Grab launches food delivery service in Singapore as UberEats app is discontinued

Grab launched a food delivery service in Singapore on Monday (28^th May), as it aims to position itself as a one-stop essential services app, beyond just ride-hailing. Starting as a taxi-booking app in 2013, the Singapore-headquartered start-up has since ventured into bicycle rental, e-payments, micro-financing and package delivery.

Grab Singapore Head Lim Kell Jay said at a press briefing that GrabFood is a "significant step" to serving the everyday needs of consumers, beyond just transport.

GrabFood was piloted in selected regions in Singapore a few weeks ago, but is now available islandwide with "thousands" of eateries on the platform, said Grab.

There will be no minimum order requirements for GrabFood. Users can also plan and order meals up to five days in advance.

In addition, they can earn reward points on the GrabRewards system, which can be used to redeem other lifestyle products, such as food and beverage.

In March, Grab acquired Uber's South East Asia operations, including its UberEats business, which was phased out on Monday. Besides Singapore, GrabFood will also be launched in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines within this quarter. Competition in the region's ride-hailing industry is heating up, following the exit of Uber.

Indonesian ride-hailing giant Go-Jek said last week that it would be expanding into Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines in the next few months, but did not share details. Go-Jek said it will launch a transport service first but intends to offer its other services - such as massages and food delivery - on its platform in time.