Grab gears up with carpool service

It’s time you whisk away the notions of crowded seating and risked safety when it comes to carpooling, because Grab is launching GrabShare—its new ride sharing program sans the hassle and discomfort. The new service joins the roster of available services in the country such as GrabTaxi, GrabCar, and GrabExpress.

Advertisement

GrabShare was first launched in Singapore in December 2016, where the service attracted more riders to try the app. After two months, Grab completed two million GrabShare rides, which is equivalent to about 20 million kilometers.

“After the success of our first run in Singapore, we’ve decided to bring GrabShare to Manila for the benefit of the Filipino commuters,” explained Grab Philippines Country Head Brian Cu. “With it, we can deliver more affordable rides to our passengers and provide higher incomes for our drivers.”

The new transport offering allows a rider to hail a car with one other companion. For faster drop-off, GrabShare accommodates only two separate bookings with similar routes. This translates to only one additional stop before completing their trip, as opposed to combining multiple bookings along a similar route where a passenger experience multiple detours.

“Grab makes the everyday commute of Filipinos even more cost-efficient and hassle-free: Grab passengers won’t have to water their time because GrabShare keeps detours to a minimum,” Cu added. He also emphasized that passengers can enjoy up to 30% cheaper fares compared to that of GrabCar.

Riders aren’t the only ones benefited, though. Drivers also get a productivity boost because they can complete two jobs for the relative amount of time and fuel cost of one. The Singapore test run yielded results that report about 10% increase in drivers’ monthly income.

Availing the GrabShare service is easy: from the Grab app home users can select the GrabShare icon, type the pick-up and drop-off points, and be picked up by the driver. Drivers will wait for five minutes upon arrival at the pick-up point.

Grab, the leading ride-hailing service in the Southeast Asian region, is present in seven cities in the Philippines and continues to see growth in the market. Grab expects to see similar acceptance in the country for its newest service, which is also its part to ease transportation woes and reduce carbon footprint.

“Carpooling is instrumental to achieving our most important goals: to make transportation accessible for our passengers, and to improve the lives of our drivers,” Cu said.