Grab PH to pilot test drone deliveries in NCR

Officials from Grab, DOTR, DICT, and Megaworld sign a Memorandum of Agreement for a drone pilot study on commercial delivery in the Philippines. (From left) Booey Bonifacio, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Grab Philippines; Allan Punay, Manager, CAAP Dumaguete Airport (representing DOTR); Undersecretary Christina Faye Condez-de Sagon, DICT; and Tyrone Tan, Cluster General Manager, Megaworld Lifestyle Malls.

MANILA, Philippines — Grab Philippines will soon transport packages via drones in a bid to make deliveries more seamless in densely populated areas where traffic can delay partner riders.

In a statement on Tuesday, the super app operator said it would conduct a pilot study for the unmanned aerial vehicle delivery between two properties owned by Megaworld Corp. in Metro Manila.

READ: Grab deploys Philippines’ 1st fully electric taxi fleet

The drone-powered commercial delivery will implement a hybrid delivery model where Grab riders handle pick-ups and drop-offs from dedicated drone landing stations. The drones will make the delivery between the two points.

Grab, Megaworld, Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) inked a memorandum of understanding for this effort.

“This pilot is an opportunity for us to learn and understand how drone deliveries might work in the Philippine context, from dense urban neighborhoods to underserved areas,” Grab Philippines managing director Ronald Roda said.