Daily Briefing: ComfortDelGro pilots new booking service amidst strong demand; Grab Ventures unveils subscription plan for food-delivery partners

And SIA inks deal to boost tourist arrivals in Maldives.

From ChannelNewsAsia:

ComfortDelGro will pilot a new booking service called ComfortRIDE on its taxi booking app to allow passengers to book rides with fixed fares set based on demand at the time of booking.

With the pilot, a small group of passengers can use the app to choose between a traditional metered taxi option and the new ComfortRIDE option which will despatch either a taxi or possibly in the future, a private-hire vehicle. 

ComfortRIDE, which will only be applicable for current bookings, will see fares adjust according to market demand and supply, said ComfortDelGro. "Peak demand fares will, however, be monitored and any surges, will be limited and not exponential. The fares will conversely be lower during off peak," said the company. 

Read more here.

From e27:

Grab Ventures has announced its new subscription plan for its food delivery-partners across the city-state.

Under the subscription plan, food delivery partners will enjoy unlimited rides on GrabWheels’ e-scooters available at close to 30 pick up or drop off points across the island. They will pay $75 (US$55.07) per month.

The subscription plan allows the delivery partners to pick up and return the e-scooters for their day’s work. Grab Ventures believes that this syncs in well with the nature of their job which brings them to different parts of the island.

Grab also said that it provides the riders with complimentary helmets and ask them to complete a safety checklist to test their knowledge and raise their awareness on the safety protocols of using the e-scooter upon sign-up.

Read more here.

From TTG Asia:

Singapore Airlines (SIA) and the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) have entered into an MoU to jointly promote tourism and boost visitor arrivals to the Maldives.

Under the one-year agreement which takes effect from May 5, 2019, each organisation will invest US$180,000 in cash and US$40,000 in kind to fund activities such as roadshows, joint marketing campaigns and familiarisation trips for media and travel industry representatives.

Joint promotions aimed at Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and the US
The activities are aimed at visitors from Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and the US.

Tourist arrivals into the Maldives increased by 6.8% year-on-year to 1.5 million for calendar year 2018. Since 2017, more than 30% of annual tourist arrivals into the Maldives have come from the aforementioned countries.

Read more here.