While apps like Grab and Uber have made hailing a ride much easier, many folks still rely on call and text messaging to close the deal. This is especially true in the Philippines, where the personal nature of the Filipino comes into play, even when riding-sharing.
This is why Grab has unveiled GrabChat, its newest service that, as the name implies, allows drivers and passengers to communicate via chat—without actually leaving the ride-sharing app. While still in its beta (testing) phase, GrabChat has saved both parties a whole lot of text messages—something like 85,000 for drivers and 45,000 for their passengers.
Beyond cost savings, the app is also designed to save lives. Using preset message templates, drivers can easily send replies such as “I’ll be there in 2 minutes” or “Ok” without having to take their eyes off the road. Moreover, GrabChat has been proven to lessen the number of cancellations as both driver and passengers can now coordinate with ease and security.
With GrabChat being available throughout Asia, features such as auto-translation, enabling of location and MMS using photos sent in by riders, localizing of message templates for each specific country, and expanding the service to GrabHitch, GrabExpress, GrabFood will soon commence. At present, GrabCaht is only available for GrabCar and GrabTaxi. Pretty soon, however, Android and iOS users can download it from Google Play and the App Store, respectively.
