MyTeksi and GrabTaxi rebranded to Grab, redesigns logo, introduces GrabWork

GrabTaxi, previously known as MyTeksi in its country of origin that is Malaysia, has been rebranded to just ‘Grab’. The company chose Singapore to make this announcement as the country is also where Grab’s HQ is located in. Grab not only introduced the new brand, it also unveiled its new app update, plus new GrabPay and GrabWork features to improve the user experience. The new app features are said to be rolled out to both MyTeksi and GrabTaxi apps on January 28th itself, but on iOS as of February 1st, only the MyTeksi app is updated.

New Grab logo

The rebranding move saw the introduction of a new logo design. Grab calls the brand new logo a representation of their growth as well as their promises to provide “the freedom to get to your destination safely and conveniently”, “the freedom to choose the best transport option”, and “the freedom to pursue a rewarding livelihood”. It was designed “with freedom at its core”, with the dual lines inspired by roadways. Grab said they also represent “the endless road of possibilities”, and the parallel journey Grab is taking with its passengers, drivers, employees, and society at large.

Grab’s feature updates

In line with the rebranding, Grab also updated its MyTeksi and GrabTaxi apps to reflect the new logo, plus to introduce new features. Grab said that the new app is “lighter” and also provides faster access and in ride bookings. Here are the four key user experience improvements:

• Registration process is simplified, where Android users can easily sign-up using their Facebook account, and Grab will automatically identify user’s identity and mobile phone number. Grab said this Facebook sign-up feature will be rolled out to iOS in the future. I did notice a Facebook button on Grab’s iOS app already, but this could be just for signing in, not for signing up.
• You’ll now get personalized locations for a faster, two-click booking experience. Pick-up and drop-off points will be pre-filled based on your favorite locations (which you can already save by ‘starring’ them). The preferred locations will also be ranked by the day, time, and user’s’ current location. Think of it like Google Now for booking your rides.
• If you can’t get a ride on the first attempt, the app will automatically retry the booking for a “hands-free” booking experience, without having to go through the booking process again.
• There is this live driver tracking feature for a better estimation of pick-up times. You can see a live view of the Grab vehicle as it makes its way to pick you up, giving you a better estimate of the arrival time, and a better idea on when to head to the pick-up point.

Tan Hooi Ling, co-founder of Grab

Tan Hooi Ling, co-founder of Grab, said:

“We are focused on designing the best possible product for our users. We take a hyperlocal approach to understand what users in each Southeast Asian city prefers, from language preferences to payment options. The updated Grab app is about improving the core experience – we want to make it as simple as two clicks to book a ride.”

Besides the improvements, there are also four “new features” that will be rolled out to Grab soon, if not already (in some regions):

• Flash searches both GrabTaxi and GrabCar — It is a new button on the main screen; when pressed it’ll search both the closest taxis as well as GrabCars for you to determine the best option to get to your destination. For example, if your usual preference is to take the GrabCar, but at that moment no GrabCars are available, you’d usually go back and maybe try a budget taxi or GrabCar+. With Flash, it’ll reduce a few steps and saves you time. Flash is already available in the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam on January 28th. Malaysia received this update on January 30th. Thailand is said to get it in February, but no word as to when Indonesia receives this feature.
• GrabPay accepting multiple credit/debit cards — GrabPay is a new way to use your credit/debit card to pay for rides. It was already available in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore, but previously you can only enter one credit/debit card number. As of January 28th, Singapore users can now enter multiple card numbers. Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines will get this update in February, while the GrabPay service itself will only be introduced to Thailand and Vietnam sometime in the first half of this year.
• GrabWork’s business rides — This is a brand new feature that is now available in all-six Grab regions since January 28th. It allows employers to enroll their companies at https://www.grab.co/business/ for themselves and their employees to expense business rides separately and on-the-go too. Other new in-app features include the expense code and trip detail fields, for tracking and expense claims purposes. Users can log-in to Grab Passenger Hub (https://hub.grab.co/) to download their consolidated business or even personal statements, for claims submission. Also, with multiple credit/debit card support, users can easily switch between their personal and company payment options.

