Ride-hailing company Grab and mapping service company Here Technologies have recently signed a new deal to integrate Here Maps in the Grab app. With the partnership, Grab aims to deliver an optimum performance for all riders across Southeast Asia.
Grab and Here Technologies' deal is touted to improve the accuracy of fare estimation, estimated time of arrival and suggested routes for drivers to pick up and transport riders to their destinations. In addition, the partnership will also offer features like real-time traffic data and points of interest.
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Grab is currently operating in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and the Philippines.
Grab head of product Jerald Singh tells Tech in Asia that the forged deal is a way to improve communications between a driver and a passenger.
"Southeast Asia is developing quickly, with new roads and new rules emerging every day. By layering local map data on top of Here's comprehensive location data, we can optimize driver-passenger interactions and further streamline our backend dispatch systems," says Singh.
Here Asia-Pacific director Mark Whitmore adds that Here Maps addition to Grab's system will also make traffic management a lot easier in under-serviced cities.
"We look forward to helping Grab streamline pick-up and drop-off processes, provide reliable ETAs, and ultimately improve traffic management in under-serviced cities like Yangon."
Here's mapping cars use camera and LiDAR technology to capture data like speed limits, road signs and road geometry to create 3D maps that are comprehensible in automated systems. Grab's main rival Uber is currently using Google Maps APIs for its mapping system, although it has begun putting in efforts to develop its own tool.
