Singapore, 18 May 2016 – Grab and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) today announced a one-year partnership to promote road safety, provide emergency assistance and equip Grab fleet drivers with life-saving skills and road safety knowledge across the region. The partnership will upskill Grab drivers with first aid and road safety techniques and draw on Grab’s driver fleets and call centres as a first-responder network during disaster and emergency situations. The multinational collaboration is between Grab, the IFRC and its National Societies across the region.

Grab-IFRC-SRC MOU Signing: Grab, IFRC and SRC team behind the regional and Singapore plans to promote road safety in Southeast Asia. (Third from Left, Left to Right) Mr Lim Kell Jay, Head of Grab Singapore, Xavier Castellanos, Regional Director of IFRC, Mr Benjamin William, Secretary-General/CEO of SRC and Mr Anthony Tan, CEO & Co-Founder of Grab.

Grab and the IFRC will roll out the following plans in 2016, leveraging Grab’s largest land fleet of over 270,000 drivers in the region:

1. First Aid and Road Safety Training: Over 2,000 GrabCar and GrabBike drivers will be trained in first aid and road safety knowledge at no cost to drivers, certifying them with IFRC safety certifications upon completion of training and enabling them to act as ambassadors for road safety.
2. Emergency Alerts and Assistance: In disaster or congestion-prone countries where emergency alerts and assistance are crucial to saving lives during emergencies or disasters, the IFRC will provide Grab’s call centres and drivers with first-hand information, and facilities if available, to allow them to respond accordingly. Over 200 Grab’s call centre operators and staff will also be trained to handle emergency response calls, first aid and road safety knowledge.
3. Road Safety Education: Grab will partner with IFRC to promote road safety awareness, undertaking the role as official transportation partner and distributing road safety education materials through Grab’s fleet network to provide clear and simple life-saving messages to passengers.

“Our global strategy is to build more resilient communities by saving lives and changing minds. The partnership with Grab is a unique opportunity to join expertise and reach of our respective networks to expand a culture of safety on the road,” said Xavier Castellanos, the IFRC’s regional director.

Road safety and emergency response in disaster situations remain compelling needs in Southeast Asia. Globally, 1.25 million people are killed on roads every year. In the six countries where the IFRC-Grab partnership will be rolled out, there are 101,873 deaths each year representing 8.15 per cent of the total global death-toll. From 1970 to 2014, the region – predominantly Indonesia and the Philippines – was hardest hit among Asia-Pacific sub-regions by natural disasters that killed more than 350,000 in more than 500 incidents.^[1] As part of the partnership, Grab and the IFRC will also train selected Grab drivers across SEA in life saving skills, and focus on giving back to society by improving public road safety awareness and supporting initiatives to care for the vulnerable and needy.

“With safety as the backbone of Grab and the region’s largest land fleet of over 270,000 drivers at our disposal, it was a natural consideration to partner with IFRC, the world’s largest international humanitarian organisation, to proactively drive road safety and emergency response to keep the roads safe for all,” said Mr Anthony Tan, CEO and Co-Founder of Grab. “In a region where economic loss from natural disasters constitute 51 per cent of global economic loss^[2], we’re proud that we can harness and train our fleet and call centre network to respond to emergency situations in service of Southeast Asian communities.”

As part of the regional partnership, the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) signed an agreement with Grab Singapore to take plans forward at a country level. Under the agreement, 600 Grab drivers will undergo Citizen First Responder and Road Safety 101 training; and 10 Grab Customer Experience Officers will be trained and certified in Standard and Psychological First Aid within the year. Grab drivers will be empowered to provide first aid and life-saving interventions, while Customer Experience Officers will be equipped to provide tele-support to drivers for self-help during emergencies.

In addition, Grab, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programme, will partner with the SRC in rolling out community and youth projects, such as Community-Led Action for Resilience (CLARE), Project R.I.C.E+ and Safe Steps 2016. Under the partnership, SRC volunteers will work alongside Grab drivers to deliver FoodAid to needy families, help the elderly access health care, and bring the road safety campaign to schools and heartlands.

“Our partnership with Grab is synergistic in so many ways, but more importantly, it has potential to save lives,” said Benjamin William, Secretary General/CEO, Singapore Red Cross. “At the macro level, our collaboration enhances overall community resilience and serves social needs; on the personal level, it can help someone overcome distress or help a vulnerable family access Red Cross humanitarian services, like FoodAid.”

Singapore Red Cross champions ‘one first aider in every home’ as part of its lifesaving mission.

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^[1] United Nations Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific 2014.

^[2] Same as above.

About Grab
Grab is Southeast Asia’s leading ride-hailing platform. Grab solves 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 expanded its core product platform to include private cars and motorbikes. Grab is focused on pioneering new commuting alternatives for drivers and passengers with an emphasis on convenience, safety and reliability. As part of its innovative culture, Grab is testing new services such as social carpooling, as well as last mile and food deliveries. Grab currently offers services in Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. For more information, please visit: http://www.grab.com.

About the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC)
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest volunteer-based humanitarian network, reaching 150 million people each year through its

190 member National Societies. Together, IFRC acts before, during and after disasters and health emergencies to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people. It does so with impartiality as to nationality, race, gender, religious beliefs, class and political opinions. In Asia Pacific, the IFRC is made up of a regional office in Kuala Lumpur with an additional 12 offices strategically located to support activities in the region and to coordinate and support 40 member National Societies, more than 140,000 local units and 9 million volunteers reaching more than 77 million people every year. For more information, please visit www.ifrc.org/Asia_Pacific. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

About Singapore Red Cross (SRC)
Singapore Red Cross is a homegrown humanitarian organisation, dedicated to relieving human suffering, protecting lives and dignity and responding to emergencies since 1949. We serve the vulnerable through our blood donor recruitment programme, home and day activity centre for the disabled, transport aid, food aid, and community first aid. We build capacity and resilience through our training academy, and volunteer and youth development. Beyond our shores, we mobilise and translate contributions from the donor community to relief and recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts, with the aim of helping communities affected by disasters. For more information, please see www.redcross.sg