Are you also a regular Grab user like me?
Fist of all, here’s the latest scoop- Today, GrabTaxi, Southeast Asia’s leading ride-hailing platform, rebrands to Grab! The new Grab encompasses all the company’s services: taxis (GrabTaxi), private car services (GrabCar), motorcycle taxis (GrabBike), social carpooling (GrabHitch) and last mile delivery (GrabExpress), under one umbrella brand.
Aside from the new name, Grab also announced new app improvements in order to make it more user friendly and provide faster access to ride bookings.
Here’s a list on what to expect from the newest Grab app update:
7. Personalised locations – Enjoy faster booking in only two-clicks!
With the new Grab app update, pick-up and drop-off points will be pre-filled based on your favourite places. Users’ preferred locations will be ranked by the day, time and users’ physical location. This enables most users to book a ride in just two clicks. JUST.TWO.CLICKS!!!!!
6. Minimize repeat booking attempts with “Auto–Retry”
Sometimes, when there’s no available GrabCar in the area, users would have to manually click and select desired location all over again before it starts to search. As a Grab user myself, I would have to admit that I find it annoying. Good thing they improved it with the new “Auto-Retry” feature. Great to know that I don’t need to alway restart the booking process anymore! Phew
5. Better estimation of pick-up times with enhanced Live Driver Tracking
After the driver accepts your booking, you can now watch the Grab vehicle make its way to you, with real-time driver tracking on the map. With this, users can better estimate the arrival time of their driver, and when they should head to the pick-up location. Before, I could still view the exact location of my driver, but with this enhancement, I expect tracking to be more precise and smoother.
4. New users will now enjoy faster sign-ups with its simplified registration process
With just 1 click, Android users can sign up more quickly for Grab. The app will automatically confirm the user’s identity and mobile phone number (using new user’s Facebook account), with most users not needing to key in anything – just click to confirm. This will be rolled out to iOS in the near future.
3. Get the nearest ride available with the new “Flash” button!
Now here’s a feature I really dig – With the touch of just the one button, Flash searches all of the closest taxis and GrabCars to find the best vehicle for users across both services – meaning, passengers will get where they need to go with less waiting.
Flash is available in Singapore, Philippines and Vietnam, and will be rolled out in Malaysia on 30 January and Thailand in February.
2. Get to pay either in cash or card with GrabPay (comes with multiple credit card support)
For people who prefer using their credit card, Grab users can now enjoy GrabPay. GrabPay enables passengers to go cashless by using a credit card payment, making the entire commuting experience seamless. Easily switch anytime from cash to card as you please. For peace of mind, users will receive fare confirmations via the app and an email receipt. Furthermore, users will also be able to use multiple credit cards and easily toggle to choose which to use.
GrabPay is available in Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia, and multiple credit card support will be available in Singapore starting 28 January and Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia in February. GrabPay will be rolled out in Thailand and Vietnam in the first half of 2016.
1. Easily track business related trips with GrabWork
Does your company pay for official business rides? With GrabWork, passengers can now separately track their business from personal rides.
Aside from this, another new in-app feature include the expense code and trip detail fields for tracking and expense claims purposes.
Passengers can login online to Grab Passenger Hub (hub.grab.co) to download their consolidated business or personal statements for claims submission purposes. With multiple credit card support, users can add a corporate card and easily toggle between personal and corporate payment options.
GrabWork is available in Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam starting 28 January. Companies who wish to register for a corporate account with Grab may do so at www.grab.co/business.
Here’s a video demo taken from Grab’s Regional Press and Media Conference earlier in Singapore…
With all these new Grab app enhancements, I can’t wait to have the updated version be downloaded on my smartphone really soon!
So when in Manila and need to get around the metro with ease, Grab will be there for you whenever you need it, wherever you are! Download the app now!
The Grab app is available for free in Google Play and Apple App Store for Android and iOS users respectively. Existing GrabTaxi and MyTeksi users will automatically have their apps updated from 28 January if auto update is enabled.
For more information, visit and like them on Facebook www.facebook.com/GrabPH and follow them on @grabph on Twitter and @grab_ph on Instagram.
