Competition be damned, ’cause Grab is expanding and setting its sights on things other than ride-hailing. Yesterday, it announced its launch of four new services to be progressively rolled out in Singapore by June this year. That means besides getting a private-hire car or food deliveries, you can also book hotels, plan your public transport journey, watch videos, and buy movie tickets on the app itself, now that Grab has partnered with Agoda, Booking.com, HOOQ, and BookMyShow.
According to data from Grab, residents in Singapore are apparently the most well-traveled in Southeast Asia. So if you’re making vacation plans soon, the app could come in handy to compare prices across Agoda and Booking.com under the “Hotels” section of Grab. It’s starting to be available to selected users in Singapore now, and will be fully launched come May.
Alternatively, those bored with whatever Netflix has to offer can find over 8,000 hours of on-demand streaming of Hollywood hits and regional titles via HOOQ on the app. The video content debuts in May, with two months of free views for those who subscribe through the Grab app, followed by a monthly cost of S$7.98.
And hey, if cinema sites ever crash again (like they did for Avengers: Endgame), now you could have a backup with the new “Tickets” platform coming to Grab in June. The collaboration with BookMyShow will offer tickets to screenings at cinema chains like Cathay Cineplexes and Carnival. Oh, and the next time your Grab driver ditches you (for the umpteenth time), perhaps you can check out the “Trip Planner” service instead for real-time public transport info and directions.
You probably already have separate apps for all these services, but this could come in handy if you’d like them all consolidated into one platform.
The company also announced it has plans to have 500 GrabPlatform partners by the end of the year.
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