SINGAPORE: Safety measures for teenagers who book private hire vehicles, and shared food delivery orders with strangers were among a suite of new features unveiled by local tech company Grab on Tuesday (Apr 8).
The features, which also include advanced bookings for airport pickups that keep track of flights in real-time, were presented as part of an inaugural product showcase called GrabX, held at JW Marriott Singapore South Beach.
“As Southeast Asians shift more and more to digital solutions for daily needs, we want to expand Grab’s relevance to their everyday lives,” said Grab co-founder Anthony Tan.
Mr Tan, who is also group chief executive officer, said that the new features incorporate artificial intelligence (AI), adding that such technology is "at the core of how we work and what we build, without ever losing sight of who we’re building for".
At the event, Mr Tan announced that Grab will be deepening its partnership with OpenAI - the company behind ChatGPT - and will be embarking on a new partnership with another American AI firm, Anthropic.
“By working with the two leading AI research organisations, we will push the boundaries of our models (and) fine tune them with our unique insights and data,” he said.
To ensure users aged 13 to 17 travel safely on rides, their Grab accounts can soon be linked to an adult's Grab for Family account.
Teens using the feature will have extra safety measures such as PIN verification.
Upon boarding a private-hire car, teens will have to get a PIN code from the driver and enter it into their own app. The ride starts only if the PIN matches.
This ensures that teens don’t get into the wrong car with the wrong driver, said Grab in a news release on Tuesday. Top-rated drivers will also be assigned as a priority for these teens.
Grab's "Audio Protect" feature, which records sound during the ride for safety purposes, will also be turned on during rides with teens.
Generative AI will soon be added to this feature to "detect in real-time if there is anything dangerous happening in the car, so we can intervene immediately".
The existing Grab for Family account currently allows for family members to join only if they are 18 years old and above, and is available only to Singapore Grab users, according to Grab’s website.
It allows users to know where their loved ones, such as ageing parents, are when they have boarded a private-hire vehicle, and can also let the user message the driver in a three-way chat, among other features.
“Our technology will detect, and flag, if there is unusual activity on a trip - such as a deviation, unplanned stop or premature termination,” the company added.
Grab for Family and the inclusion of teens will be rolled out across different countries starting in May.
Safety features for teenagers on Grab's application were unveiled during Grab's inaugural product showcase event, GrabX, on Apr 8, 2025. (Photo: YouTube/Grab)
For those looking to make small food orders but want to save on the delivery cost, Grab is also rolling out a shared ordering system that allows users to make a group order with strangers.
Called the Shared Saver, the feature uses AI to detect if there are multiple orders in the vicinity of the same restaurant and start a shared order.
A countdown timer will let users know how long they have to add orders to their cart before the order is closed. Users can see on their checkout screen how much they have saved by "piggybacking" on someone else’s order.
A user can also initiate a Shared Saver order, and nearby users interested in the same restaurant can join in.
The feature will first be piloted in Singapore from this month, and with plans to roll it out in other cities by June.
The new Shared Saver feature will allow users to hop on group orders with strangers to save on delivery fees. (Photo: YouTube/Grab)
Other features unveiled include advance bookings for airport pickups, where pickup timings are tracked to a user’s flight status.
Bookings can be made before a user takes the flight, and the flight will be tracked in real-time.
“It can adjust driver schedules dynamically based on actual arrival times, ensuring that the driver is there when you arrive,” said Grab.
This is currently available for bookings at Seletar Airport, as well as I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Yogyakarta International Airport, Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Kuala Lumpur International Airport 1, and Phuket International Airport, with more launches across major cities in the coming months.
A new Dine Out Discovery feature will also be launched to help users find and filter dining options and deals near them.
Users can explore restaurants by cuisine, price, popularity, and walking distance, view menus and reviews, and even make table reservations where available.
The feature will roll out across all markets by May, with reservations launching first in Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand.
Continue reading...
