Ride-hailing platform Grab has just announced the launch of a brand new service, GrabCoach, which aims to cater to group travellers and corporate customers.
With a fleet of over 200 13-seater, 23-seater and 40-seater vehicles, bookings can be done via the Grab app. Fares are fixed, regardless of destination, and will be priced at $65, $95 and $150 for a one-way trip respectively.
ERP charges and various surcharges apply.
Said Lim Kell Jay, Head of Grab Singapore, “Introducing GrabCoach right after GrabShare came as a natural choice, as we saw an opportunity to digitize the traditional coach-chartering business for a better customer experience.”
GrabShare is the company’s answer to carpooling, and is also its weapon against Uber’s own UberPOOL.
Lim also stated that the launch is in line with the company’s continuous efforts to “[make] transportation accessible and safe […] through a multi-modal approach” and also to “contribute to a car-lite society”.
For corporate customers, they can use the Grab for Work portal to manage, pay and expense corporate GrabCoach rides.
Concierge teams can also book the service for guests via GrabVenue terminals, which are located within hotels, malls and other establishments.
More Than Just Another Expansion Into Another Vertical
Grab states that its “scalable and robust technology platform” would be beneficial to small fleet owners and coach companies, given that they would also have access to existing and potential Grab users.
Fleet owners would also be able to benefit from Grab’s in-app messaging feature GrabChat, streamline payments and use their cashless payment options like credit cards, AliPay, Android Pay and GrabPay Credits.
Andy Lee, founder of Go-Fleet, a transport management company, expressed his excitement about the possibilities that can come with the collaboration.
“At Go-Fleet, we help small transport companies scale efficiently through partnerships. Drivers and transport companies that have signed up with Go-Fleet have shared that access to Grab’s large passenger base as well as the company’s streamlined booking and payment processes are the top reasons for joining Grab. Many believe that Grab’s innovative features including real-time vehicle tracking and GrabChat will improve their service quality and overall competitiveness.”
As mentioned, you can now start booking a coach service by simply launching your Grab app, and bookings can be done on-demand, or up to seven days in advance.
And just like how GrabCar and the likes work, you can also track the location of your driver before he/she arrives.
Unfortunately, it can’t be used for cross-border trips, so forget those plans of going for the next JB daytrip by the bus-load.
Uber, your turn.
