Grab invests in London startup Splyt, accelerates cross-app integration of ride-hailing services

Grab will offer car rentals, with drivers and guides, to tourists visiting Indonesia

With Grab having participated in the Series A funding round of London-based startup Splyt Technologies, the two mobility companies are now enhancing their collaboration to expand into travel markets around the world.

Grab and Splyt already enable international travellers to book Grab rides across 336 cities in eight South-east Asian countries through their preferred apps.

Beyond the Splyt app, Grab rides will also be available on the apps of particular Splyt partners like Crip and AliPay

As Splyt works with big travel players to integrate mobility directly into platforms, more travellers will be able to access Grab’s range of transport options without having to download a separate app.

For example, Ctrip and AliPay customers visiting South-east Asia can already take Grab rides through their own apps, via a solution powered and enabled by Splyt.

Splyt is also working with Booking Holdings to integrate ride-booking into their OTA platforms. Booking.com consumers will be able to book Grab rides through the Booking.com app by 3Q2019.

Targeted for completion next year, the second phase of the partnership will integrate Splyt and Grab’s global network of mobility partners into the Grab app.

Grab users travelling beyond South-east Asia can continue to book rides through the Grab app, and have them fulfilled by Splyt’s partners.

Travellers can use their app in their native language, and even pay in their home currency. Grab also plans to add features such as in-app travel tips, restaurant reviews and attraction recommendations, to offer an even richer travel experience to its users.

“This partnership will unlock a world of options for the increasingly well-travelled South-east Asian, letting them roam easily across the world through an app they already know and trust,” said Mark Porter, chief technology officer for transport.

Following Grab’s investment into Splyt as part of the latter’s recent US$8 million Series A funding round, Porter also joins Splyt’s board of directors and will bring his experience shaping Grab’s technology and strategy to Splyt’s 50-strong team.

Fresh funds will be used to accelerate Splyt’s expansion into new markets, improve its proprietary technology, and strengthen its wide network of institutional demand and supply partners for ground-based transportation.

The round is considered the largest Series A funding within the transportation connectivity platform segment, and brings the total raised by Splyt to over US$14 million.

“We see this investment from Grab as a natural next step in developing and deepening our strategic partnership. As a global leading mobility marketplace, Splyt will continue to maintain its neutrality and agility, while leveraging on Grab’s regional footprint to enhance our capabilities. This will take both companies further in our journeys to solve existing pain points for travellers,” said Philipp Mintchin, Splyt’s CEO.

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