SINGAPORE: Pet owners in Singapore will soon find it easier to transport their furry friends with the beta launch of Grab’s new GrabPet ride option on Wednesday (Feb 20).
Under the new service, passengers with pets will be allocated to Grab drivers who have received pet-handling training and welcome animals in their vehicles. Fares start from S$14.
All household pets approved by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority in Singapore are allowed on GrabPet with the exception of birds, as air fresheners used in vehicles could pose a risk to them, Grab said in a press release.
All pets must be accompanied by human passengers, it added.
A maximum of two medium-sized pets (up to 41cm in length) or one large pet (41cm in length or more) is allowed on a GrabPet ride, and pets must be in a crate or leashed at all times.
According to Grab, “hundreds of driver-partners” have already been trained for the new service.
Vehicles will be equipped with an in-car kit including a back-seat cover, microfibre towel and air freshener.
Grab is also providing additional insurance coverage for pets, passengers and driver-partners on GrabPet rides – a first for a pet transportation service in Singapore, it said.
“While there are existing pet transportation services on the market, most of them typically require bookings or reservations to be made in advance,” said Grab in its press release. “With GrabPet, pet owners can book a ride on-demand, 24 hours a day and seven days a week, as long as there’s an available driver in the vicinity.”
Pet owners had previously been able to transport their animals with Uber’s uberPET ride option, which launched in October 2017. However, that service stopped after the Uber’s Southeast Asia operations were bought over by Grab last year.
Ryde also has a carpool option called RydePet, with rates up to 25 per cent higher than a normal carpool. Animals allowed on RydePet include dogs, cats, rabbits, turtles, hamsters, birds in cages and fish in bowls or plastic bags.
READ: Grab buys Uber’s Southeast Asia operations: Who are the winners and losers?
To mark the beta launch of GrabPet in Singapore, Grab will donate S$3 from every GrabPet ride to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Singapore for the next month.
