Newly improved Grabshare to offer cheaper fares, 35 per cent lower than JustGrab

SINGAPORE — With rival ride-hailing firm Go-Jek expected to launch in Singapore this month, Grab on Monday (Nov 5) announced improvements to GrabShare, its on-demand commercial carpooling service.

GrabShare’s matching algorithm is being enhanced to give passengers greater savings, so that they will pay fares that are up to 35 per cent lower than the fixed-fare service JustGrab, the Singapore-based firm said. Users can also expect better quality matches and more efficient rides with minimal detours, up to a maximum of three stops.

The newly improved GrabShare will be progressively rolled out to selected Grab passengers from Nov 12, and made available to all users by the end of the month.

Drivers can expect more earnings with enhancements to GrabShare as well, the firm said, with the number of passengers travelling in the same car going up from two to three, in a bid to maximise vehicle occupancy. This will help “reduce idle time and improve earnings”, Grab said in its media release.

If a GrabShare ride is unmatched, drivers will be backed by its recently launched Earnings Guarantee programme, which protects drivers’ earnings if they meet weekly trip targets. If they are unable to reach a certain earnings amount despite hitting the targets, Grab will top up the amount.

These aside, from Nov 12, drivers who use the auto-accept function on the mobile application will be refunded 100 per cent of their commission for any unmatched GrabShare ride they complete.

Launched in December 2016, GrabShare has since fulfilled more than 20 million rides, and helped save more than 10 million kilogrammes of carbon emissions, the ride-hailing firm said.

Mr Andrew Chan, head of transport at Grab Singapore, hopes that this improved version of GrabShare will help "move Singapore one step closer to its car-lite vision”, since carpooling helps to maximise occupancy of cars on the road, and reduce carbon footprint and congestion.

Mr Chan added that Grab will continue to gather user feedback, and find ways to improve its services for drivers and passengers.

Ahead of Indonesian ride-hailing firm Go-Jek’s much-anticipated entry into Singapore, Grab president Ming Maa said in an interview at a conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last month that the firm plans to take a cautious approach and push to further improve its services, rather than drive up subsidies in response to competition from Go-Jek here and in the region.

Earlier in May, Grab unveiled three new services: GrabAssist for senior commuters and those with mobility needs, GrabFamily for parents with children aged four to seven, and premium economy service GrabCar Plus.