After many years of fierce head to head battle in Southeast Asia, Uber is laying down their arms and leaving the market to local player Grab. Much like they did in China, they are no longer offering services in the region; however, in exchange for their surrender they are picking up a significant stake in Grab.
This is a huge win for Grab and even for Uber. Grab gets to own the market for themselves, and Uber will still have a huge stake in the region through its minority ownership of Grab. They can retain their funds and resources to deploy them in regions where they still have competitors like Lyft in the US and Ola in India.
The biggest loser will be the riders and customers who will see prices rise as Grab no longer needs to add subsidies to win market share against Uber.
Here is the email Uber just sent to their user base in Southeast Asia:
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And here’s info from the Uber help site:
Information about Uber’s sale to Grab
What this means for you: we will be transitioning our services over to the Uber platform by 8 April 2018, so all requests after that date should be made from the Grab app. However, you can still use the Uber app in more than 80 countries around the world.
What you should do:
Download the Grab app here: https://grb.to/edmpax
Create an account For new Grab riders, apply promo code GRAB4W and take your first Grab ride
For more information on this transition, please visit t.uber.com/sg/uberandgrab or grab.com/sg/comingtogether.
Thank you, and we look forward to continuing to serve your city with Grab.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What changes are occurring?
Uber will be combining operations with Grab to lead you into the next chapter of ridesharing in Singapore. Once the transition happens, all your interactions will be managed directly by Grab.
When can I expect these changes to occur? What happens until that date?
The official transition date will occur on 8 April 2018; you can use the Uber service as you normally would until then. However, we recommend downloading the Grab app as soon as possible to ensure service continuity.
Will I still be able to use my Uber app after the transition?
After the transition, your Uber app will continue to display your account information and past trips, however it will no longer display any vehicles in Singapore. You can continue to use the Uber app and service in all other markets globally where Uber operates.
What does this mean for me as a rider?
You will not be able to use the Uber app to request for vehicles in Singapore after the transition date of 8 April 2018; you will need to use the Grab app to hail rides instead. Please download the Grab app if you don’t already have it.
Will my information be shared with Grab?
To make things easy for you, all data and information you previously shared with Uber (other than payment information) will be transferred to Grab. Account information, such as rides and trip history, will not be visible in the Grab app.
What if I already have a Grab account?
If you are already a Grab user, then please continue to use your existing Grab account when hailing rides.
Will I have access to my trip history from Uber?
Your trip history with Uber will remain within the Uber app. You can also sign-in to Uber.com to view your full trip history.
I need to access my receipts for an expense- will I still be able to do this?
Yes, you can view all your trip receipts within the Uber app. Signing in to the Uber.com site will also allow you to re-send your past receipts
I have a promotion on my Uber account- what will happen to this after the transition?
All existing promotions on Uber will cease to be active after the transition. We encourage you use your existing promotions and credits before the transition date of 8 April 2018.
I have an outstanding support query- will this get resolved?
Uber will continue to support you for any trips taken on our app. If you have already submitted a request, our team will address it shortly.
Should you request a trip or have any issues with the Grab app, please contact Grab directly here.
I am a U4B customer, how will this change affect me?
U4B services for employees of local and global companies will not be supported for trips taken in the territories after the transition. Rides outside of the territories taken in the Uber app will still be supported through existing U4B agreements. If you or your employer are interested in a Grab for Business account, please share your company details via grabforbusiness.com and our country based team will be in touch within 24-48 hours. Additionally, Uber will reach out all U4B customers based in the territories within 30 days to discuss a potential transition of services to grabforbusiness.com.
What if I have more questions?
For more help, please contact Uber support within the ‘Help’ section of your Uber app, help.uber.com. For any Grab related questions, you can access support via the in-app Help Centre or at grab.com/help