Smartphone app GrabTaxi has just opened a $136 million centre in Singapore dedicated to research and development, affirming that third-party taxi booking apps are here to stay and looks to be a clear direction in the landscape of public transport.
The 4,500 sq ft centre opened today in Cecil Court in the heart of the Central Business District, and will eventually house 200 engineers and data scientists who will focus on analysing data and spotting trends from multiple sources, TODAY reports.
GrabTaxi also managed to secure new hires including former Facebook Connect head engineer Wei Zhu who is now GrabTaxi's chief technology officer. Executives from Amazon and Palantir Technologies have also joined the team in Singapore.
The app — started in 2011 by two Malaysian business students — received a $250 million investment from SoftBank last December and has since gained popularity across Southeast Asia with over 70,000 drivers and over 2.5 million active users, forming the biggest rival competing car booking app Uber has in the region.
Photo: GrabTaxi
Smartphone app GrabTaxi has just opened a $136 million centre in Singapore dedicated to research and development, affirming that third-party taxi booking apps are here to stay and looks to be a clear direction in the landscape of public transport.
The 4,500 sq ft centre opened today in Cecil Court in the heart of the Central Business District, and will eventually house 200 engineers and data scientists who will focus on analysing data and spotting trends from multiple sources, TODAY reports.
GrabTaxi also managed to secure new hires including former Facebook Connect head engineer Wei Zhu who is now GrabTaxi's chief technology officer. Executives from Amazon and Palantir Technologies have also joined the team in Singapore.
The app — started in 2011 by two Malaysian business students — received a $250 million investment from SoftBank last December and has since gained popularity across Southeast Asia with over 70,000 drivers and over 2.5 million active users, forming the biggest rival competing car booking app Uber has in the region.
Photo: GrabTaxi