It feels like Grab (formerly MyTeksi) has been around for a while now, and it was surprising when the company announced that its GrabCar service in Penang has finally went live on May 25th, 2016. But before that, on April 6th, GrabCar was also launched in Johor Bahru. In between the launch of GrabCar in these two cities, on May 9th, Grab also announced that it has lowered the price of GrabCar rides from the Klang Valley to KLIA or KLIA2, to just RM65.
With the addition of the two new cities, Grab is now operating in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Malacca, Kuching, Penang, and Kota Kinabalu.
GrabCar Penang
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GrabCar’s Penang launch came as a bit of a surprise since GrabCar began its operations in Klang Valley in May 2014, around three months before uberX was launched, but Uber has already been operating in Penang since last year. However, Uber’s strategy seems to focus more on key markets; it is now operating in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Ipoh, Johor Bahru, and Kota Kinabalu. Meanwhile, GrabCar is a local company and seems to know its markets better. While it seems to be slightly behind Uber to launch in Penang, you’ll have to remember that Grab also has its existing GrabTaxi/MyTeksi service (in Penang and many other areas) that Uber lacks.
Penang is one of the most popular tourist spots in Malaysia, and you would think that folks visiting our country would immediately use Uber instead. That may be true, but Grab has also recently partnered with Didi Chuxing (formerly Didi Kuaidi), Lyft, and Ola, effectively covering China, the U.S., and India, in addition to Grab’s existing Southeast Asian market, in one fell swoop. Grab just updated its app to now allow Lyft users to hail for GrabCar rides from their existing Lyft apps without needing to install Grab when they’re visiting Southeast Asia. Likewise, when we visit the U.S. we can also use our Grab apps to hail Lyft rides. This feature seems to only be available on the updated Grab apps on Android and iOS. It will just be a matter of time before Didi Chuxing and Ola users can hail GrabCars from their respective apps too.
One of the most unique features of GrabCar is its fixed fare feature, unlike the competition that has a meter-based system that makes fares unpredictable. GrabCar’s Economy rides also received a permanent 60% drop in overall fare, and the combination of that, plus GrabCar’s flexibility to allow cash payments as well as credit/debit cards, do give GrabCar an edge over the competition. Toll charges have to be paid separately though.
Regardless where you are in Malaysia, as long as you’re in Grab’s coverage area, you’ll enjoy the same benefits of GrabCar as you would from its GrabTaxi/MyTeksi service. Drivers are supposedly required to go through “stringent background checks” and cars beyond six years of age need to be reviewed. Both passengers and drivers have access to Grab’s 24/7 customer service. For added safety, drivers have an in-app PDRM button to connect to the nearest police station in the event of an emergency, and passengers could share their ride to social media platforms for family and friends to track their whereabouts. Not only that, Grab also recently introduced a ‘Personal Accident Insurance’ policy that covers both passengers and drivers, and the company is also currently running a pilot in-car CCTV program.
Finally, just to give a quick mention, during the launch of GrabCar in Penang, the company also had a limited-time promotion that runs from May 25th until June 7th. During this period, folks in Penang get to enjoy two (2) RM25 rides to the Penang International Airport, by using the code ‘HELLOGRABCAR’ and select credit/debit card as the payment method. Of course, the code no longer works after June 7th.
There is also something Grab mentioned that I thought I should share. The company encourages us, especially when riding alone, to sit in the front passenger seat for a “smooth experience”, which is likely to prevent us from being stopped by SPAD officials.
RM65 GrabCar rides from Klang Valley to KLIA or KLIA2, and vice versa
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The two free RM25 rides to Penang International Airport promotion is an extension of Grab’s recent pricing revision (RM90 to RM65) of GrabCar rides from Klang Valley to KLIA and KLIA2, or the other way round. That’s right, at RM65, rides to or from KLIA/KLIA2 are now around 28% cheaper than it used to be.
This move clearly seems like an answer to Uber. Back in December 2015, uberX dropped its KLIA/KLIA2 fixed fare to RM75, but GrabCar Economy’s rate just one-up’d uberX’s. The new rate is also timely considering KLIA Express just increased its fare earlier this year, from RM35 to RM55. Just remember that toll charges for GrabCar rides still have to be paid separately, and a direct bus service from KL Sentral to KLIA/KLIA2 should just be around RM12 per person.
No special codes are required for the new RM65 fare to or from the airport. It is also supposed to be a permanent fixture, until further notice. On a related note, uberX’s RM75 fare to the airport was supposed to end on January 5th, 2016, but it too seems to have been extended indefinitely until further notice.
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