SINGAPORE - It will soon be easier to rent bicycles or electric scooters from several operators under a common app.
Ride-hailing firm Grab's latest venture, announced on Friday (March 9), parks several shared-bike and shared personal mobility device (PMD) providers under one app.
GrabCycle will allow users to locate and book shared bicycles from oBike, GBikes and Anywheel, as well as shared e-scooters from PopScoot through a single app.
The app - the first project from the firm's new GrabVentures division - will be available in the first half of this year, said GrabVentures head Reuben Lai.
Grab has also partnered Sentosa Development Corporation to roll out more than 10 dedicated GrabCycle parking areas across Sentosa to deter indiscriminate parking, as part of a broader "strategic partnership" between the two.
The firm also announced a tie-up with supply chain provider YCH for the deployment and reallocation of devices under GrabCycle.
The introduction of GrabCycle moves the ride-hailing firm one step closer to its vision of being a "multi-modal" transport platform, said Mr Lai.
He added that Grab had not ruled out partnerships with other shared bicycle and PMD firms, and that it hoped to work with its partners to facilitate the redesigning of public spaces for personal mobility.
"We will study commuting patterns and use data to identify and build new cycling pathways and common parking spots for our users," he said.
He declined comment on reports that Grab is close to signing a deal to take over Uber's operations in the region, saying the firm does not comment on speculation.
Friday's announcement comes after Grab and oBike signed an agreement for a strategic partnership in January that included, among other things, the incorporation of Grab's mobile payment platform GrabPay into the oBike app.
It was also reported in September last year that Grab had invested in oBike, as part of a US$45 million ($59 million) funding round.
Grab's move is in line with developments elsewhere.
In China, ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing has tied up with both ofo and BlueGogo.
Mobike also started offering ride-hailing services there.
