 dong, equivalent to approximately US$0.23, per kilometer.
Those figures do not include operating expenses that drivers must pay themselves. Fuel, vehicle maintenance, and depreciation can further reduce the amount left from each trip.
For drivers, rising operating costs make the payment changes more difficult to absorb. Even when fares generate activity, the remaining income may not adequately cover the expenses associated with keeping a vehicle on the road.
Grab Remains Important to Many Drivers
Despite the criticism, some drivers said Grab remains essential to their livelihoods. One user in the Facebook group warned that drivers could lose an important source of income if the company left Vietnam.
Grab is one of Vietnam’s largest online transportation operators. Alongside ride-hailing, the company operates food delivery and other digital services in the country.
The planned weekend boycott highlights the tension between platform-based transportation companies and the drivers who depend on them. Drivers are seeking better returns, while the company’s services remain an important part of their daily income opportunities.
Whether the protest will affect Grab’s operations remains unclear. For now, drivers are using social media to coordinate the Saturday and Sunday action and to draw attention to the impact of the revised payment structure.
