oBike and Grab partner up

Photo sourced by Tech in Asia

OBike today announced a strategic partnership with ride-hailing company Grab.

For starters, oBike will integrate GrabPay into its app, offering its riders another cashless payment option and the ability to earn GrabReward points. Grab branding will also appear on its bikes.

These are the first of various joint initiatives that the two firms will launch “to improve the on-demand transport infrastructure in Singapore,” oBike said in a statement today.

The company said it would reveal the specifics of those other initiatives in the coming weeks. It didn’t say if its bike-sharing service would be integrated into Grab’s app, but that might be a possibility.

In a separate statement, Grab said that it’s “open to all partnerships” for GrabPay and “will continue to expand options where our customers can use GrabPay as a mobile wallet.”

“In addition, we are always exploring new mobility options that cater to consumers with different traveling preferences and price points. Bicycle sharing complements Grab’s current transport service offerings as a viable first and last mile option for commuters. We look forward to exploring collaborations with all transport providers in the industry.”

The announcement comes as no surprise given that Grab is an investor in oBike – a rumor that oBike confirmed to Tech in Asia today. Plans for a tie-up in Singapore also surfaced last week.

An eagle-eyed Tech in Asia reader spotted what looked like oBike bicycles decked out with Grab branding being loaded onto the back of a truck along Commonwealth Drive in Singapore’s Queenstown area. We weren’t able to independently confirm it then, and both Grab and oBike declined to comment at the time.

Photo sourced by Tech in Asia

The wheel cover panels clearly display a “GrabCycle” logo alongside that of oBike, while the bike frame also appears to carry both logos.

Photo sourced by Tech in Asia

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