The features, which also include advanced bookings for airport pickups that keep track of flights in real-time, were presented as part of an inaugural product showcase called GrabX, held at JW Marriott Singapore South Beach.
“As Southeast Asians shift more and more to digital solutions for daily needs, we want to expand Grab’s relevance to their everyday lives,” said Grab co-founder Anthony Tan.
Mr Tan, who is also group chief executive officer, said that the new features incorporate artificial intelligence (AI), adding that such technology is "at the core of how we work and what we build, without ever losing sight of who we’re building for".
At the event, Mr Tan announced that Grab will be deepening its partnership with OpenAI - the company behind ChatGPT - and will be embarking on a new partnership with another American AI firm, Anthropic.
“By working with the two leading AI research organisations, we will push the boundaries of our models (and) fine tune them with our unique insights and data,” he said.
Related:
LINKED ACCOUNTS FOR TEENS
To ensure users aged 13 to 17 travel safely on rides, their Grab accounts can soon be linked to an adult's Grab for Family account.
Teens using the feature will have extra safety measures such as PIN verification.
Upon boarding a private-hire car, teens will have to get a PIN code from the driver and enter it into their own app. The ride starts only if the PIN matches.
This ensures that teens don’t get into the wrong car with the wrong driver, said Grab in a news release on Tuesday. Top-rated drivers will also be assigned as a priority for these teens.
Grab's "Audio Protect" feature, which records sound during the ride for safety purposes, will also be turned on during rides with teens.
Generative AI will soon be added to this feature to "detect in real-time if there is anything dangerous happening in the car, so we can intervene immediately".
The existing Grab for Family account currently allows for family members to join only if they are 18 years old and above, and is available only to Singapore Grab users, according to Grab’s website.
It allows users to know where their loved ones, such as ageing parents, are when they have boarded a private-hire vehicle, and can also let the user message the driver in a three-way chat, among other features.
“Our technology will detect, and flag, if there is unusual activity on a trip - such as a deviation, unplanned stop or premature termination,” the company added.
Grab for Family and the inclusion of teens will be rolled out across different countries starting in May.
Safety features for teenagers on Grab's application were unveiled during Grab's inaugural product showcase event, GrabX, on Apr 8, 2025. (Photo: YouTube/Grab)
GROUP DELIVERIES WITH STRANGERS
For those looking to make small food orders but want to save on the delivery cost, Grab is also rolling out a shared ordering system that allows users to make a group order with strangers.
Called the Shared Saver, the feature uses AI to detect if there are multiple orders in the vicinity of the same restaurant and start a shared order.
A countdown timer will let users know how long they have to add orders to their cart before the order is closed. Users can see on their checkout screen how much they have saved by "piggybacking" on someone else’s order.
A user can also initiate a Shared Saver order, and nearby users interested in the same restaurant can join in.
The feature will first be piloted in Singapore from this month, and with plans to roll it out in other cities by June.
The new Shared Saver feature will allow users to hop on group orders with strangers to save on delivery fees. (Photo: YouTube/Grab)
FLIGHT DATA FOR AIRPORT PICKUPS
Other features unveiled include advance bookings for airport pickups, where pickup timings are tracked to a user’s flight status.
Bookings can be made before a user takes the flight, and the flight will be tracked in real-time.
“It can adjust driver schedules dynamically based on actual arrival times, ensuring that the driver is there when you arrive,” said Grab.
This is currently available for bookings at Seletar Airport, as well as I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Yogyakarta International Airport, Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Kuala Lumpur International Airport 1, and Phuket International Airport, with more launches across major cities in the coming months.
A new Dine Out Discovery feature will also be launched to help users find and filter dining options and deals near them.
Users can explore restaurants by cuisine, price, popularity, and walking distance, view menus and reviews, and even make table reservations where available.
The feature will roll out across all markets by May, with reservations launching first in Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand.
Continue reading...