Grab announces new ride-sharing service between Singapore and Johor Baru

Commuters travelling between Singapore and Johor Baru can soon make use of the new GrabHitch Johor Baru-Singapore Inter-Country Service. PHOTO: GRAB

SINGAPORE - Commuters travelling between Singapore and Johor Baru can soon make use of a new cross-border ride-sharing service.

The GrabHitch Johor Baru-Singapore Inter-Country Service will be available from next Monday (June 20), Grab said in a media release on Monday (June 13).

Passengers, who can pre-book rides between seven days and 30 minutes in advance, will be matched with drivers based on similar pick-up and drop-off locations.

A trip between City Square shopping centre in Johor Baru and Woodlands starts from RM9 (S$3) per person, and passengers can opt to pay either in cash or by credit card.

Estimated fares of popular routes taken by commuters between Johor Baru and Singapore. PHOTO: GRAB

Fares are aimed at offsetting the driver's cost of petrol, and rides will be charged in the currency of the country from which the passenger starts his trip.

The new service is an extension of the carpooling platform, GrabHitch, which was launched last November (2015).

"The high cost of travelling, frequent congestion and lack of point-to-point transportation between Johor Baru and Singapore are compelling reasons for us to introduce the GrabHitch JB-SG service," said GrabHitch head Ngiam Xin Wei.

The Causeway and Second Link are among the busiest land checkpoints in the world, with an estimated 400,000 crossings in both directions daily.

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