SINGAPORE: GrabCab will begin plying roads here in July with a 40-car fleet, and aims to attract new and dormant taxi drivers with various benefits.
Some of these benefits include monetary incentives for drivers who fulfil a certain number of rides, and a S$1,000 (US$770) bonus to reward safe driving.
So far, 700 to 800 drivers have registered their interest with GrabCab, of which about 400 to 500 are being considered on the basis of having a Taxi Driver's Vocational Licence (TDVL).
A TDVL is a required licence for individuals who want to drive taxis.
Appointments for pre-registered drivers will begin on Thursday (Jun 5), and from Jun 9, registrations will be open to all eligible drivers.
Mr Victor Sim, head of GrabCab and GrabRentals told the media on Wednesday that attracting drivers from existing taxi firms to join their platform is something they “want to avoid doing”.
He believes that not all TDVL holders in Singapore are active.
“There’s a very big pool of drivers that we believe we want to reactivate, that we can reactivate with our benefits and offerings … that’s a big focus for us,” he said.
It was announced in April that GrabCab will be Singapore's sixth taxi operator after it received a licence to run street-hail services.
GrabCab is a subsidiary of Grab Rentals and the sister company of GrabCar, which holds licences to operate ride-hail and car-pool services.
“GrabCab’s entry into the street-hail sector brings the total number of taxi operators to six, providing drivers and commuters with more choices and is expected to boost taxi supply," the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said then.
The other current taxi operators are CityCab, CDG, Prime, Strides and Trans-cab.
Come July, GrabCab will be launched with an initial fleet of 40 Toyota Prius hybrid cars with a dark green livery, with more vehicles to be added progressively.
Grab said that it will have a 100 per cent green fleet featuring low and zero-emission hybrid vehicles.
Like all taxis, GrabCabs will have a Mobile Data Terminal (MDT), more commonly known as a taxi meter - that will give details such as the fare and profile of the driver.
Drivers who start a shift can use the Grab app to scan a QR code on the terminal, which will sync the app to the vehicle. Details such as fares, and the hired or vacant status of the taxi, will be synced on both the app, as well as the taxi's MDT and its rooftop display.
Using the app, taxi drivers can also switch between street hail and ride-hail jobs.
For passengers, Grab will also offer fares that are in line with prevailing taxi rates in the market.
The flag down fare will be S$4.60, S$4.80 and S$4.80 for 4-seaters standard cars, 4-seater electric cars and 6-seater cars respectively.
There will be 26 cent increments every 400m up to 10km, every 350m after the first 10km, and every 45s of waiting.
Mr Sim said that while GrabCab will be given a three-year grace period to progressively expand its fleet to meet the minimum requirement of 800 taxis, it “does not have plans to wait until the third year” to hit that target.
“We want to scale up corresponding to driver demand … we will do it sustainably,” he said.
There will also be a relief matching feature in the Grab app for drivers that will let them easily find and connect with relief drivers, making scheduling of shift changes more convenient and hassle free.
The GrabCab will be equipped with the Driver App and taximeter for drivers to utilise when operating the vehicle for picking up and dropping off passengers. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
GrabCab drivers could experience benefits such as:
Rental rates for new cars will start at S$117 a day, competitive with other taxi firms which have starting prices between S$115 and S$135, said Mr Sim.
Grab added that the first 100 drivers who sign up with the company will also have a welcome bonus of S$1,888 for a 12-month package and S$3,888 for a 36-month package.
GrabCab will also sponsor eligible drivers up to S$400 for their TDVL application, covering aspects such as course fees, application charges and the medical check-up.
When GrabCab’s licence was approved, transport analysts said that the firm could attract drivers from its rivals and disrupt the industry.
However, Mr Sim said that this is not Grab’s intention.
“If the driver is already driving with another taxi company, and he comes to us … we are not going to turn him away, but at the end of the day, it’s back to our acquisition plan - our focus is on new TDVL holders, and TDVL holders that have gone dormant,” he said.
