Singapore-based ride sharing company Grab announced last month it had acquired the Southeast Asia operations of the giant US ride-sharing operation Uber.
With the deal, Grab says it will extend its leadership as the most cost-efficient Southeast Asian platform as it takes over Uber’s operations and assets in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. As part of the acquisition, Uber will take a 27.5 percent stake in Grab.
Wee Tang Yee, country head of Grab Cambodia, talked to May Kunmakara about the deal and what it will mean for its operation in Cambodia since the company launched in the country just over three months ago.
KT: Could you tell me something about the deal? Will Grab take over all Uber here? So, there will no longer be Uber in Cambodia?
Mr Wee: Grab acquires Uber’s operations and assets in Southeast Asia, including its transport and food businesses. The acquisition also covers Uber’s ride-hailing operations in Cambodia.
Our priority is to continue serving our passengers and drivers, and minimise any disruption for them. Both platforms will operate simultaneously for the immediate term to ensure there is sufficient transition time for interested Uber drivers to be brought onboard the Grab platform.
Grab and Uber are working together to promptly migrate Uber drivers and riders, merchant partners and delivery partners to the Grab platform.
The Uber app will continue to operate for two weeks to ensure stability for Uber drivers, who can find out how to sign up to drive with Grab online (www.grab.com/kh/comingtogether).
All Uber employees including ones in Cambodia will receive offers to join Grab. Together, we will strengthen our O2O mobile platform for meaningful everyday services, and drive rapid growth in transport, food delivery, package delivery and mobile payments and financial services.
Uber leaders in Cambodia and Southeast Asia operations will be offered employment in Grab.
Uber employees whose coverage is wider than Southeast Asia will continue to work for Uber.
For passengers nothing will change in the immediate term. Operations will continue as normal. As we work together to combine the Uber and Grab platforms, passengers can expect better service with more drivers and transport options available on one app.
The Uber service will be available in Southeast Asia for two more weeks as we bring Uber drivers to the Grab platform.
Uber riders can immediately download and use the Grab app to book rides for their travelling needs in Southeast Asia.
Uber customers who don’t already have a Grab account will need to download the Grab app and create an account to tap into our combined pool of ride, delivery and payment solutions.
The most important thing is the same. They can book daily rides easily, on-demand and choose the transport service they prefer, whether car, bike or new beta-testing services like GrabTukTuk in Phnom Penh and GrabRemorque in Siem Reap.
However, there’s no need to delete Uber app if you plan to travel outside Southeast Asia. Uber rides outside of Southeast Asia will still be supported.
By acquiring Uber’s businesses, we bring an even broader choice and a better service to consumers. Our combined car fleets, together with Grab’s sophisticated demand-matching technology, will reduce waiting and pick-up times for passengers.
This strengthens Grab’s position as one of the platforms that SEA consumers depend on for all their daily needs. Consumers now turn to Grab for their transport needs at every price point, and their financial service needs.
Apart from this, passengers also get more out of Grab. With GrabRewards, they can also enjoy more value with Grab rides.
