There are many ways to get around all over the world. The most commonly used is the bus. But a taxi is also very popular. The disadvantage of a taxi is that you often have to negotiate, you have no idea how much something will cost, drivers do not have a meter (or simply do not want to use it) or the availability of taxis is limited. In this article, I am going to shed some light on taxi vs uber vs grab.
Uber is making an appearance in more and more places. But in Asia, you see much more of the Grab app, the great counterpart of Uber. There are also major differences between these two. That is why we thought it was time for an article about these three options for moving.
The first time
We didn’t think about Uber or Grab for quite some time during our trip. At Irkutsk, we noticed that our hostel had not ordered a taxi, but a normal car. In Melaka, the hostess of the hotel asked if it was okay if she was going to call an Uber instead of a regular taxi. From that moment on, we started doing this ourselves more often.
It is not always possible to order an Uber or Grab. We often look first at Uber and Grab. Then we choose the cheapest of the two. If both are not available, we order a normal taxi, which can also be done with Grab. In Asia, our order is often: Grab – Uber – (Grab)Taxi.
The big differences
We don’t have to explain what a taxi is and what it does. But what are the main differences between Uber and Grab? Time for a table!
| Uber | Grab | |
| Costs | Usually a bit more expensive. Gives an estimate with a from-to price. | Usually the cheapest. Gives you the total price for the trip. |
| Availability | Less in Asia. | More than Uber. |
| Ease of use app | Good | Good |
| Drivers | Good | Good |
| Support | No experience. | Grab itself is on top of it. We had a problem with a taxi once. Within 10 minutes an email with an explanation from Grab. Problem solved. |
| Speed | Different. Sometimes the car is at the door within 10 minutes, sometimes it takes a very long time. | Usually within 5 minutes. |
| Administration | No receipts afterward. | Always a receipt in the mailbox. |
| Cars | Different. One very beautiful, the other sloppy, and everything in between. | Very neat in general. |
How does it work?
There are several ways to get a taxi, Uber or Grab. You do the first manually and the other two via an app on your mobile. A taxi is simple: Go to the road and hail a taxi. Tell the driver where you want to go and the driver will take you. Uber and Grab work slightly differently. They are both an app that you install on Android or iPhone.
Uber
First, you need to install the app. After that, you have to register. Here you must enter your name, e-mail address, telephone number, and password. After that, you have to fill in a credit card. This is for verification only. We have never paid with a credit card and always cash. Then… You’re basically done.
After verifying your phone number you can start looking for a ride. You will see a map with your location. And if all goes well you will already see some cars in your area. Via the search field, pressing “Where to?”, you can search where you want to go. When you start typing you will already see some suggestions. Select where you want to go. Once you have done this, you will immediately see how much it will cost. With Uber, it is often a from-to price. Pay attention to this.
Types
There are different types of Ubers. It can be a bit confusing, but here’s another list.
| UberX | Better known as UberPop in Europe. Usually for 4 people and the cheapest. |
| UberXL | Bigger cars for more people. Usually more expensive than UberX. |
| UberSELECT | The more premium cars like BMW, Audi, Mercedes, etc. Perhaps needless to say, but more expensive than the top two. |
| UberPool | Share your Uber with another Uber user to split the costs. |
| UberBLACk | Most luxury cars. Passenger cars or luxury sedans. This is the most expensive version of Uber. |
It differs per region and/or country what types are available. You may not see all species in your own region.
Order and wait
When everything is set up and you have selected the right type of car, you can order the car. You often have to confirm your location. Then Uber will look for a driver. Often this means that Uber broadcasts a message to nearby drivers. Someone can then accept your ride. When a driver has done this, he will drive to your location.
It has happened to us a few times that the driver calls to make sure your location is correct. If your phone number is not correct (and that is quite often with us due to switching countries and SIM cards), it may take longer or the driver will cancel the ride.
If a driver has accepted your ride, you will see where the car is on the map and you can see how long it will take before the car is there. You also get the license plate of the car, so you can see where the car stops. The driver does not know what you look like, so this way you can indicate that he/she has to pick you up.
On the road and at the destination
And then… you get in. The driver will take you to the location where you want to go. When you get there, the driver presses a button on his mobile and Uber shows the price you have to pay.
If you decide to go somewhere else during the ride, the price will of course be higher. But it is wiser to order a new Uber because the driver’s journey remains the same and cannot suddenly be changed.
Review
When you’re outside the car and the car is gone, you can often rate how the ride was. You can, based on the number of stars, also give a reason for the number of stars plus a short description.
Grab
This actually works just like Uber. Register first. This is also possible with Facebook or a Google account. But we choose the phone number. Enter your name, a valid e-mail address, and a telephone number. A verification SMS will be sent to the number. After that, you’re done.
When you open the app you will see a lot of buttons and information. Depending on Grab coverage you will see a few options at the top of the app. One of them is “Car”. If you don’t see this one, Grab is not supported in your area/region/country.
If you select the car icon you see a map. Here you can choose where you want to go. I choose a random location 0.52 km away from me while staying in Kuala Lumpur.
As you can see it says “JustGrab” in the lower part of my screen. If you swipe this up you can see more options. It also shows you what the different types of cars mean, so no need for another list.
Select which type of car you want, or leave it on the default, and choose “Book #YourTypeOfCarHere#”. Now Grab will do the same as Uber; look for a driver.
Order and wait
When everything is filled in and is correct, press “Book #YourTypeOfCarHere#”. Grab is now looking for a driver. Grab’s algorithm works from close to drivers further away. As a result, you often don’t have to wait that long.
If a driver has accepted the ride, you will see the car moving on the map. We have our doubts about this map because according to this map, the car often drives through parks, shopping centers, and water. The estimated arrival time is often correct.
Again, the driver may call to confirm the pick-up location. Pretty neat. And of course, you get the license plate of the car so you can look forward to the car.
On the road and at the destination
And this is where you step in. The driver will take you to the location where you are going. When you get there, the driver presses a button on his mobile, and Grab shows the price you have to pay. If you book a taxi via Grab a small fee could be added to the price. This is normal since taxis have fees.
If you decide to go somewhere else during the ride, the price will of course be higher. But it is wiser to order a new Grab because the driver’s journey remains the same and cannot suddenly be changed.
We have had two times when the driver drove the wrong way. Grab may charge a higher amount, but so far the drivers are honest and deduct something from the price (it was about 50 cents or so, but still).
Review
When you’re outside the car and the car is gone, you can often rate how the ride was. At Grab, you can only rate with a number of stars.
Conclusion
If you have to choose between a taxi, Uber or Grab, Uber or Grab are great alternatives to taxis. With taxis, we always have the feeling that we are being scammed (broken meters, no meters, “You know?” – “Yes” and then no, etc.). Uber and Grab drivers are friendly and generally speak enough English.
The downside is that it’s not everywhere yet. If it is not present somewhere, the prices of the taxis are suddenly slightly cheaper. So you notice that it is fierce competition for professional drivers. But we don’t really mind; we save a lot.
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