GrabHitch Driver Review

With the on-going Russo-Ukrainian war and raising inflation, I have been thinking of ways to cutback on our expenditure or earn an extra side income. I did discuss with my SO whether it is worthwhile to sell our entry level Japanese sedan car for a tiny profit (Yes! Because of the raising COE, we actually could cover the cost of the car when we bought our family car in August 2021 and even make some profit). However, we decided to keep the family car as time saved is also money and switching back to public transport is extremely hard.

While cutting back on some expenses, we came across 8 Day’s article dated in 2017 “I Was A GrabHitch Driver For A Month“, thats where I decided to give GrabHitch a try.

#1 Registration Process Can Be A Pain

The registration process was relatively painful i’d say, I actually gave up the application halfway when I first applied for GrabHitch when I got our family sedan car in September 2021. The main reason is because I had trouble getting the car logcard details, etc. I only resumed to complete the application in late May 2022 and got the approval within 1 working day later. Theres several e-learning courses you will have to complete and simple tests with multiple attempts allowed. I completed the e-learning courses within 1 day after my GrabHitch account was approved.

#2 I Was More Cautious In My Hitcher’s Comfort

While I am proud to say I have passed my driving on the very first try, it was barely hitting the required passing score in the TP test. When doing GrabHitch, I made sure my hitcher’s comfort is utmost, to the extend I will always check the aircon speed and temperature, evening turning to radio channels that suit the age group of the hitchers. I made sure I signal early and I am more cautious in slowing down in a hump and turning very slowly to ensure comfort of my hitcher. Overall I would say my driving skills has vastly improved after doing GrabHitch despite taking some wrong turns and detours lol.

#3 It is lucrative

I’ve started in 1st of June as of mid-month i’ve clocked approximately S$150 worth of earnings from GrabHitch – this is without trying very hard. There are days where I do not hitch due to urgent matters to attend to or the potential hitch jobs are totally out of the way. There are days I only do 1 hitch or no hitches at all.

#4 GrabHitch Can Be Therapeutic

Why I say it is therapeutic is because I do enjoy driving and I look forward to my hitch rides before and after work. I see driving as a way to relief stress and it can be therapeutic. GrabHitch also brought me to places I never knew exited and I became quite familiar with relatively more roads now. There’s also times you get to pick-up the same hitcher because your work timings are similar. It’s always great to be able to pick-up same hitcher as a “old customer”.

#5 Gamified Experience

There are different tiers in GrabHitch, the more hitch you do, you can process and unlock the next tier. Each tier comes with an additional benefit. Similar to GrabCar, you will also earn badges and get stars ratings. I am proud to say I am a 5/5 stars GrabHitch driver so far! Also, because you get to choose which hitch route to take depending on time and distance, it also horned my judgemental skills in optimising my route and plan what time to leave office.

#6 Business Opportunities

I’ve hitched CEOs, C-suites, sales people, etc. I must say there are business opportunities as you are in a car ride for a good 10-30 minutes depending on the journey. Most common topic I get is usually: property, children, work/bosses, etc. However, I prefer not to converse and focus on driving as I am not a good multi-tasker.

#7 Communication Is Key

For the first few rides I did not communicate with the hitcher, instead as soon as I accept the job I will head to the hitcher’s location. There are instances I will reach the hitcher’s place and I will get a cancellation alert with a S$4 compensation. However I understand there is limited compensation and there are times where I do not get compensated. As a lesson learnt, I now communicate early to confirm if the hitch is confirmed and always alert my hitcher when I am about to leave for the carpark. This has work great since then.

Conclusion

I definitely recommend GrabHitch as a way to offset your car and petrol expenses. The platform is great and you could potentially earn north of S$700 if you were to hitch everyday or say S$300 if you are doing say 50% of the time in the month. It is definitely worth giving it a try and helping save the environment – in a way since you would have drove an empty car to/fro work anyways!

24 Apr 2023 Update: after driving almost 1 year of GrabHitch, I must say it has become one of my income stream. There’s not much incremental fuel and maintenance cost so long as you choose/plan your route wisely. I have also become extremely comfortable hitching strangers, so far theres no bad experience and I’ve still maintain my 5/5 star rating. I did consider getting the PVDL and I personally feel that GrabHitch is a good platform which allows you to experience what does being a GrabCar driver like before you dive straight in to be one.

Share Your Thoughts on GrabHitch

Have you tried the GrabHitch? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below! Kindly note that comments are moderated.