The reason? To boost the supply of ride-hail and taxi services.
“We are very confident that with our ecosystem, both passenger-facing and back-end, we can leverage that to make GrabCab drivers’ lives easier,” he said.
“Whether or not that will help us to do better than other competitors, I don’t know. We focus on the national supply problem.”
Mr Sim added that the demand for ride and street hail will continue to grow over the next few years, which is why Grab is stepping into the taxi industry.
“When you think about taxis, you think of a sunset industry … so it seems counterintuitive for Grab to launch a taxi business,” he said.
However, he added that the taxi business “still makes a lot of sense in this day and age”.
For example, there are certain periods of high demand such as after concerts that Grab still struggles to provide a reliable supply of rides.
“We believe that with a taxi licence, that gives us the ability to actually provide more consistent, reliable supply for these targeted areas of locations,” he said.
Measures to level the playing field between taxi operators and ride-hail operators were announced earlier this year. For instance, taxi operators will have greater flexibility in managing their fleets, with new regulations allowing them to convert used cars that are less than five years old into taxis.
Grab also has no plans to shift its taxi offerings purely to GrabCab, or prioritise its taxis over other operators. Currently, taxi rides from other taxi operators can also be booked through the Grab app.
“There are no plans to phase it out, it’s still an important platform for our other taxi partners,” said Mr Sim.
“Our aim here is to grow the pie, not to split the pie, or take some away from (other operators).”
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Some of these benefits include monetary incentives for drivers who fulfil a certain number of rides, and a S$1,000 (US$770) bonus to reward safe driving.
So far, 700 to 800 drivers have registered their interest with GrabCab, of which about 400 to 500 are being considered on the basis of having a Taxi Driver's Vocational Licence (TDVL).
A TDVL is a required licence for individuals who want to drive taxis.
Appointments for pre-registered drivers will begin on Thursday (Jun 5), and from Jun 9, registrations will be open to all eligible drivers.
Mr Victor Sim, head of GrabCab and GrabRentals told the media on Wednesday that attracting drivers from existing taxi firms to join their platform is something they “want to avoid doing”.
He believes that not all TDVL holders in Singapore are active.
“There’s a very big pool of drivers that we believe we want to reactivate, that we can reactivate with our benefits and offerings … that’s a big focus for us,” he said.
It was announced in April that GrabCab will be Singapore's sixth taxi operator after it received a licence to run street-hail services.
GrabCab is a subsidiary of Grab Rentals and the sister company of GrabCar, which holds licences to operate ride-hail and car-pool services.
“GrabCab’s entry into the street-hail sector brings the total number of taxi operators to six, providing drivers and commuters with more choices and is expected to boost taxi supply," the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said then.
The other current taxi operators are CityCab, CDG, Prime, Strides and Trans-cab.
Related:
HOW GRABCAB WILL WORK
Come July, GrabCab will be launched with an initial fleet of 40 Toyota Prius hybrid cars with a dark green livery, with more vehicles to be added progressively.
Grab said that it will have a 100 per cent green fleet featuring low and zero-emission hybrid vehicles.
Like all taxis, GrabCabs will have a Mobile Data Terminal (MDT), more commonly known as a taxi meter - that will give details such as the fare and profile of the driver.
Drivers who start a shift can use the Grab app to scan a QR code on the terminal, which will sync the app to the vehicle. Details such as fares, and the hired or vacant status of the taxi, will be synced on both the app, as well as the taxi's MDT and its rooftop display.
Using the app, taxi drivers can also switch between street hail and ride-hail jobs.
For passengers, Grab will also offer fares that are in line with prevailing taxi rates in the market.
The flag down fare will be S$4.60, S$4.80 and S$4.80 for 4-seaters standard cars, 4-seater electric cars and 6-seater cars respectively.
