Grab

Grab is a ride-hailing app that lets you book a taxi in just two taps, using either cash or direct debit to pay for the journey. Based primarily in Singapore, the company also operates in neighbouring Southeast Asian nations, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia with a view to begin operations in the US.

A great feature of Grab is the simple GrabChat, which allows passengers to effortlessly communicate with the driver without having to worry about overseas charges. If, for example, you have set a location but have had to move, you can quickly send a message directly to your designated driver who will be instantly alerted.

There is also a loyalty scheme that rewards customers who have repeatedly used the app to make journeys. The more you travel, the more benefits you will receive, such as cinema tickets and discounts on air travel, with Platinum the highest membership available.

Another feature that is very useful is GrabPay, in which you seamlessly pay for journeys with credit top ups, and even share them with friends and family. This secure system makes sure that transactions are safe from fraud or account theft, an occurrence that could be a problem should you upload all your bank details to the app. This flexible payment option is different to other taxi services, which often require you to enter your card information.

One of the problems with Grab is that drivers can refuse to pick you up if they don’t like the look of your profile. This can be a problem if you are in need of a taxi quickly and have no alternatives nearby, whereas traditional taxi services are less likely to refuse to take someone. Furthermore, due to the exceedingly low price of journeys, drivers are very reliant on tips, which you may feel obliged to pay out.

David Jones

I am a professional travel writer and travel enthusiast who traveled the world twice, so I am sharing my firsthand knowledge about everything related to travel and spending time abroad.