As of early April, Uber no longer operates in eight countries across Southeast Asia. Local company Grab now provides the same services in that region and has effectively replaced the global ride-hailing giant.
Until this change, Uber served Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Today travelers and residents in those markets rely primarily on Grab, a Malaysian startup founded in 2012 that has since expanded throughout the region.
The Grab app is available as a free download for both iOS and Android devices. It offers a range of transportation options to suit different needs and budgets. Among the services are GrabTaxi for standard rides, GrabHitch for carpooling, GrabShare for shared trips, GrabBike for motorbike rides and GrabFood for food delivery.
GrabBike addresses a distinctive local need: motorbikes are a common and practical mode of transport in many Southeast Asian cities where traffic congestion is severe. This service lets riders navigate dense traffic more quickly and affordably than car-based options.
In Indonesia, another local player, Go-Jek, also provides a broad suite of on-demand services that include ride-hailing and deliveries. The presence of companies like Go-Jek raises the question of whether individual countries will continue to develop their own apps tailored to local preferences and infrastructure, rather than relying on multinational platforms.
The shift from Uber to regional providers like Grab highlights a broader trend in which locally focused startups leverage regional knowledge, payment systems, and regulatory relationships to capture market share. For travelers, the primary change is adapting to new apps and service names, while benefiting from offerings designed for the realities of Southeast Asian cities.