In response to queries from Channel NewsAsia, Grab Singapore said that it had experienced "a glitch in the computation of fares" in the app and that it was working to fix the problem as soon as possible.
"For passengers, Grab will honour fares for all rides completed during this time. We will also compensate all affected driver-partners who have taken bookings with lower fares than usual. We apologise for the inconvenience caused," it said.
Grab Singapore also said that drivers' allocation and cancellation rates would be "kept at the same level as before the glitch period".
The glitch appeared to affect riders and drivers in Malaysia as well as the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.
A Grab driver in Singapore who only wanted to be known as Marcus told Channel NewsAsia that the problem began at around 3.25pm.
UNUSUALLY LOW FARES: GRAB DRIVER
"All trips to anywhere in Singapore is a flat S$6 for JustGrab booking. Many drivers are calling the Grab hotline and the line is flooded.
"I got a job and noticed this fare is unusually low, so I used Google Maps to check the distance and to my shock, it's 12km. So I ... checked other locations and found out about it," he said.
The booking in question was a trip from 7 Siglap Road to Guoco Tower at 1 Wallich Street.
Screengrab of a 12km ride from Siglap to Guoco Tower which was priced at S$6 instead of the usual S$11 to S$12. (Image: Marcus)
Marcus added that he did not accept the job offer, which caused it to affect his acceptance rate.
"We have to maintain a certain acceptance rate to qualify for incentives. So I turned off my app and waited for Grab to solve the problem before going back online," he added.
Channel NewsAsia tried to book a JustGrab ride from 1 Stars Avenue in One-North to Changi Airport and found that it cost only S$6. A Channel NewsAsia reporter also managed to successfully complete a trip from 1 Stars Avenue to Bukit Panjang for S$6.
Rides on Grab appeared to cost S$6 regardless of destination.
NO NOTIFICATION FROM COMPANY: GRAB DRIVER
Another Grab driver who wanted to be known as David said he first realised there was a problem at about 3pm.
“I found it strange when the heat map was all over but the fare did not correspond. Some pings came in but the fare was ridiculous. I rejected and went offline.”
He said he did not contact customer service and decided to take a break instead as continuing to drive would be “a waste of time and petrol”.
“Knowing that the hotline will be jammed, it is pointless to call the customer service hotline," he added.
He also expressed disappointment that Grab did not notify drivers of the glitch.
“What are we drivers supposed to do now? Waste time and wait for the glitch to be fixed? Who's gonna cover the rental, petrol and time loss?"
PASSENGERS WILL NOT FACE EXTRA DEDUCTIONS: GRAB
Multiple Grab riders took to social media to share their experiences.
Twitter user Fiza Aw said her trip from Tampines to Newton cost S$6, while Adilah said the S$6 fare also applied to trips from Republic Polytechnic to Pasir Ris.
GrabHitch – the company’s carpooling initiative – also appeared to be affected, with users complaining in a Facebook group that all Hitch rides were now S$5, regardless of destination.
“Hitch ride now all $5 … who will pick?” posted Facebook user Tan Jerry.
“Is the Grab pricing having error? Cause most rides that cost 15 bucks become 5 bucks? What happen?” asked another Facebook user.
Grab Singapore responded to several tweets and explained that the app was "down for a while" and that it is now up and running.
Grab added that it would not deduct extra fees from passengers.
Although the app began to reflect different fares for different destinations at about 4.15pm, a Grab driver noticed that prices were still inaccurate.
The app also displayed the same rates across Grab's various services, including Share, Hitch, Family and Assist. The Standard Taxi option was the only service to display a different rate.
Ming, 24, a part-time Grab driver, noticed that a trip from Woodlands to Changi Airport - which normally costs S$26 - was priced at S$14 at 5.37pm.
"It's not restored yet," said Ming. "Prices are the same for different types of Grab services."
The issue has since been resolved, according to Ming in an update at 7pm. He said a trip from Woodlands to Changi Airport is now back to the usual of about S$27.
Grab screenshot Woodlands to airport
A screenshot of the Grab app interface shows the same rate for different Grab services, except for standard taxi. (Image: Ming)
GLITCH EXTENDED TO INTERNATIONAL TRIPS
During the glitch, the app also seemed to allow users to book rides for international trips, including to Bangkok and New York - all for S$6.
ride hailing app grab appeared to encounter a glitch on thursday, oct 25 where all rides cost S$6
Rides on Grab appeared to cost S$6 regardless of destination. (Screengrab: Channel NewsAsia reader)
grab system error S$6 fares
A Grab ride from Singapore to the United States appeared to cost S$6 on Thursday afternoon (Oct 25).
Users in Indonesia and the Philippines also reported seeing lower fares on the app.
Grab Philippines said that the app was "experiencing downtime" which may affect ride bookings.
Grab Malaysia also responded to several users, clarifying that the service was experiencing an "interruption".
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