Le reports these benefits are encouraging drivers in countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam to prioritise cash-paying fares, which can include negotiation outside the app, or even cancelling ride requests.
Hanoi-based Be driver Hoang Phong says ‘he is continually scrambling for cash, due to the time it takes to withdraw earnings from the app,’ meaning he sometimes has to borrow cash to make ends meet. Fellow Be driver Nguyen Cuong admits to rejecting rides—despite the damage this causes his reputation on the app—because cashless payments mean up to 35 percent of his earnings are taken in fees, meaning ‘there’s not much left for me.’
In Southeast Asia, ride-hailing companies such as Be and Grab offer a full range of payment options, but encourage customers to use an e-wallet, which keeps their money within ecosystems that can levy a range of fees. Grab incentivises this by offering loyalty perks for making e-wallet payments.
In Bangladesh, a report by the labour project Fairwork says digital payments are delaying workers access to their income and deducting fees. There may also be fees to withdraw digital money as cash, ‘demotivating drivers to follow the rules set by the platform’ and encouraging them to work outside it to ‘enjoy total control over their income.’
Drivers for Uber-owned Careem, which operates in Pakistan, may wait up to seven days to receive payments made via credit card. One driver said if he receives two ride requests, one paying cash and one digital, he will always choose the former.
