Grab now lets some users book rides while travelling in Japan and the Middle East

Grab has partnered with Splyt, allowing users to book local rideshare services in Japan and Middle Eastern countries using their Grab app. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star

Grab has partnered with rideshare services in Japan and Middle Eastern countries, allowing users to book rides using the company’s app.

The service – currently available for Singaporean and Filipino users – lists the other brands’ services as a type of ride in the app, allowing users to pay with the GrabPay eWallet and earn reward points.

Ride bookings are fulfilled by JapanTaxi in Japan and Careem in the Middle East, and cover five Japanese cities and 94 cities across 13 Middle Eastern countries, including United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Oman, Turkey, Jordan, Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Bahrain, Lebanon and Kuwait.

This means users won’t need to download the corresponding ride-hailing app, JapanTaxi or Careem, in those countries.

In a press release, the company states that the Grab app will be set to the user’s preferred language and automatically translate messages sent via in-app between drivers and passengers.

It recommends users to set up and verify their eWallet and to top up with sufficient credit before a trip.

The ride share services will automatically be available under the Transport section once the user lands at their destination.

Reward points accumulated during the trip will be useable even after the user returns home.

“In the unlikely event of an emergency, users can access local emergency services through the Grab app,” the company said.

The new service is done through a partnership with Splyt, a service which connects ride hailing services

Though not yet available in Malaysia, Grab says it aims to extend this service to users in other South-East Asian countries by 2020, subject to regulatory approval.