Grab launched on Tuesday a system that required new users — which Grab's officials claimed to make up most culprits in app-involved crimes against female drivers — to take a selfie as a form of identification before they booked their first ride.

The photos will neither be shown to the drivers nor displayed on the customer’s display picture.

Grab managing director Neneng Goenadi claimed the new system had suppressed at least 45 percent of cases involving 50 percent of users during its initial rollout between last January and April.

The ride-hailing app has also initiated an internet-based free call option that only displays the name of the customers and drivers. The service aims to support their previous number-masking feature, which hides personal mobile numbers of users and drivers.

“Safety is never an afterthought at Grab. It’s the premise on which Grab was founded seven years ago,” Neneng said during the launch on Monday.

The initiative follows an incident in November last year where Grab had come under fire after trying to arrange a meeting between a driver and a victim to settle a sexual harassment case.

This prompted netizens to swarm Twitter with the hashtag #UninstallGrab after deeming the company incapable of handling and protecting female customers.

The mass uninstalling had struck Grab in an already competitive ride-hailing market with its rival Go-Jek, which dominated the ride-hailing market in the country.

But critics have also scrutinized Go-Jek after the Instagram account @Gojek24jam published last March a video of several women drivers recounting their stories of being physically and sexually abused, such as being hit in the shoulders or touched on their buttocks.

As for the customers, Go-Jek previously fired a driver that had allegedly intended to rape a 28-year-old woman who was asleep during the journey. Upon waking up, the driver had let her go after she said she was two-months pregnant.

As a response to such cases, Go-Jek has been promoting similar breakthroughs. One of them is an emergency hotline and a “share my ride” feature, enabling passengers to share their location to trusted relatives and friends in case of a crime.

Grab released almost identical features in their campaign last November.

“The security and comfort of our passengers is our priority. We want everyone to continue to rely on Go-Jek anytime and anywhere without an ounce of worry,” said Go-Jek corporate affairs chief Nila Marita, as quoted by a press release.

However, Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) secretary Agus Suyatno argued that the efforts were insufficient. While he praised both companies’ ambition to improve customer satisfaction, he argued that the campaigns lacked road safety features that were equally as important as security ones.

Among other violations, he quoted instances where motorists had driven against the flow of traffic or those who operated unregistered vehicles. The ride-hailing apps, he added, should educate their drivers on speed limits, working hours, physical condition and other relevant guidelines.

“Their [road safety] standards are still vague and lack field surveillance even though these elements are essential for safe commuting,” Agus said.

Meanwhile, National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) vice chairwoman Budi Wahyuni applauded the companies' attempt to intensify protection for women but said the efforts “merely complemented” a more widespread effort.

She argued that limiting the work hours of women drivers — as suggested by some members of the public — would be ineffective.

“[Ride-hailing apps] can pioneer the desire [to protect women] but our ministries, police and other government agencies should be involved to make a significant change,” Budi said.

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