MyTeksi and GrabTaxi is now known as Grab

Tan Hooi Ling, co-founder of Grab; and Anthony Tan, Group CEO and co-founder of Grab

Think of this rebranding as not dissimilar to how Google restructured itself to be under the new parent company Alphabet. As MyTeksi expands beyond Malaysia, it had to adopt the name ‘GrabTaxi’ for the previous spelling may appear quirky to folks who don’t understand Malay. When the company takes on new ride services to offer (like bikes and private cars), it can no longer call itself GrabTaxi, and hence, the rebranding to Grab. From here on out, all of the company’s services, which currently include taxicabs (GrabTaxi), private car rides (GrabCar), motorcycle taxis (GrabBike), social carpooling (GrabHitch), and last-mile delivery services (GrabExpress), will be encompassed under one umbrella brand — Grab.

Grab said the rebranding signifies its market dominance in Southeast Asia, a region where the competition like Easy Taxi had to pull out from. Founded around the same time with its service launched in June 2012, Grab said that it evolved from the humble taxi-booking app to become Southeast Asia’s largest land transport company. It chose to expand only if it knows the region well, and also made sure it localizes the services offered; one example being GrabBike where it is only available in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, but not in Malaysia and Singapore (yet).

Anthony Tan, Group CEO and co-founder of Grab

Group CEO and co-founder of Grab, Anthony Tan, said in the recent Malaysian newsletter to subscribers:

“Looking back, it’s very humbling for me to think of how we started. Our first office was a little guardhouse and the whole team could fit around one “mamak” table. We didn’t even have internet and had to tether off internet from our phones to our computers. It was 2012 and all we set out to do was to help people by improving the taxi service. Then we realised we could do more. We can truly change the way people travel for the better, not just in our city, but throughout Southeast Asia.”

As of mid-2015, Grab experienced a 35 percent average monthly growth in GrabCar rides, and a 75 percent average monthly growth in GrabBike rides across the six regions it is operating in. Not only that, Grab now has over 200,000 drivers, 11 million mobile app downloads, and 1.5 million app bookings, across 28 cities it is operating in, spanning six countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. As for market penetration, Grab now has a 95 percent market share in third-party taxi-hailing apps (GrabTaxi), and more than 50 percent market share in the private car-hailing segment (GrabCar).

Tan added:

“We’ve grown over the years – and we’re now much more than a taxi app. This new brand is an important evolution that represents our goal to outserve our customers. We are not only providing passengers with a transport service, we are saving them time and ensuring they have a safe ride. Grab aims to make transportation accessible to everyone in Southeast Asia. We have set the benchmark in the industry, with the most number of transport services that cater to all price points, all available in one app. We have something for everyone – and are committed to delivering the best possible user experience.”

Grab Freedom Day

To celebrate the rebranding exercise, Grab is having its Grab Freedom Day in capital cities of all six countries it is operating in. Hundreds of “Grabbers” during event, including the management team across all regions, will spend a day as Grab drivers. Rides driven by Grabbers were free of charge, and the value of the ride were donated to the regions’ respective charities.

Cheryl Goh, VP of Marketing for Grab, commented:

“In order for us to outserve our customers, we need to understand them and what better way than spending an entire day as a driver and for a good cause too.”

In Malaysia, the charity’s beneficiary was Persatuan Mobiliti Selangor dan Kuala Lumpur (Mobility Association of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur), where Grab offered a door-to-door transport service for wheelchair users.

Grab Freedom Day took place in the Philippines on January 29th, and on Malaysia and Singapore on January 30th. It will be happening in Vietnam on February 2nd, and Indonesia and Thailand on February 3rd. Photos of this initiative (in Malaysia) can be found on Grab’s Facebook Page here: https://www.facebook.com/GrabMY/.

Tan concluded in Grab’s recent Malaysian newsletter:

“We started new transportation services around the region with cars, bikes, deliveries and more. And our simple idea grew to something much bigger. Because of this, we are more determined than ever to make sure we are accessible to everyone, anytime, anywhere. No one should be left behind. And we will keep on raising the bar for the safety of our service. The Grab team and I live by these missions.”

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