Booking.com launches ride-hailing service through Grab tie-up

Online travel platform Booking.com has launched an on-demand ride-hailing service through a partnership with Grab.

Photo credit: Grab

The new service allows users to not only book Grab rides from within the Booking.com app but also make cashless payments in their own currency. It removes language and currency barriers that can hold travelers back from using local transport providers, according to a statement.

Users in Singapore may now access Grab’s ride-hailing services from Booking.com’s app starting today. It will be available in Indonesia and Thailand by the end of the year, and in Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, and the Philippines by early 2020.

Grab and Booking.com also plan to continue testing and developing more products for travelers in Southeast Asia, Bryan Batista, CEO of Booking.com’s transport division, said.

According to the statement, the latest move is part of a wider strategic partnership between Booking Holdings and Grab. Earlier this year, Grab introduced direct hotel bookings through its app in collaboration with Agoda and Booking.com. Booking Holdings also injected US$200 million into Grab.

The company is partnering with transport providers all around the world to give travelers personalized transport options, the statement said. Through its transportation services, Booking.com allows users to pre-book taxis in over 120 countries and shop for rental cars in more than 160 countries.

The online travel booking platform, which claims to have over 29 million accommodation listings worldwide, currently employs 17,500 employees in 198 offices in 70 countries globally.