A local player comes to the forefront in the wake of Uber’s exit
When news of Grab’s acquisition of Uber’s Southeast Asia assets broke earlier this week, it was fair to say that what we were most concerned about was whether the merger would mean Grab’s monopolisation of the ride-sharing industry.
While Grab has released an official statement that the fare structures remain unchanged (with even shorter wait times and faster pick-ups) following the acquisition, the idea of only having one ride-sharing service still doesn’t sound quite reassuring. Simply put it, we love choices just for comparing prices.
But before you grab your Kleenex and weep in solidarity with us over the eventual demise of them promo codes, a plot twist reveals itself!
On March 28, local carpooling platform RYDE announced that it will soon launch its own private-hire service, RydeX, in a bid to fill the void left behind by Uber.
Here are six things you need to know about the homegrown app and RydeX before the private-hire service officially launches within the next few weeks.
1. Drivers earn more with RydeX
Compared to Grab and Uber, which can take up to 20% commission of each ride, RydeX will take only 10% of each fare, allowing riders to earn more.
2. Lower fares for passengers
According to Ryde’s chief executive Terence Zou, the lower commission taken from the drivers will also translate into lower fares for commuters. Details are scant at the moment as Ryde finalises its pricing structure, but we do know that it will include dynamic pricing in which fares fluctuate based on supply and demand.
3. Carpool for schooling kids
Parents who need help with pick-up and drop-off for your children now have another option instead of the school bus. Ryde School lets you find trusted parent-drivers in the neighbourhood whose children attend the same school as yours, so carpools can be safe and reliable.
4. Ryde with your pets
Ryde offers a pet-friendly carpool option, matching riders with passengers who are comfortable with having pets in their cars. Prior to RydePet, the only other platform for a fuss-free ride with your furry friend is through Uber’s uberPET. Naturally, the rates for RydePet can be up to 25% higher than a normal carpool ride.
5. There are different types of rides
Much like GrabHitch, GrabShare, and JustGrab on Grab, and uberPOOL, UberFLASH, and uberX on Uber, Ryde offers multiple carpooling options for passengers. RydePool (per pax) is comparable to uberPOOL, where the driver can pick other passengers up, but with a stricter rule of only one passenger per RydePool. RydePool (per trip) gets you to your destination direct without any other pickups, much like JustGrab and uberX, which is kind of like RydeX…yea, it’s quite confusing.
Perhaps Ryde can consider naming the two services differently instead of grouping them both under the RydePool umbrella to prevent confusion.
6. Easy price comparison
Gone are the days when you have to check both Uber and Grab to see which one gets you to your destination for a few dollars cheaper. Ryde acts as a ride-sharing aggregator, allowing you to see the cost of your trip on Uber, Grab, and even metered taxi rides on ComfortDelGro.
We did a quick check to see if the fares reflected on Ryde was accurate. A RydePool (per trip) from our office in Paya Lebar to Esplanade at 3pm cost $7.10, while JustGrab is reflected as $8 on the Ryde app, exactly the same as the price reflected on the Grab app.
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