Grab extends hawker-food delivery programme to 16 more locations

GRAB is expanding its pilot programme that lets the customers of hawkers order food from a few stalls within the same hawker centre and pay just one delivery fee.

The programme, which debuted in May 2020, involved only hawkers in the food centre in Block 724 in Ang Mo Kio Central. Following what Grab described as an "encouraging" trial run, the programme will now be expanded to 16 other locations, with up to 188 hawkers expected to take part.

Named Hawker Centre 2.0, the programme is aimed at supporting hawkers hit by the Covid-19 situation, and at finding a sustainable digitalisation path for them.

Grab typically takes a commission of 25 to 35 per cent of the value of the order from merchants, but under this programme, participating hawkers are charged a reduced commission rate.

Grab said the hawkers in the pilot programme had doubled their sales. The extended trial will put the programme to the test on a bigger scale. It will be in operation until December.

Yee Wee Tang, managing director of Grab Singapore, said: "Besides supporting with tools and a wide network of delivery-partners, along with a dedicated operational team to support the hawkers, we are actively looking at ways to keep costs manageable, including commissions paid to us, so that they can grow and optimise their online business in a sustainable manner."

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The 16 other hawker centres to be included in the expanded programme are: Golden Mile Food Centre, Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre, Kovan Market & Food Centre, Chomp Chomp Food Centre, Block 127 Toa Payoh Lorong 1, Block 75 Toa Payoh Lorong 5, Block 22 Toa Payoh Lorong 7, East Coast Lagoon Food Village, Geylang Serai Market, Blocks 79/79A Circuit Road, Block 16 Bedok South Road, Bedok Food Centre, Block 85 Bedok North Street 4, Block 208B at 81 New Upper Changi Road, Block 503 West Coast Drive and Block 448 Clementi Ave 3.