Grab Taxi Thailand Review – Using the App and Service

While the ‘anything could happen’ scenario holds certain appeal for various types of traveller in Thailand, there are plenty who will breathe a huge sigh of relief upon discovering that using transportation on the roads has gotten significantly easier over the last few years.

We might even go so far as to say that the days of the low-level service of cab drivers—especially those who can’t/won’t take you to your destination—are looking more and more numbered. Major changes by way of transport applications have done much gap-bridging between different languages and culture, amongst other things. This is done basically by utilising translation, automation, and GPS tracking features into their services.

And there is one app in particular that has caught on big time in Thailand, especially in the chaotic thrall that is Bangkok, and that’s Grab. Grab is always worth looking at first when it comes to transport apps in Thailand as it has set so much of a benchmark on a variety of levels. So let’s have a deeper delve into the phenomenon of the Grab application to optimise your experience during any time spent in Thailand and Bangkok. 

What is Grab Exactly?

Grab was one of the first transportation apps to appear in Thailand and most notably Bangkok along with Uber. The latter was somehow unceremoniously ushered out of the country in some kind of ‘takeover deal’ (ahem) by the company responsible for the former.

The Singaporean-developed Grab application first appeared on the transport scene in Bangkok nine years ago with its first ride-hailing services offering very similar options to those of its former competitor.

Although the initial push to recruit and convert users has taken time to reach its current momentum and level of use, Grab quickly proved its worth on many levels in a city where the taxis are notoriously unreliable, unprofessional, and to the consternation of many visitors, usually non-English-speaking.

On top of that, Thai people seem to love convenience. And this application brings oodles more of that than has ever been apparent before when it comes to transportation—among other things. The app also comes with a whole bunch of other mega-convenient features too which will be touched on briefly in this post.

There are few with experience who would argue that the Grab Application can turn out to be more of a life-saver than many travellers are aware of. This is especially true when travelling around more remote places including islands.

Grab offers various options and types of transport in direct contrast to the previous scenarios in a strictly tourist destination where the usual predatory local types with fixed fares are at least twice as high as those of standard rates.

These apps are fairly easy to use and allow both the pick-up and drop-off locations to be determined beforehand, as well as the fare. This cuts out any necessity for verbal communication at all, with cashless payment also being an option.  

Anyone coming to Thailand and NOT using these apps is clearly out for a challenge which could include any or all of the previously mentioned negative issues that are still likely to occur when using taxis in Thailand. 

What Transport Services Does Grab Feature?

The Grab app has a list of services and options that will ease the burden of day-to-day living in the Thai capital for both locals and visitors alike. Many of these services now extend way past a simple transportation pick-up—but that’s another post entirely.

The app has been the Bangkok resident’s ride-hailing service for almost a decade after proving its worth over and over from the offset, with just the occasional glitch. The numbers of Grab users are ever-increasing as more travellers catch on and decide to do away with ill-mannered and clueless taxi drivers picking and choosing their fares.

The Grab application is also constantly developing and progressing its options to gain still more appeal, allow more convenience, and be ever more user-friendly.

Grab currently offers modes of transportation by way of the following:

• Motorbikes (GrabBike)
• Taxis (GrabTaxi)
• Private cars (GrabCar)
• Dedicated driver service

Grab motorbikes are useful if you don’t want to go and find one or stand in a queue, but the drivers are often just the standard motorcycle taxi drivers who are picking up extra fares by using the app. A bike is a bike in Thailand, it seems.

If you hit the Grab Taxi option you’ll get a regular taxi driver operating under the umbrella of the Grab license. While there may still be the occasional hint of the usual ‘taxi problems’ the likelihood is much lower as feedback is taken seriously and the drivers’ ratings are affected by it.

If you select the ‘Just Grab’ it is really the luck of the draw whether you get a car or a taxi – usually whichever is nearest—but it’s a real bonus if you do get the car as ‘Just Grab’ is a cheaper option than ‘Grab Car’!

However Grab Car is a bit like having your own driver, and usually a different grade of driver at that—especially compared to those manning the regular Bangkok taxis. Grab car drivers are just private owners out to make some extra cash from driving.

The car is identified by make, model, number plate, and a Grab rating when you make the booking. And although the driver will probably not be English-speaking, this really won’t matter as they have your information beforehand and use a transport navigation device, thus limiting any unnecessary talking or potential miscommunication.

Grab Car is a bit more expensive than a taxi but is most certainly one of your best friends when in the city of Bangkok. You get more comfort as well as drivers who know the routes, can navigate traffic and shortcuts, and read a GPS (!), and operate clean, private cars.

Check out the details of the Grab dedicated driver service HERE. 

