The Latest: In recent days, Grab drivers across Facebook community groups have mobilized, calling on fellow drivers to log-off the app on Sept. 12 and 13 to protest commission increases they describe as unreasonable and opaque.
- As the dispute with the technology company escalates, no government agency has publicly intervened to represent Grab drivers’ interests.
- It remains unclear why these specific dates were chosen for the proposed strike.
Call to Action: The dispute began in early September, when drivers began reporting unusually low earnings after Grab’s deductions.
On the evening of Sept. 7, an account identified as Kỳ** posted a call to action in the 166,000-member Grab Drivers Community Vietnam group: “Let’s stand together, everyone. The 12th and 13th. This is so unfair.”
- The post, which included a photograph of Grab drivers beside a banner protesting “Grab’s increased commission and VAT charges on driver-partners,” received more than 3,000 interactions and rapidly spread to other community groups.
- The appeal quickly spread to other Grab driver community groups.
One driver wrote:
“Grab is charging an outrageous fee. It collects 18,000 đồng for a ride, but the driver receives only 9,630 đồng. There’s a 3,000-đồng platform fee, even though the app already has the data, and a 2,000-đồng Ride Cover enrollment fee. And what about recording rides without permission? That puts the deductions at around 40%–45% per trip. What do other drivers think?”
Another driver reported earning just 230,000 đồng after expenses for an eight-hour shift:
“I headed out at 5:30 p.m. and got home at 1:30 a.m. Eight hours. After 70,000 đồng for gas, I had 230,000 left. My back is wrecked. It’s bitterly disappointing.”
Another account expressed frustration over Grab’s charges:
“Can you all help me make sense of this ride? A year ago, a driver received 15,000 đồng for a three-kilometer trip, not counting the distance to pick up the passenger. Now we get only 13,000, while the passenger pays 25,000. Grab says its commission for GrabBike ranges from 20% to 27%. So the passenger pays 25,000, and the driver receives 13,000. Doesn’t that seem unreasonable? Fares have been falling for about a month, while living costs keep climbing. Everything gets more expensive by the day, by the year. […]”
Doubts and Reservations: Despite the momentum, some drivers have expressed reservations.
- An account using the pseudonym Vua_cày wrote in the Grab Drivers Community Vietnam group: “I’m in debt, so please understand that I’ll still be driving on the 12th and 13th. I have no other choice.”
- Another account echoed this sentiment: “Before you decide to turn off the app, think it through. […] What work will you do to keep yourselves going? Please don’t act on impulse. And the last thing I want to remind you is: THINK OF YOUR WIFE AND CHILDREN AT HOME.”
Grab’s Position: In response to the organizing, a notice purportedly sent by Grab has circulated in several groups, warning drivers “not to turn off the app on their own initiative” on Sept. 12 and Sept. 13, or risk having their accounts “permanently deleted.”
The publication Luật Khoa has not been able to verify the authenticity of this notice.
- On the morning of Sept. 9, Luật Khoa repeatedly called Grab Vietnam and its representative office in Hà Nội, but no one answered.
- The publication also emailed Grab’s communications team seeking further information and had not received a response.
The Background: According to a 2024 survey by Decision Lab, Grab holds a 70% share of the ride-hailing application market in Việt Nam.
- Grab’s “Code of Conduct” prohibits drivers from participating in illegal protests against the company, joining unlicensed associations, encouraging other drivers to stop operating, boycotting or threatening to boycott the application, or taking any action contrary to Grab’s interests.
This is not the first time drivers have gone on strike to challenge Grab’s policies. Grab’s commission—its share of the total fare—has steadily risen since the company entered Việt Nam in 2014:
- 2014–2016: Grab waived commissions to establish itself in the market.
- Early 2017: The company introduced a 15% commission.
- January 2018: The rate increased from 20% to 23.6%, prompting hundreds of Grab drivers to log off and gather outside the company’s Hà Nội office in protest.
- September 2018: The rate increased from 15% to 20%.
- December 2020: The rate rose to 27.27%, leading to a similar protest in Hà Nội.
Why It Matters: Since mid-2024, Grab has applied a “flexible app usage fee” when calculating fares and deductions.
- The fee is not fixed; it varies by ride, order or time, allowing Grab to adjust fares and its share accordingly.
- According to experts, this variable fee makes it difficult for drivers to determine their exact earnings from each trip.
Hoàng Nam wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on September 9, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
