[embed ANC: 9:09:36-9:27:11]

MANILA -- Grab said it was putting 10,000 more cars on the road as Christmas drew nearer.

"The first tranche of 5,000 cars is on the way, and we are expecting potentially another 5,000 for the holidays, just to be able to increase supply to meet the increased demand," said new Grab Philippines Country Head Ronald Roda. 

Speaking on ANC's "Market Edge," Roda said the Christmas season is "vital" for Grab, as demand peaks during this time, surging by around 3 or 4 times.

"I think people expect Grab to be able to ferry customers and delivery food and packages through the December holidays, and typically this is kind of where we are at our peak from a demand standpoint," he said. "And every year, the expectation increases because people become more and more reliant on us. And so this year, we basically plan to become better. 

"The way we’ve looked at holidays was simply, just to basically ferry passengers and deliver packages. I think there’s a bigger purpose to this, in the sense that, you know when we don’t do it, people get disappointed. And so, the way I look at Christmas these days is: how do we deliver joy to the customers?" he added.

The executive said more demand from customers might not necessarily drive the prices of services higher.

"That’s an interesting construct. In the past, I think we looked at it from a price and surge standpoint. I think there are parang better ways to enable affordability, and you know, meeting the demand for the holidays."

Roda said some examples of these are GrabCar Saver, wherein passengers who are willing to wait for about 10 minutes could get a ride at a lower fare; and their Share With Friends feature, which would allow passengers to pick up companions along the way as they head to their destination.

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The business leader said this puts more people in cars, allowing them to maximize supply.

Roda said they hoped that putting more cars on the road would bring their fleet size to pre-pandemic levels. 

"We are not even approaching what we were in 2019. So may be with the next 5,000 or 10,000 cars, we will reach, I think pre-pandemic levels. It’s been a difficult journey to get back kind of the supply coming from the pandemic," he said.

Grab is present in 120 cities and municipalities in the Philippines, Roda noted. 

He said he hoped the Philippine unit of Grab would be profitable by next year.

"We have been on a journey to become profitable. And I think we’re getting there. We’re definitely confident that next year is probably the year that we will get there," he said.