In the Philippines, GrabCar was fully legalized after being accredited as a Transportation System Company (TNC) by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in 2015. [96] The following year, Malaysia approved plans that legitimize Grab and Uber services and transform its taxi industry. On April 4, 2017, the Malaysian government introduced amendments to existing transport laws that would regulate transportation demand services and protect drivers from harassment. With this change, Grab and Uber`s vehicles were classified as public service vehicles in order to legalize both services to transform the country`s public transportation services. [97] The amendments were passed by the Malaysian Parliament on July 28, 2017, which directly legalized both services to operate in the country. [98] Similar laws were passed in Singapore in February 2017 legalizing the service. [99] Since its inception, GrabTaxi has received the majority of votes in an online poll conducted by Singapore`s Straits Times as the taxi app of choice. [100] Recent regulatory issues have arisen for third-party booking apps such as GrabTaxi, but there appear to have been few issues with the company in the 6 markets where it is located. The tech company also received support from the Malaysian Public Land Transport Commission (SPAD) when the ministry introduced the use of technology with GrabTaxi apps to improve the efficiency of taxi drivers in Malaysia. The company is working with the government department to improve the image of taxi drivers in the city. [101] [102] [103] In 2015, GrabTaxi opened a $100 million research and development center in Singapore`s central business district.
[91] The new facility will house 200 engineers and data scientists over the next few years. Recent hires include Wei Zhu, a CTO, former Facebook engineer and creator of Facebook Connect, who left the company in August 2015. [92] This focus on recruiting software engineers and data scientists for the new facility suggests that the company`s strategy is to develop new tools, as well as potentially expand application and service capabilities and human resource management. [93] By the end of 2018, Singapore`s data science department had more than 60 data scientists, most with PhDs, and was leading all R&D facilities in IP creation. In 2016, the company will open a new development center and office in Seattle that will serve as a technology hub to attract talent to the United States. [94] The company states that it has no intention of launching operations in North America. [95] In May 2016, the Vietnam Roads Authority (DRVN) suggested that Grab and Uber taxis should have signs on their cars to distinguish them from conventional taxis, a proposal that sparked a wave of protests from many local taxi companies. Most taxi companies claimed that the change would amount to legal recognition of services, as local taxis face numerous government restrictions, such as restrictions on the number of vehicles, bans on using multiple routes, payment of higher taxes and higher operating costs, while Grab and Uber have been excluded from these requirements. [105] In response, the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport reviewed the legal status of Grab and Uber to ensure a fair business environment for businesses. [106] In early 2018, a draft of a new circular containing rules for the carriage of passengers (by motor vehicle) by software directly focused on these applications was submitted.
[107] Managers (legally) do not even know their legal basis. Everything is for a temporary solution. I don`t know how they qualify for such roles, but that`s the fact. You just have to bite the ball and keep working if you can. You`ve contributed more than you do in your role, but they (managers) wouldn`t appreciate it. Well, it`s not their fault, because they don`t even know their own basics of work. At Grab, we prioritize diversity and inclusion in the workplace because «companies that are more diverse, starting with the management team, tend to have stronger strategies with longer-term views» – People Manager at Grab, Ong Chin Yin Learn more about life at Grab and our diversity and inclusion statement here. Christopher Betts left the Hong Kong corporate firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom earlier this year. He was one of their star partners. He joined start-up Grab Holdings in Southeast Asia as General Counsel and has since helped the company close the world`s largest SPAC transaction. In September 2017, a teenage girl from Matraman, Indonesia, was sexually assaulted by a Grab motorcycle taxi driver, who drove her to her friend`s house rather than her internship office in central Jakarta.
After his arrest, the driver was dismissed indefinitely and Grab apologized with the full support of the victim and his family. [120] In December 2020, Grab is reportedly in talks with GoJek to merge their operations into the largest internet merger in Southeast Asia. [76] In another case in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, on December 1, a Grab driver dropped off a passenger when he was punched in the face by a former Malaysian athlete who has anger issues. [ref. The driver allegedly dropped the woman and her mother in the wrong house, even though the good house was a few houses away. The former athlete allegedly beat the driver as he tried to take a photo as evidence of unlawful treatment by the two passengers. [121] [122] A press conference was scheduled to give the driver and perpetrator an opportunity to make amends over the next four days, but the perpetrator did not attend the press conference as promised. There has been an outcry for the attacked driver Grab on social media. In the end, the attacker was banned from the Grab platform forever. [123] Grab Holdings Inc., commonly known as Grab, is a Singaporean multinational ride-hailing company headquartered in Queenstown, Singapore. [13] [14] In addition to transportation, the company offers grocery delivery and digital payment services through a mobile app.
The driver was arrested by police two days later. In response, Grab issued a statement, saying it would «not tolerate physical or verbal violence.» [119] In April 2014, the company secured over $10 million in Series A funding from Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India[79] (part of the Vertex Holdings network of funds).