Singapore, 9 March 2018 – Grab, the leading on-demand transportation and mobile payments platform in Southeast Asia, today unveiled GrabCycle Beta, a marketplace app that will bring mobility partners oBike, GBikes, Anywheel and Popscoot into a single app. With GrabCycle, it’s easy for anyone to find a bike or an e-scooter whenever they need one. This is a pilot project by GrabVentures, Grab’s innovation arm to test new mobility and payment concepts.

Grab also announced Sentosa as its first GrabCycle Venue Partner, as part of a broader strategic partnership between the two companies. There will be dedicated GrabCycle bike parking stations across Sentosa, which would make it easy for users to find a parking space anywhere they go. Difficulty in finding bike parking spaces is one of the top reasons for indiscriminate parking. At GrabCycle Venue Partner locations, bike parking will be better organised, without polluting public spaces. This will be rolled out at other GrabCycle Venue Partner locations.

Grab has also partnered YCH, Singapore’s largest home-grown supply chain solutions company, to manage proper parking and rebalancing of GrabCycle vehicles at venue partners’ locations.

“Commuting can be a more seamless experience if multiple transport services are available and easy to access. GrabCycle supplements the public transport network and is in line with the government’s commitment to build a greener and more livable city. I’m excited to introduce our very first zero-emission transport service and the most affordable transport option yet for our consumers. With GrabCycle, we move one step closer towards our vision of being a true multi-modal platform with transport options to suit every need,” said Reuben Lai, Head of GrabVentures, Grab.

“The GrabCycle marketplace reflects our belief in working with the right partners to improve mobility in cities. Together with our partners, we hope to re-design public spaces for bike-sharing and other personal mobility options. We will study commuting patterns and use data to identify and build new cycling pathways and common parking spots for our users,” added Lai.

“As part of Sentosa’s efforts to create great guest experiences, we are always seeking ways to improve accessibility into and around our island for our guests to enjoy Sentosa’s unique leisure offerings. Cycling is one of the best ways visitors can access Sentosa’s gems and enjoy our pristine natural environment, now enhanced with our network of cycling tracks and walking trails. Giving our guests more convenient access to bicycles through GrabCycle strengthens mobility across the island and allows visitors to discover hidden corners of this island. Our partnership with GrabCycle also augments recent efforts to also bring mass transportation with the extension of SBS Transit’s Service 123 into Sentosa last July.” said Ms Jacqueline Tan, Assistant Chief Executive, Sentosa Development Corporation.

A connected, green and livable city

Bike-sharing brings significant benefits to cities and people. It is green and is four times more space efficient than cars. In Copenhagen, the City of Cyclists, bicycle traffic has led to a reduction of approximately 90,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.^[1] Bike-sharing is also highly affordable for commuters, making it an effective and scalable solution to supplement public transport coverage in countries.

In Singapore, approximately one in five car commutes are three kilometers and under. There is huge potential to convert this segment of commuters into bike-sharing users, in support of the country’s car-lite ambition. With GrabCycle, the first personal mobility marketplace in Southeast Asia, Grab wants to unlock the freedom of cycling and scooting. Benefits for users include:

• • Access the largest variety of shared bikes and electric scooters using just one app: Grab’s internal research revealed that 69 percent of bike-sharing users ranked the ease of finding a bicycle as the top factor for considering which bike-sharing app to use. GrabCycle taps on the collective network of multiple brands to drastically improve bike and Personal Mobility Devices (PMD) accessibility, making it super easy for users to find a bike or scooter within their vicinity
• • Pay securely with GrabPay Credits and earn points on-the-go: The GrabCycle app is designed for GrabPay Credits users to encourage cashless transactions in Singapore. Users will have to link the GrabCycle app to the main Grab app to set up.
• • Ride-and-redeem GrabRewards points: In addition, for every dollar spent, users get GrabRewards points, bringing them one step closer to redeeming exciting deals and discounts on the GrabRewards catalogue. Examples of GrabRewards partners include Singapore Airlines, Spotify, Deliveroo, Cathay Cineplexes, and many more.

Designing cities for active mobility

Cities today are built around automobiles. With the increasing popularity of bike-sharing, cities now need to think about reallocating space for bikes and PMD users. In addition to creating more parking stations in Singapore with GrabCycle Venue Partners, Grab will work on the following initiatives:

• • Using data to build a friendly bike-share environment: Grab can leverage its troves of data and insights to collaborate with public and private sector organisations to develop new cycling pathways and common parking spots, improving the experience for cycling enthusiasts and all road users.

• • Implementing technology to aid enforcement: The government is studying technology solutions to manage and aid enforcement of indiscriminate parking. Grab will work closely with the government to support implementation plans.

• • Engaging the community on bike-sharing etiquette: The success of bike-sharing is highly dependent on its users. Grab intends to partner relevant stakeholders to conduct community outreach programmes to raise awareness of the responsible use of shared bikes and road safety.

GrabCycle Beta is currently in production.

^[1] C40 Cities Case Studies