First, the taxi industry and now, the bus industry. Which industry will Grab set its eyes on next?
The battle between Grab and Uber as Singapore’s favorite ride-hailing app continues.
But it looks like Grab has a leading advantage with the introduction of its new service, GrabCoach, which targets group travelers.
Grab has been stepping up its efforts to contribute to a car-lite society. Besides the standard ride service, GrabCar, the company has been testing several concept services: GrabShare, GrabHitch, Robo-Car and GrabFamily.
So it’s only natural Grab sees an opportunity to digitize the coach business. The traditional coach-chartering business is often a clunky process; you’d have to call to make a booking, and often days in advance. And in the event of a weekend emergency (a funeral, for example), it’s frustrating trying to find a business that’s open.
But now with GrabCoach, booking a coach will be a breeze!
How It Works
Grab has partnered with Go-Fleet, a local transport management company, and there are 200 vehicles ready for use. There are three categories of coaches: 13-seater, 23-seater and 40-seater. The one-way fares are priced at S$65, S$95 and S$150 respectively.
These buses can be booked from the Grab app on-demand or up to seven days in advance. Users can then access their driver’s profile, track the coach’s location in real-time, and be notified once their ride arrived.
Shaking Up Things
With this new service, the coach industry will be facing tough competition. Since Grab has made it so easy for us to book coaches, we wouldn’t want to waste time going to traditional coach companies.
There are three options traditional businesses can consider. One, they can do nothing and hope for the best. Two, they could try to come up with their own booking app. And the last option is to partner up with Grab, but this will likely depend on Grab’s assessment of the business and quality of its fleet.
Just as how the taxi industry had to adapt to this disruption, it’ll be the same for the coach industry.
Other Possible Services Grab Can Introduce
After targeting the coach industry, what other services could Grab introduce? Here are some interesting service ideas we think Grab should consider:
1. GrabBike
This service was introduced in Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand, though they were suspended due to regulations issue.
If regulations are more favorable here, then Grab could consider starting GrabBike. Motorcycles may not be as popular here compared to neighboring countries, but there’s still a lot of motorcyclists on Singapore roads, and a number of them are single riders.
Besides picking up a pillion rider, GrabBike can also be used for small deliveries.
2. GrabSchool
A lot of Grab drivers are parents as well, and they would have the morning routine of dropping their kids off at school.
Perhaps Grab could introduce this service to parents who have no cars and have their kids hitch a ride with drivers whose children are headed to the same school. This could be done as a monthly service for a fixed price.
3. GrabMosque
Muslim men are required to attend Friday prayers, usually between 1 -2 pm. You’d have probably seen a long line of vehicles parked alongside the road near any mosque.
It’d be good if people hitch rides instead of driving to the mosque on their own. This service could also be offered as a monthly plan.
4. GrabPet
As a pet owner who has an off-peak car, it can be challenging when I need to bring my cats to the vet for medical checks. Most taxis won’t take us. And although there are pet taxis around, it’s hard to get hold of one especially if you’re in a rush.
It’d be good if Grab could introduce this service so these pet taxis can register with them and other pet-friendly drivers could also help out.
So what do you think of GrabCoach and what other services do you think Grab could offer?