GrabCar officially launched. Latest premium Driver on Demand service in KL

The guys behind MyTeksi has just launched GrabCar, a service which lets you order a chauffeured-driven car from your smart phone. With GrabCar, you get the same accessibility and convenience of MyTeksi but now you get a choice of a more premium ride at affordable rates. The service competes directly with Uber which has a similar offering but there’s some differences in terms of delivery.

At the launch, its CEO Anthony Tan has shared a few pointers of MyTeksi service since its launch 23 months ago. Currently they have gotten 1.2 million app downloads and there’s a booking every 2 seconds. Similar to Uber, GrabCar partners with fleet operators that are stringently checked for safety of its customers. MayFlower is one of their partners and they are using Nissan Teanas for the GrabCar service.

There’s no separate app for GrabCar and its runs from the existing MyTeksi app. So if you have one installed, you can order a GrabCar immediately by switching to the GrabCar tab. At any one point if you can’t get a GrabCar, you have the convenience to switch to Executive or Budget Taxi from the same interface. Safety and Convenience is key at GrabCar and you’ll also get to share your ride with your family and friends which allows them to track your trip in real time.

The GrabCar fares are calculated as follows:

GrabCar Rates

Off-Peak – Base Fare RM4.20 + RM1.60/KM
Peak – Base Fare RM6.00 + RM2.30/KM

The minimum fare is RM8 and is calculated based on distance. Since the fare has no time-based calculation, you know exactly how much your trip would cost even before you board the vehicle. This means no fare shock if you get stuck in traffic or face unexpected delays. As comparison, Uber charges a base fare of RM3.00 followed by a subsequent fare calculation of RM1.15/KM and RM0.35 per minute.

A trip from KLCC to Mont Kiara with GrabCar would cost RM20 during off-peak and RM28 during peak hours while a trip from Bangsar Shopping Complex would cost RM11 during off-peak and RM16 during peak hours. The classification of Peak and Off-Peak hours are similar to normal traffic situations, which means Peak Hours would kick in during the usual rush hours in the morning and evening.

Unlike Uber’s service which is cashless, payment for GrabCar is similar as MyTeksi where you pay cash to the driver at the end of the trip. For a start, they are currently covering Mont Kiara, Bangsar and the KL Golden Triangle Area. Best of all, there’s no mid-night surcharge making it perfect for late weekend trips.

You can download the app which is the same as MyTeksi through the links below:
Android
iOS
Windows Phone
BlackBerry World