By EMMIE V. ABADILLA Grab Philippines on Friday initially relaunched its 7,000 drivers nationwide, all of whom are trained for cashless payments. The ridehailing firm already resumed operations of its GrabTaxi services in Baguio and Naga, piloting with almost 400 drivers to ferry workers as community quarantine guidelines relaxed in the two cities. It is now awaiting the resumption of public transportation in other cities. In the meantime, to support the government push for cashless transactions on public transportation, Grab Philippines is working with taxi operators across the country. For many years, taxis have been largely meter-based and cash-based, and with the advancements in technology, going cashless has been a tall order for many taxi operators and drivers. Within days, Grab was able to conduct training programs so thousands of taxi drivers and operators can use GrabPay for accepting cashless payments. Cashless payments, coupled with the Grab platform’s contact tracing system with the DOH, improve contact-tracing capabilities. “In the new reality, we need to make significant adjustments to protect the lives and livelihoods of our fellowmen," stressed Grab Philippines President Brian Cu. "By adopting cashless payment for public transport, we reduce the risk of spreading infection through cash and improve our contact tracing capability," he reiterated. Digital payments have become part of the "new normal" when paying for taxi and transport network vehicle service (TNVS) fares. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) – Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) partnered with digital payment providers to boost cash¬less or contactless transactions to curb the spread of coronavirus. Taxi operators and transport network companies (TNCs) are allowed to resume operations in areas placed under General Community Quarantine (GCQ).