From today, October 23, consumers living in the east side of Singapore will be able to use GrabExpress for the delivery of parcels and items.
Prices for the on-demand delivery service start from SGD6, with SGD1 charged for every 1km. Parcels are subject to a 5kg weight limit, and to be no bigger than 32cm by 25cm by 12cm.
The fees will not be subject to surge pricing and Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges, according to a report by Todayonline.
The service is currently in its pilot phase, and will available from 8am to 11pm daily for now in selected areas. The areas covered include Changi, Tampines, Paya Lebar, Bedok, Marine Parade, Geylang, Kallang, Bendemeer, Jalan Besar, Bugis and The Esplanade.
“We will be studying the results of this beta trial and gathering feedback from users and delivery partners before rolling it out to everyone,” Mr Melvin Vu, regional head of markets at GrabExpress.
Consumers may place up to 10 deliveries at one time. This is “especially useful” for businesses and small- and medium-sized enterprises dealing with multiple customer orders, said Mr Vu.
Currently, according to regulations set by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), private-hire car drivers and taxi drivers are not to be allowed to do courier services without a passenger on board. GrabExpress deliveries will hence be made by GrabFood’s motorcycle fleet for now.
“The company is hoping to eventually extend this service to GrabCar and GrabTaxi drivers, and has been in constant discussions with the LTA,” Grab said.
If approved, the arrangement would allow all drivers and delivery partners on its platform to earn more income and to better use their vehicles when providing services.