First regional pilot in-car CCTV programme for female GrabCar drivers

Industry-first and largest comprehensive personal accident insurance coverage in Southeast Asia’s ride-hailing industry

Grab, Southeast Asia’s leading ride-hailing platform is upping up the ante on safety initiatives for GrabCar, which is available on the Grab app (formerly known as MyTeksi App). Drivers and passengers can now benefit and enjoy safer rides with the two added safety features, namely the pilot in-car CCTV cameras in GrabCars in Malaysia, and the introduction of the first-of-its-kind largest (in terms of coverage) insurance policy in Southeast Asia.

According to a road safety report by the World Health Organisation (WHO)^[1], road traffic injuries kill approximately 316,000 people each year in Southeast Asia. The region, which comprises 8% of the world population, disproportionately accounts for a quarter of the global total of road traffic deaths.

Therefore, these two new initiatives are part of Grab’s on-going initiative to enhance current safety features to address the growing concern for road safety in Southeast Asia.

Pilot in-car-CCTV Initiative

Malaysia, the first in the region recently introduced in-car CCTV cameras in GrabCars driven by female drivers as an added protection for both drivers and passengers. “The CCTV cameras which are installed progressively in 100 selected cars is aimed to ensure on-the-job safety for our female drivers and also in the event of any disputes by either driver or passenger,” said Jaygan Fu, Country Manager of Grab Malaysia.

The female drivers were selected based on their active performance and ratingsfrom passengers for their service rendered. “To-date, we have not received any negative feedback from either drivers and passengers, in fact drivers laud the initiative as it makes them feel safer on the road, especially when they are driving for Grab,” added Fu.

Largest Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) Coverage

Applicable for all GrabCar passengers and drivers (GrabBike in certain regions), the group PAI safeguards drivers and passengers. This gives them a greater peace of mind knowing they are covered against personal accidents, as some commercial insurance purchased individually by drivers only cover third party. This is beneficial to both drivers and passengers as any unfortunate contingency will be covered from the first dollar, therefore neither needs to pay for any deductibles and this additional insurance is at no charge to either party.

Applicable to all 28 cities in the six countries that Grab operates in, the group PAI policy covers any events such as accidental death, permanent dismemberment and bodily injuries in the event of accidents for drivers and passengers. This is the largest coverage with the total personal accident benefits for both driver or passenger with up to RM64,200 per person in Malaysia. (Each incident will be evaluated individually by the insurance providers and coverage amount differs across markets.)

How Grab Rides Are Covered: Grab Personal Accident Insurance provides an additional layer of free insurance on top of commercial auto insurance, which has differing coverage for drivers and passengers. Insurance coverage for GrabTaxi is subject to taxi fleet company policies.

Grab sets industry best practices with safety initiatives

To help reduce the number of traffic accidents in Southeast Asia, Grab has also rolled out significant safety initiatives across Southeast Asia. In the Philippines and Indonesia, it has been operating defensive riding courses for GrabBike, and this will soon be rolled out in Thailand. In Singapore, Grab has been working with the Singapore Traffic Police to promote safety awareness, with plans to improve safety education for drivers.

These initiatives are complementary to current Grab’s safety features such as:

1. Stringent background screenings – all GrabCar drivers go through detailed background checks and briefing sessions on proper SOPs and code of conduct prior to being a GrabCar driver.
2. “Share-my-ride” – Passengers can share their ride on social media so family and friends can track their journey in real time and know their whereabouts.
3. PDRM button – In the event of any emergency or drivers observe any disturbance, they can connect to the nearest police station with a click of the button.
4. 24-7 customer service support – Catering for both passengers and drivers, both passengers can drivers can contact the customer service department for assistance or to report any incident. All reports will be investigated and if required, action will be taken by Grab.
5. Dual payment option – This added convenience allows GrabCar passengers in Malaysia to pay via credit card to avoid them having to carry ample cash in-hand to pay for their ride or to rummage through their bag or wallet for money risking losing or dropping any belongings to pay the driver.

Grab continues to lead the industry in safety initiatives. Consumer and driver trust in the brand continues to grow, with the Grab app downloaded on more than 12 million mobile devices and over 220,000 vehicles across the region registered in the Grab network.

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 About Grab

Grab is Southeast Asia’s leading ride-hailing platform. We solve critical transportation challenges and make transport freedom a reality for 620 million people in Southeast Asia. Grab began as a taxi-hailing app in 2012, but has extended its product platform to include private car services (GrabCar), motorcycle taxis (GrabBike), social carpooling (GrabHitch) and last mile delivery (GrabExpress). Grab is focused on pioneering new commuting alternatives for drivers and passengers with an emphasis on speed, safety and reliability. The Company currently offers services in Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. For more information please visit: http://www.grab.co.

^[1] World Health Organisation report: Road Safety in the South-East Asia Region 2015