It’s official, guys!
Previously, there were rumours that Grab would be taking over Uber in Southeast Asia and these rumours have already been confirmed. Now, on March 26, Grab released a statement affirming that both ride-hailing giants have finally merged into one.
Source: Marketing Interactive
Their statement reads,
“Grab will integrate Uber’s ride-sharing and food delivery business in the region into Grab’s existing multi-modal transportation and fintech platform.”
“With the combined business, Grab will drive towards becoming the #1 online-to-offline (O2O) mobile platform in Southeast Asia and a major player in food delivery.”
Uber will still be available in countries outside of Southeast Asia and they will also have a stake in Grab. Grab said,
“Grab will extend its leadership as the most cost-efficient Southeast Asian platform, as it takes over Uber’s operations and assets in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. As part of the acquisition, Uber will take a 27.5% stake in Grab and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will join Grab’s board.”
Source: Tech in Asia
Sean Goh, Country Head of Grab Malaysia says that this is a major milestone for the company ever since its inception six years ago. He added, “We are now on track towards our goal of becoming the #1 ride-hailing, fintech and food delivery platform in Southeast Asia, an achievement for all our Grabbers and driver-partners who have been out serving their passengers all across our eight countries and 195 cities in the region.”
So, here’s what is going to happen because of the merge:
1. By April 8, Uber’s services in Southeast Asia will be unavailable
Source: Auto Evolution
For starters, Uber passengers need not worry immediately but by April 8, all of Uber’s services in Southeast Asia will be unavailable. Grab says that they will be taking these two weeks to switch Uber drivers to the Grab platform.
They are currently working to combine both platforms in order to provide better service to passengers. Unfortunately, this means you can only use the Uber app when you are outside of Southeast Asia.
2. The same Grab fare structure will still be in place
Source: Grab
Grab has assured that the fare structure for their various services will remain unchanged based on what their passengers are used to.
3. UberEats will be gone from Southeast Asia
Source: RESG
Sadly, UberEats will not be available in Malaysia and other regions in Southeast Asia anymore but instead, it will be replaced with GrabFood in May.
GrabFood is already in existence in Indonesia and Thailand and now, they will be expanding to Singapore and Malaysia as UberEats is already established there. Grab will not be stopping there, but will be developed in all major Southeast Asian countries in the first half of 2018.
4. Your account information in the Uber app will be transferred to Grab
Source: Cnet
The Uber app can still be used in countries where Uber operates, just not in the Southeast Asia region. Your Uber account will still be active and you can still view all your information in the app. However, the data that you have shared with Uber (excluding payment information) will be transferred to Grab, but it will not be visible in the Grab app.
5. Uber for Business users can no longer use this service in Southeast Asia
Source: Cyber Free Wishes
If you’re using Uber for Business, then you need to look for an alternative as this service will no longer be supported for trips taken in Southeast Asia. Uber for Business users riding outside Southeast Asia can still use this service.
For more information, visit Grab’s page here.
Goodbye, Uber. It has been a great ride! 🙁
Also read: Malaysians May Not Be Able to Use Uber in SEA Anymore, Here’s Why
