I’m not a huge fan of Uber – after all I live in NYC where the fastest way to travel is usually by Subway. Uber does come in handy and is often quite economical when I travel (well, except for that time in Amsterdam when we thought that our Uber driver was going to murder us . . . – see, UBER: Another Bad Experience and Some Safety Tips).
Fast forward. I’m going to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok in a few weeks and I couldn’t be happier. Of course, it was a mistake fare (see, $276 on ANA – JFK-KUL and BKK-JFK!!).
[NOTE: Trip suggestions (including restaurants, sightseeing and running) are always appreciated].
As for transportation, I was repeatedly told Uber is good there. Uber is reliable there. Uber is reasonably priced there. Uber is safe there. Just take Uber. So, I figured I would use Uber on my upcoming trip, right? Wrong.
Well, all that changed yesterday when it was announced that a Singapore company, Grab, has purchased Uber. But who is Grab? Are they good? Have you used them? According to Wikipedia, Grab sure sounds a lot like Uber:
Grab (formerly known as GrabTaxi) is a Singapore-based technology company that offers ride-hailing and logistics services through its app in Singapore and neighbouring Southeast Asian nations such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
It even looks like Uber, doesn’t it?
By the way, Grab has more than ride sharing. It also has Grab Now (taxi hailing), Grab Shuttle and Grab Bike (delivery service), to name a few. But back to the Uber acquisition . . .
According to Channel NewsAsia Uber will no longer be available in Southeast Asia from Apr 9, 2018 (great, I arrive right after that).
Uber will be available in Southeast Asia until Apr 8, 2018. All requests after that date should be made from the Grab app. Uber users who do not have a Grab account will need to register for one should they wish to use the service.
(Okay, I just downloaded the Grab app on my iPhone and registered for Grab).
Channel NewsAsia further reports that a Grab spokesperson has reported that fares are not expected to go up. (good luck with that).
Also:
Services such as GrabCar and GrabBike will continue to be calculated based on distance, with a dynamic surcharge that will be applied based on various factors – including demand and supply.
(hello Surge Pricing).
Neither last nor least, Uber Eats becomes Grab Food (because Grab Eats sounds dumb, right?):
Uber Eats users will be able to use the platform until the end of May – after which, Uber delivery and restaurant partners will move to a platform called GrabFood, according to Grab.
To me, this is all words. The proof is in the pudding not in text. So, have you used Grab? Does it feel like Uber? Obviously, I’ll be able to report more to you in about one month, but I’m curious if you have any information to add.
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
We just came back from a Thailand trip last week. I used Grab extensively in Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai. The user experience was very good. Everything was just like Uber. There were many coupon codes for first time users, e.g. GRABMAP, GRABSTART, which consistently gave 70-100 Baht off. The app itself shows pop up messages with coupons once in a while. For more, just Google.
The only negative thing I experienced was that the wait times to find a driver could vary a lot by location and time of the day. Twice the app could not find a driver and I had to ask the hotel to get me a taxi. But this should improve once they have the monopoly.
A neat feature is the chat option in the app. All drivers in Thailand used it to notify me about their ETA and ask me questions etc. The app translates back and forth so you only see everything in English and they see in their local language (if selected).
thanks for the input. I have concern about any entity getting a “monopoly” – and the affect on pricing and quality of services. I’d be much happier if there was real competition. Time will tell, right?
Yep – really very little difference between the two. The only thing I find is that Uber is better at predicting the wait time (both before and after you book) so allow a little extra time. Grab also has a more punitive cancellation policy (after 2 you get charged a fee that they won’t credit, even if you cancel within 10 secs) – so be careful about requesting correctly and when ready
A general point to note is I’ve given up using ride share FROM airports as the taxi mafia controls most in Asia so a Grab end up trying to secretly collect you from car parks and such like. Though anywaym definitely use the train in KL and consider it in Bangkok (though it’s a commuter train,still OK though) as the traffic is awful!
thanks for the advice. It’s very helpful.