Grabs Expands Services To More Areas In Malaysia
Grab has expanded its GrabCar, GrabFood and GrabMart services to more areas in Malaysia to empower more local communities. This round, its expansion exercise covers more rural cities and townships in the Southern and Northern regions of Malaysia, putting areas like Mersing, Segamat, Cameron Highlands, Pantai Remis and Baling in its list.
This announcement was made at the Desamall@Mersing launch, officiated by Minister of Rural Development, Yang Berhormat Datuk Dr. Hj. Abd Latiff Ahmad. The expansion is part of homegrown Grab’s ongoing journey to not only cater to the daily needs of Malaysians but to also help create further income opportunities for gig workers and businesses, as well as to strike a balance for a more sustainable industry.
According to Grab Malaysia, the GrabCar service will be available in Mersing and Segamat at the end of September 2020. The GrabFood and GrabMart services (both of which are cashless, via GrabPay) are planned for a fourth quarter launch. Meanwhile in the Northern region, Grab will be covering Cameron Highlands, Pantai Remis and Baling.
This is part Grab’s initiative to spread economic activity via digital services to boost rural communities, where the median income is 41% less than the urban areas (according to the Household Income & Basic Amenities Survey Report 2019, Department of Statistics Malaysia).
“As a proponent of the digital economy, we are proud to bring our technology to these communities to provide Malaysians with more safe, reliable and affordable solutions. At the same time, we are creating more income opportunities across our wide ecosystem of services that includes transport, food and mart especially in the rural areas. With this expansion, we also look forward to working with local councils and partners to further support the economic activities in these areas, so they are empowered to thrive in the digital economy” said Ben Chin, Head of Outer Cities, Grab Malaysia.
Additionally, Grab has also extended its “Pakej Pikul Bersama” initiative to include new driver-partners on the platform by providing a one-off reimbursement of up to RM120 for PSV licenses, and RM 70 for initial PUSPAKOM vehicle inspections. The “Pakej Pikul Bersama” initiative is designed to help driver-partners get comply with the regulations announced by the Ministry of Transport in 2019.
Grab has a belief that no one should be left behind economically. Currently, 1 in 70 persons in Southeast Asia earns an income through the Grab platform. In Malaysia, Grab is aiming to play a bigger role in supporting and creating more income opportunities across the country. Grab has implemented a first-of-its-kind benefits programme for Malaysia’s gig economy to help partners across the ecosystem improve their welfare. Moving forward, the introduction of other Grab services such as GrabFood and GrabMart in the coming months will further help increase business and income opportunities across the country.
Grab’s network expansion follows the government’s vision for the nation to embrace the digital economy and provide opportunities to Malaysians through technology and innovation. The expansion of GrabFood and GrabMart into these additional cities and townships aims to provide an additional avenue for businesses to expand their customer base by tapping on the millions of Grab users. Grab will work closely with the rural entrepreneurs by collaborating on customised promotional campaigns and strategy, helping them to grow their business on the platform.
“We hope that these expansion initiatives will help ensure a fair and inclusive gig economy while realising our nation’s vision for a more robust digital economy in the new normal” concluded Ben.
