Step into the fascinating world of Singapore’s ride-hailing scene!
While Grab reigned supreme, formidable rivals sought to challenge it. Learn about these challengers who decided to take on Grab before and after Uber’s departure.
Join us as we rekindle the memories of these underdogs in the ride-hailing race!
Jugnoo
Jugnoo was founded in 2014 and hails from India. It operates auto-rickshaws on demand in India.
They announced their intention to compete in Singapore in April 2018. They had planned to introduce a bidding model for passengers and drivers to match up.
After 3 months, Jugnoo announced that they were shutting down their Singapore app and would be partnering with a local start-up Kardi to fight the big boys.
Kardi
Karid is a Singapore-based ride-sharing firm that launched to the public on 1 August 2018.
Kardi planned to offer low-cost to luxury private-hire car services.
FILO
Filo Technologies is a local start-up founded in late 2017. According to The Straits Times, Filo will only collect a 12 per cent commission, which is lower than Grab’s 20 per cent, and they will cap it at $400 a month.
URGE
URGE, a Singapore-based company, seeks to gain a share of the market after Uber’s departure. It soft-launched on 19 August 2018.
It had planned to differentiate itself from the competition by offering an array of services on its app, which included private-hire car service, food delivery, and courier services.
It was also one of the few companies that pays a basic salary and CPF.
SixTNC
In 2017, SixTNC launched at a ceremony held at the Mandarin Orchard Singapore. The launch garnered both fanfare and scepticism, with claims that drivers could earn a six-figure income annually by driving just eight hours a day.
SixTNC explains that central to the firm’s business model is a referral scheme.
A driver who referred another person to join the scheme would receive a 5 per cent cut of the latter’s earnings. Additionally, drivers were required to pay 20 per cent of their earnings to SixTNC.
An annual income of $100,000 was possible if a driver recruited 30 others, with the assumption that all of them earned $150 a day.
Karhoo
British entrepreneur Daniel Ishag founded Karhoo. It stood out as one of the more promising challengers due to its strong funding compared to local start-ups and a partnership with taxi giant ComfortDelGro.
Karhoo is a comparison app, that enables commuters to choose a cab or private-hire car from various companies, considering factors like cost, arrival time, and vehicle type.
Unlike GrabTaxi and Uber, Karhoo collaborates with cab companies, enabling the integration of hundreds of vehicles onto its platform in one go.
However, it was reported that they will close down in 2016. It was even before the launch of their ride-hailing services in Singapore.
In 2017, reports indicated that someone had rescued them, and they were contemplating re-entering the Singapore market. However, the outcome remains unknown.
After Uber’s departure from the market, there were several, and perhaps more brave souls that attempted to seize a piece of the ride-hailing market. However, some of these hopeful ventures faced challenges and likely fizzled out before they could even launch their services.