There will be 26 cent increments every 400m up to 10km, every 350m after the first 10km, and every 45s of waiting.
Mr Sim said that while GrabCab will be given a three-year grace period to progressively expand its fleet to meet the minimum requirement of 800 taxis, it “does not have plans to wait until the third year” to hit that target.
“We want to scale up corresponding to driver demand … we will do it sustainably,” he said.
There will also be a relief matching feature in the Grab app for drivers that will let them easily find and connect with relief drivers, making scheduling of shift changes more convenient and hassle free.
The GrabCab will be equipped with the Driver App and taximeter for drivers to utilise when operating the vehicle for picking up and dropping off passengers. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
BENEFITS FOR DRIVERS
GrabCab drivers could experience benefits such as:
- A “safe driving bonus” of S$1,000 for every 12-months free of “at-fault” accidents. This refers to an accident where one driver is deemed legally responsible for causing the crash.
- A 1 per cent “GrabStreak” bonus on fares earned for drivers who complete between 500 to 700 trips a month.
- Fuel discounts of up to 40 per cent at all Caltex petrol stations, and up to 25 per cent discounts at electric vehicle charging providers SP, Charge+, Volt and Shell.
- Fourteen days of medical leave for the first 100 drivers who sign up, while subsequent drivers will have fewer days, but will still be covered.
- Up to S$500 credits for clinic and medical visits.
- Prolonged medical leave benefit that covers up to 90 per cent of loss of street hail and ride-hail earnings, and up to 14 days medical leave and 60 days hospitalisation leave.
- The ability to instantly cash out their fares after every trip using the Grab App.
Rental rates for new cars will start at S$117 a day, competitive with other taxi firms which have starting prices between S$115 and S$135, said Mr Sim.
Grab added that the first 100 drivers who sign up with the company will also have a welcome bonus of S$1,888 for a 12-month package and S$3,888 for a 36-month package.
GrabCab will also sponsor eligible drivers up to S$400 for their TDVL application, covering aspects such as course fees, application charges and the medical check-up.
Related:
TACKLING THE SUPPLY CRUNCH
When GrabCab’s licence was approved, transport analysts said that the firm could attract drivers from its rivals and disrupt the industry.
However, Mr Sim said that this is not Grab’s intention.
“If the driver is already driving with another taxi company, and he comes to us … we are not going to turn him away, but at the end of the day, it’s back to our acquisition plan - our focus is on new TDVL holders, and TDVL holders that have gone dormant,” he said.
The reason? To boost the supply of ride-hail and taxi services.
“We are very confident that with our ecosystem, both passenger-facing and back-end, we can leverage that to make GrabCab drivers’ lives easier,” he said.
“Whether or not that will help us to do better than other competitors, I don’t know. We focus on the national supply problem.”
Mr Sim added that the demand for ride and street hail will continue to grow over the next few years, which is why Grab is stepping into the taxi industry.
“When you think about taxis, you think of a sunset industry … so it seems counterintuitive for Grab to launch a taxi business,” he said.
However, he added that the taxi business “still makes a lot of sense in this day and age”.
For example, there are certain periods of high demand such as after concerts that Grab still struggles to provide a reliable supply of rides.
“We believe that with a taxi licence, that gives us the ability to actually provide more consistent, reliable supply for these targeted areas of locations,” he said.
Measures to level the playing field between taxi operators and ride-hail operators were announced earlier this year. For instance, taxi operators will have greater flexibility in managing their fleets, with new regulations allowing them to convert used cars that are less than five years old into taxis.
Grab also has no plans to shift its taxi offerings purely to GrabCab, or prioritise its taxis over other operators. Currently, taxi rides from other taxi operators can also be booked through the Grab app.
“There are no plans to phase it out, it’s still an important platform for our other taxi partners,” said Mr Sim.
“Our aim here is to grow the pie, not to split the pie, or take some away from (other operators).”
Continue reading...