How Does the Transport App Work?

After downloading the app and registering a few details (which allow the drivers to identify you and them), you’ll notice the various options for transport, food, shopping etc. If you select the transport option then you’ll get the choice of a ‘Just Grab’, a ‘Grab Car’ a ‘Grab Taxi’ or a ‘Grab Motorbike’.

After keying in your destination and making sure your location is on, you can select your preferred mode of transport—and we would suggest here that although it’s the priciest option of the 3 main ones, Grab Car is undoubtedly the best.

You are given the price of the journey—which cannot change once you have booked the ride, along with an ETA for the driver, who may contact you (often using Google translate) to tell you he is on his way or when he has arrived. You can then track his progress via the app with a visual Google Map-type view of the driver’s activity.

Once you have been connected with your Grab driver, you are given real-time updates of expected waiting time, which is usually not that long as drivers already in the area will likely accept the job. Drivers are not meant to cancel although on occasion it does happen, as will be explained.  

One of the great things about Grab, and previously an uncommon occurrence in Thailand, is that you are asked to give feedback and provide any relevant comments after each ride in order for them to maintain or improve levels of service. This is usually not an option in the country and helps improve and maintain levels of user-experience. 

Grab Payment Options

Different payment options such as card or cash are available, with the app preferring you to ‘go cashless’ by offering discounts—but this is not necessarily the best way to go about using the service due to the fact that your money is taken before the ride (even though you may then get the message that there are no available drivers at particular times).

If you decide you have waited long enough and thus cancel the booking you will then incur an automatically-deducted charge. That may sound fair enough but one of the downsides to this app is that when you book the driver and are told that he will be with you in 5 minutes, you will often still see the same message after waiting for 30 minutes!

Then, if you cancel because you can’t wait any longer, the onus is on you to refund the driver’s efforts (!).

Other Grab Services

Aside from the new developments and services that are being introduced by the app, three others aside from transportation are already hugely-popular.

• GrabFood delivery service probably forms the majority of the app’s business these days and employs the most drivers. The app connects you to a host of food delivery services which include pick-up and delivery to your door by motorbike
• GrabMart is a similar service although this time for grocery and other shopping deliveries
• Then there is GrabExpress, another option which is again giving some of its counterparts a run for their money. This is Grab’s express delivery service—a kind of rapid-fire courier service to get important items from A to B across congested rush-hour traffic or through streets that would be difficult to navigate by oneself. For this option you simply key in the details of the item and you’ll be given a price and ETA.

So it’s not hard to see why Grab is your best friend when spending any amount of time in Bangkok or Thailand in general! 

What Are the Potential Challenges Related to the GrabTaxi Experience?

One minor issue worth mentioning here is that the majority of applications developed and used around the SE Asian region are yet far from perfect. This means you can expect occasional glitches here and there like the app closing unexpectedly or freezing.

It’s not that common but it does occur now and again so just being patient when it happens is the best approach. Many of the technical glitches are typically related to updates and such like.

The other major pain is the fact that some drivers (usually taxis) will take it upon themselves to cancel your booking once they realise where the location is exactly or if they are having difficulties finding you.

They are not supposed to do this and it will affect their rating, but it still leaves you without a ride which you may have already paid for.  Thus you need to go through the process again to find another driver after already waiting for 20 minutes or so.

Selecting Pick-Up and Drop-Off Destinations on the App 

You can either select the destination from a list on the app or input the details yourself, but be sure to DOUBLE CHECK that you have the right destination as this is the one the driver will go by once the booking is placed and accepted. It could be tricky if you realise you have it wrong and try to communicate this with the driver once in transit, so take the utmost care when selecting locations on the app.

The only other major challenge of using the Grab transportation app is the same that you would face with any other vehicle in that at certain times of day there may be more waiting involved and prices will rise and fluctuate during these periods. 

The Bottom Line 

At the end of the day, using transport applications like Grab in Thailand means that getting around in this super-humid country needn’t be the nightmare that it typically has been for unwitting travellers. It is now much easier to arm yourself with all the necessary knowledge and come equipped in order to avoid many of the traditional pitfalls related to transport in Thailand.

The application has become hugely popular with locals for a variety of uses and now has done much to provide more of a hassle-free experience in Thailand. The Grab app makes travelling today super-easy compared to previous scenarios like trying to negotiate with an uneducated driver from the sticks with no English language skills and who possibly doesn’t hold your best interests to heart.  

When all is said and done, the introduction of transport applications like Grab has gone a long way towards cancelling many of the existing issues with regular taxi drivers and upgrading other communication issues that constantly plagued visitors to the country in the past. It’s hard to imagine life in the land of smiles without Grab once you have experienced the many benefits!