Malaysia is one of the largest countries in south east Asia. It has vast geographical area of more than 127,724 square miles. Known as the pride of Asia, Malaysia frequently tops global rankings in terms of satisfaction and economic power. Moreover, it is also ranked currently as the world’s 44th most populated country, with the current population at the head count of almost 30 million. If you are a foreign national looking to work elsewhere or are a tourist here on vacation, Malaysia is the perfect location for you. With over 13 federal states, Malaysia guarantees that no matter who you are or where you come from, there will always be a place for you.
However, navigating yourself through this vast country may pose as a tricky problem- as a tourist or a foreign national living in Malaysia, you may find yourself in need of a means of transportation- aside from public transport and taxis, that is. While Malaysia has a very concise and affordable public transport system, sometimes that may not be enough, in these cases, you may need to invest in your own means of transportation.
Aside from driving on your own in these cases, where transport may be an emergency, you may opt to book a “Grab Car”. What is a grab car, you may wonder. To put it simply, Grab is a company founded in Singapore that offers users peer-to-peer ridesharing. I.e. real-time ridesharing, where users of the app can share their location to be matched to a driver in that area who can drive them to said location. In general, peer to peer ride sharing is much cheaper than booking a taxi and can be much faster than taking public transportation. Founded in 2012, Grab is currently Malaysia’s most popular ride sharing platform.
One of the biggest perks of using Grab is that they have a preset fee for transport to and from the airport, in comparison to taxis hired from the booth. The latter of which are subject to massive price fluctuations.
Apart from ride-sharing, Grab has also developed and expanded to offer the following as well:
Known as GrabFood, GrabFood is a food delivery service that connects a variety of restaurants in the user’s areas on one platform. This makes it much easier to look for a food item without having to go on multiple different website.
Grab also has door to door parcel delivery. Where you may simple arrange for your parcel to be picked up from your location to be delivered to anywhere you’d like.
With the introduction of GrabPay and GrabWallet, users can also pay their bills via the Grab App as well.
It is to be noted that Grab has a policy of increasing the prices of the trips during periods of heavy traffic or peak hours. These peak hours are usually during the mornings and evenings. I.e. when people commute to and from work. But they may also be incurred if there is bad weather, where many users will be requesting a ride.
You may be apprehensive about riding in a car with someone who is essentially a stranger. Therefore, we at S&F Consulting have put together the following tips. These are designed so that by following them, your safety is put at the forefront.
Tips to ensure safety in a Grab Car:
By requesting for your driver to meet you inside of an establishment, you will not need to wait outside in a potentially unsavory area.
Before stepping into the car, always double check if the car’s license plate matches the number displayed on your app.
By keeping your seatbelt on at all times, you will reduce your likelihood of injury in any potential accident.
By using the backseat, you are always certain of having a potential exit on both sides.
As soon as you get into the car, share the details of your trip (e.g. license plate, car make, driver’s name) with either a family member or a friend. This is for safety.
If you find yourself feeling uncomfortable at any point of the trip, do not hesitate to cancel the trip. Or in the worst case scenario, do call an emergency service number.
If you are an expat living in Malaysia and would like to find out methods for you to have your own transport, you may refer to our article here. This article is focused on how to obtain a driver’s license in Malaysia.
To conclude, finding transport in Malaysia should pose no issue for you. With its abundance of public transport systems as well as ride sharing systems such as Grab, staying in Malaysia will be nothing short of an adventure for you. You may want to know about the online business opportunity in Malaysia. Regardless of where you come from, you will always be sure to fulfill your dream here. If you are still in doubt about anything, do not hesitate to contact one of our friendly customer service representatives. They are available to channel 24/7 and will be more than happy to put your mind to ease. We at S & F Consulting, as officially registered agents in Malaysia, pride ourselves on ensuring that you, will always receive the best!
