I’m carless these days, and I’m perfectly okay with it. Weird for a motoring journalist who runs an automotive website to say, but life has a way of flipping one’s fate.

Before I proceed, a quick disclaimer: This is a paid collaboration with Grab Philippines, which asked me to write about my experience with its do-it-all app—particularly about the convenience that it offers in terms of mobility. Even so, you have my assurance that I will be as accurate and truthful as possible in my telling of this story.

Truth be told, my attachment to Grab came in the form of food delivery. Before I was dependent on its ride-hailing service, I had been fond of GrabFood first, which I discovered in 2018. The convenience of having your meal brought to your doorstep is a godsend in an industry that requires you to be glued to your desktop most of the time.

The importance of food delivery was further pronounced with the arrival of the global pandemic in 2020. As if the service had not been helpful enough, GrabFood went contactless to protect its customers in a very sick world. Technically speaking, this was how Grab officially became part of my daily life.

So, you see, my affinity with Grab came about through the stomach. Meanwhile, the company’s main service—mobility, of course—wouldn’t really knock on my door until I suffered a pair of life-threatening health conditions from 2020 to 2021. In August 2020, I had an aneurysm attack that necessitated brain surgery. The following year, in October 2021, I had a stroke that affected my ability to move. This stroke forced me to abandon driving for almost two years.

Needless to say, I learned to live without my personal automobile. In its place, I found solace in Grab cars. This was how I truly appreciated the benefits of the app. Not only was I depending on the app for my food, but I now had to rely on it for my transportation as well. If I had to give a reason for why I have a soft spot for Grab, it’s that it was a trustworthy crutch during a couple of trying times in my life. I don’t know how I could have coped without it.

In 2023, I renewed my license and have been driving since then whenever I have to. I say “whenever” because I currently prefer riding Grab cars to driving myself.

I mean, Grab cars solve three issues outright when you use them:

• Coding-free mobility. One of the biggest challenges of car owners in Metro Manila is the number-coding, which renders a vehicle useless one day every week. Grab eliminates that by providing you a ride anytime, anywhere.

• Traffic stress. I’m at the point of my life where I value my personal time over having my own car. I’m 53. No way I’ll waste my remaining time sitting in gridlock.

• Parking. This is probably the chief problem that a city dweller faces on a day-to-day basis. I enjoy not having to worry about it.

And in case you’re an environmental advocate and are bothered by the pollution brought about by motor vehicles, there is now GrabTaxi Electric to make your trips guilt-free. Available cars are powered by full-electric motors so your commute does not leave emissions that poison the air that we breathe.

As you know, my job requires me to travel abroad every now and then. In fact, as you read this, I have three overseas trips lined up for the rest of the year. Sounds fun? Yes…except not having a personal car at my disposal means an added hurdle just to get to and from the airport.

Which is why I wholeheartedly welcome Grab’s “Advance Booking” feature. In a nutshell, it’s the ability to “book your ride anytime between 90 days to one hour and 15 minutes prior to your desired pick-up time.” I haven’t actually tried this, but I’m excited to experience it for my next trip.

No more sending up a prayer to make it to the check-in counter on time. No more hoping against hope that you will be able to hail a ride when the demand is extremely high. And no more waiting for a car to take you home after an exhausting travel.

Availing of the advance booking is easy. You can learn about it here.

I’m grateful for having the option of not having to purchase a car just to survive in a place where the automobile is a status symbol

When I was young, I needed to be able to say that I owned a vehicle—especially in the industry I worked for. For some reason, I wrongly believed that not having a car was for losers. Now? I’m grateful for having the option of not having to purchase a car just to survive in a place where the automobile is a status symbol.

I don’t pay for maintenance and repair. I do not shoulder the vehicle’s depreciation rate. I don’t cough up money for fender-benders. Best of all, I don’t drag along a polluting object even when I don’t need it.

Grab fares too expensive? Not really. That depends on the time and the demand. Besides, how you value your time should dictate how you see transport fees.

I’m carless and proud of it. And no, I’m not a loser.

This branded article was produced in partnership with Grab Philippines.