Grab to launch food delivery trial with drones flying across Kallang River to Tanjong Rhu

SINGAPORE – Residents in Tanjong Rhu could soon get their food delivered by drones flying across Kallang River as part of a three-month trial by food delivery platform Grab.

In a post uploaded on its website on Jan 6, Grab said that in Tanjong Rhu, Kallang River separates homes from the main cluster of eateries, and delivery riders have to make detours to get around it. This lengthens the time taken to deliver an order.

It added that drone deliveries will reduce the effort needed for tricky routes around Kallang River and get food to customers more efficiently.

Customers placing orders within the Tanjong Rhu area can take part in the trial by selecting the Drone Delivery (Beta) option on the Grab app when placing their food orders.

This is applicable only for orders scheduled ahead of time.

In a Frequently Asked Questions page, Grab said customers can order only one item per delivery, although they can select multiple quantities of the same item.

On the type of food that can be delivered by drones, Grab noted that not all food items are suitable due to their weight, size or risk of spillage.

It has selected a preliminary list of menu items for this purpose, including full meals and popular dishes across various cuisines, it said.

The trial will involve only the delivery of orders from food businesses in Bugis, Kampong Gelam and Suntec City, so that it can be conducted in a controlled manner, said Grab.

The trial, launched by Grab and technology firm ST Engineering’s unmanned air systems business, will run every Tuesday to Sunday between 10am and 6pm, after internal testing is done.

It did not specify when the trial would begin.

There will be up to 28 drone deliveries daily, and the average flight time will be around eight minutes for a round trip across Kallang River, noted Grab.

When asked if the trial will start in 2026 and how much customers need to pay to schedule orders to be delivered by drones, Grab said it was unable to provide these details as internal tests are still ongoing.

It added that operations will be put on hold during wet weather, and the drones will not be used during public holidays such as Chinese New Year, Good Friday and Hari Raya.

Drones will be introduced into the delivery process after a delivery rider takes the order to a designated drone launch pad in Republic Avenue, near Nicoll Highway MRT station.

A staff member from Grab and a drone operator from ST Engineering will then load the order onto a drone before it flies along the approved route across Kallang River.

Another Grab staff member will receive and unload the order at the designated landing hub along the coast of Tanjong Rhu before a second delivery rider collects the food and delivers it to the customer’s doorstep.

Grab said that while drones handle the tricky river crossing, the riders “provide the human touch that drones can’t”, in terms of checking orders, handing the orders off to drone operators, and ensuring the orders reach the correct customer safely.

ST Engineering has trained more than 20 delivery riders to hand the orders off to the drone operators safely and efficiently.

Delivery riders will benefit from the move, said Grab, as they can cover more efficient routes and complete more trips.

Grab said it will gather feedback from residents, delivery riders and regulators to understand where drone technologies add the most value to food deliveries.

Acknowledging possible privacy and noise concerns from residents of dense urban neighbourhoods, Grab said the drone is designed to operate at noise levels similar to those of a normal conversation.

The potential noise impact is expected to be minimal, given that the drone will largely fly over open waters.

It added that the navigation cameras on the drone will not record or store any video footage.