To Grab or not to grab: An old practice dies hard at NAIA

After the New NAIA Infra Corporation (NNIC) opened a centralized hub for ride-hailing services Grab Philippines and JoyRide at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 (T3) last December, people working or brokering for regular taxis still manage to bring down the positive change in the Philippines’ biggest Manila terminal. 

The opening of this new hub for ride-hailing services — a multi-level parking building located just beside NAIA Terminal 3 with 18 loading bays and 400 parking slots — has helped address congestion at the main loading bays in front of the terminal, making it faster now for vehicles to enter and exit the airport. 

Prior to this new hub for ride-hailing services, if you wanted to take, for instance, Grab, it could pick you up at the loading bays in front, but this was the pick-up point just for everyone else, contributing to traffic congestion and lots of wasted time — with some departing passengers even possibly missing their flight as a result. 

Now, if you try to book a Grab after arriving at NAIA Terminal 3, the app will identify this new area designated to pick up passengers — G/F (Level A) Multi-level Parking Building near Exit Gate 7. If you choose the loading bay in front as pick-up point, the transaction won’t proceed. 

The problem is, not everyone knows where the multi-level parking building is, although it’s just a short walking distance to the right after travelers go through customs and leave the arrival area. And not everyone is updated about the new hub. 

This short walk to the multi-level parking building is where travelers may encounter people — possibly brokers or fixers — offering taxi services who claim that the Grab and other ride-hailing services will be a long wait, and that it would be better if they negotiate rates for their taxi service. 

They hijack and approach passengers who appear to be in need of help as they exit the NAIA Terminal 3 arrival area, ahead of the Grab booth located at the exit area (Exit Gate 7), giving them a head start in talking to passengers unfamiliar with the new hub. 

A few may end up taking the bait, but it’s better to wait and seek advice from the Grab staff at NAIA Terminal 3. Just look or ask airport staff where the Grab booth is at Exit Gate 7. 

These people offering negotiated rates for taxis haven’t stopped the old practice of trying to fool travelers. They offer anywhere from double to quadruple what travelers will pay for a Grab ride. In my case, one of these brokers offered a price of P2,500 from NAIA Terminal 3 to Antipolo City, nearly four times the cost of our Grab ride home (P670) early Thursday, January 30.

It’s also not true that you’ll have to wait a long time for your Grab ride, and finding your assigned car is now easier — and faster — than before this centralized hub was put up on December 8, 2024.

If you don’t want the hassle of dowloading a ride-hailing app, JoyRide now has its metered Super Taxi Airport Edition at NAIA T3 which travelers can use — no need for an app, and they accept both cash and cashless payments. They also have a booth and a lounge area near Exit Gate 7. JoyRide uploaded a video about their Super Taxi Airport Edition on Thursday, January 30.

These taxi brokers continue to do a disservice to the country as the new NAIA operator tries to improve the travel experience at the airport. Everyone’s free to market their services, but pity those who may get fooled — especially foreigners — by this decades-old practice in our country’s main gateway.  – Rappler.com