Grab Philippines announced the launch of the Eco-Drive Initiative, Southeast Asia’s largest integrated platform that brings together financial institutions and automotive partners in a single coalition, designed to give TNVS (Transport Network Vehicle Service) driver-partners fast-tracked, affordable access to electric and hybrid vehicles.
The initiative responds to two converging realities facing the Philippine ride-hailing sector: rising fuel costs that directly reduce driver take-home earnings, and the natural vehicle replacement cycle as thousands of fleet vehicles approach the end of their recommended service life. Eco-Drive addresses both by creating a single, streamlined pathway for driver-partners to transition to cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles at preferential financing offerings.
For a full-time Grab driver-partner, the shift from a conventional gasoline vehicle to an EV or hybrid can translate to meaningful daily fuel savings. Eco-Drive is designed to ensure those savings are not offset by inaccessible financing. The program is open to all active Grab driver-partners, with each bank partner applying its own standard credit assessment. Grab is also working with partners to progressively broaden eligibility criteria to reach more drivers over time.
The Eco-Drive Coalition
Eco-Drive brings together partners across three pillars of the vehicle-ownership ecosystem:
Bank Partners: BDO and BPI will offer preferential “green” auto loan offerings that are structurally more competitive than standard vehicle financing. Partner banks retain full and independent control of all credit underwriting decisions. Grab supports the process by providing verified driver data, including earnings history, platform tenure, and service ratings, which banks may choose to consider as supplementary information alongside their standard credit assessment.
Automotive Partners: Direct manufacturers such as Toyota, BYD, GAC, Dongfeng, Omoda, and Jaecoo, as well as Autohub Group – the dealer of Suzuki, Kia, and MG, and QSJ Motors Philippines, Inc – the distributor of Bestune have committed to exclusive discounts for Grab driver-partners within agreed promotional periods, reducing the upfront cost of qualifying EV and hybrid models.
Grab Philippines: Grab serves as the connective platform across the initiative. With Grab, drivers who opt in can access flexible daily installments through the Grab Driver Wallet, designed to match their daily earning rhythm and replace monthly lump-sum repayments. Drivers may also choose traditional monthly bank repayment if they prefer. Grab’s role in the coalition is to connect driver-partners to the right financing and vehicle options through personalized outreach based on each driver’s vehicle age and service history — a track record they have earned through years as trusted Grab driver-partners.
Grab Philippines general manager for GrabCar and Fleet Solutions Gines Barot shares: “Eco-Drive brings together Grab, the Philippines’ leading financial institutions, and global automakers to do one thing: make the shift from gasoline to electric and hybrid vehicles simpler and more accessible for our driver-partners. Rising fuel costs are eating into driver earnings every single day. This coalition is designed to protect those earnings by lowering the cost of vehicle ownership and removing the financing barriers that have kept fleet electrification out of reach.”
How Eco-Drive Works
Eco-Drive replaces the traditionally fragmented vehicle-financing journey with an integrated, three-step process designed for the realities of professional driving livelihoods:
Step 1: Personalized Outreach. Grab reaches out to driver-partners whose vehicles are approaching the end of their recommended service life or nearing the end of an existing auto loan term to inform them of their options under Eco-Drive.
Step 2: Simplified Application. Drivers apply through a digital “Express Form” or at dedicated Grab Driver Center “Express Lanes.” With the driver’s consent, Grab shares verified earnings and service data with the chosen bank partner to support faster processing. All credit decisions remain with the bank.
Step 3: Flexible Repayment. Drivers can opt into daily installments through the Grab Driver Wallet, spreading their payments across earning days instead of facing a single monthly due date. Drivers who prefer conventional monthly repayment can arrange this directly with their bank partner.
Advancing the National Electrification Agenda
Eco-Drive is designed to complement the Philippine government’s national transport electrification goals, including the objectives set out under the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) and the Department of Energy’s Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry. Grab sees the initiative as a private-sector contribution to the broader public-sector vision of modernizing Philippine transport and reducing the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Grab welcomes continued engagement with the LTFRB, DOTr, DOE, and other government partners to ensure Eco-Drive evolves in alignment with the national regulatory framework and the government’s own transport modernization priorities.
A Responsible Transition
Grab recognizes that the shift to electric vehicles must be inclusive and responsible. The company is working with coalition partners to explore fair trade-in and vehicle disposition options for outgoing ICE vehicles, and to ensure that the economic benefits of electrification are progressively extended to drivers at every level of the platform, not only top-tier performers. Eco-Drive is a starting point, not the finish line.