Ride-hailing firm Grab will trial a new service for commuters in central Singapore to book rides only on hybrid or electric vehicles from July 14 as part of its efforts to go green.

Ride-hailing firm Grab will trial hybrid car service (Photo: Straits Times)

Called JustGrab Green, the service will comprise electric or hybrid vehicles with at least an A2 Vehicular Emissions Scheme banding. These include the Hyundai Kona Electric, Toyota Prius and Kia Niro Hybrid.

These vehicles emit less than 125g of carbon dioxide per km, a 55 percent reduction compared with regular petrol vehicles.

The service, which will have the same price structure as Grab's regular JustGrab service, will first be made available to passengers booking rides from central areas.

These areas include the Central Business District, Bukit Merah, Bukit Timah, Orchard, Bishan, Marine Parade and Geylang.

A Grab spokesman said the pilot will allow the firm to better assess passenger and driver patterns so as to ensure a good experience for its customers.

Grab said it would expand its electric and hybrid vehicle fleet in Singapore through its rental arm GrabRentals.

The goal, Grab said, is for it to operate with a full fleet running on cleaner energy by 2030. Today, about 30 percent of the private-hire vehicles on Grab's platform here are electric or hybrid vehicles.

Grab had said earlier that it has invested more than 200 million USD in electric and hybrid vehicles for GrabRentals' fleet since 2016.

Source: VNA