Grab Ventures and NUS launch e-scooter service at Singapore campus

Grab Ventures has launched a three-month electric scooter pilot at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Kent Ridge campus for three months. The subsidiary of technology firm Grab says it offers a green transportation option for NUS staff and students. The scooters are available at eight parking locations on the campus. Grab intends to increase this number to 30 by the end of December. Professor Yong Kwet Yew, NUS senior vice president, says the partnership provides a last-mile transportation op
November 26, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

Grab Ventures has launched a three-month electric scooter pilot at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Kent Ridge campus for three months.

The subsidiary of technology firm Grab says it offers a green transportation option for NUS staff and students.

The scooters are available at eight parking locations on the campus. Grab intends to increase this number to 30 by the end of December.

Professor Yong Kwet Yew, NUS senior vice president, says the partnership provides a last-mile transportation option and also offers research opportunities to develop mobility solutions.

Grab and NUS will study how commuters use the e-scooters to gain a better understanding of how the technology can address transportation needs.

The company is also piloting its GrabWheels Beta app which allows users to unlock and use the e-scooters.  

Riders will pay a special rate of S$0.20 (£0.11) for every 30 minutes of use and all journeys include insurance coverage, at no additional cost, the company adds.

Upon reaching the destination, the app directs users to return the e-scooter to the nearest parking location – where it can be locked by scanning a QR code at the parking locations. Grab’s operation team will collect, recharge and return the vehicles to their original parking location for use the next day.

Grab is providing in-app messages to users which include safe riding advice while a 24/7 support team is available to offer assistance with any issues.

In July, Grab and NUS announced a partnership to develop %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external smart cities false http://www.itsinternational.com/categories/utc/news/grab-and-nus-set-up-ai-lab-in-singapore-to-make-cities-smarter/ false false%> in South-east Asia. The partnership unveiled an artificial intelligence laboratory to help solve challenges such as congestion and the liveability of cities in the region.

Related Content

  • Car2Go launches e-car rental service in central Paris
    January 17, 2019
    Daimler subsidiary Car2go has made its electric car rental service available to Parisian users in a 77km square area within the city’s Périphérique motorway. Drivers are charged between €0.24 to €0.34 per minute depending on the location and time of the rental, and can charge the vehicles at around 1,100 charging stations in the French capital. The details flesh out Car2go’s announcement last year of plans to deploy 400 electric Smart EQ Fortwo vehicles in the city. The company intends to add more ve
    Read More
  • Onemile launches e-scooter rental service which comes with seating pad
    January 7, 2019
    Chinese technology start-up Onemile has launched its electric scooter rental service which comes with a seating pad to help improve rider safety. The company’s Halo City scooters are available in Hawaii, Paris, London and Berlin. Onemile aims to offer its service at mid and long-term rental and says it will provide an integrated parking location and management system. It is not the only company looking to find new ways to improve safety for riders. In the US, Bird rolled out an app feature which a
    Read More
  • TfL describes reports of closer ties with Uber as ‘nonsense’
    December 14, 2018
    Transport for London (TfL) has described claims that it is deepening its relationship with Uber as ‘nonsense’. Media reports suggested that London’s transit authority might be going to offer customers access to public transport services via the ride-hailing firm's app. The Financial Times reported that Uber is attempting to add TfL's data about tube and bus timetables into the app. But a spokesperson from TfL told ITS International that the only thing it is putting out is open data – and does no
    Read More
  • PSC Solar to implement EV chargers in Africa
    November 8, 2018
    PSC Solar, the research and development subsidiary of PSC Industries, will deploy electric vehicle (EV) chargers across four African nations, according to media reports. Chargers will be installed in Nigeria, Ghana, Niger and Benin in preparation for the arrival of EVs. Patrick Owelle, CEO of the PSC Solar, says governments all over the world are starting to ban diesel and petrol engines due to climate change and pollution and that Africa must also take a position on the issue. He says PSC’s charg
    Read More

Highlighted Content