Grab invests S$10 million in Singapore for GrabCar

GRAB, a ride-hailing platform in South-east Asia, is pouring S$10 million into the GrabCar private hire car segment for Singapore.

In a statement to the media on Thursday, Grab said that the investment covers the end-to-end support for new and existing GrabCar drivers including supporting drivers in obtaining their Private Hire Car Driver Vocational License (PDVL) and all related fees; building a community of new and experienced drivers; co-contributing to drivers' MediSave; and strengthening Grab's technology and operations to ensure that it is compliant with the new Road Traffic Act.

To help GrabCar drivers obtain their PDVLs quickly and seamlessly, Grab is defraying all PDVL-related charges including the application fee, medical check-ups, training and test fees.

Grab also encourages its driver-partners to contribute to their MediSave and plan for their future and will contribute to the drivers' future medical needs, making it the first ride-hailing company to do so.

Its MediSave Programme matches a percentage of a driver's earned incentives, subject to a driver's own contribution to the individual's MediSave account and a maximum monthly cap of S$200.

Also recognising that many new drivers need time and support to learn how to achieve a sustainable income, Grab has started a Road Stars programme to build a driver support network for the longer term by pairing two experienced drivers with new drivers in teams of five.

Head of Grab Singapore Lim Kell Jay said that as local passenger demand for direct, on-demand car services continue to expand, "we believe the focus Grab places in helping our drivers succeed in earning a sustainable income and have peace of mind with better care for their medical needs will make driving a long-term sustainable option for more in Singapore".

KEYWORDS IN THIS ARTICLE

BT is now on Telegram!

For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes