In a move that honestly makes sense, SOCAR has come out of the woodwork guns blazing to take on Grab. Essentially their services are different, and that’s exactly what SOCAR is banking on. The car-sharing service thrives on short term bookings, even letting a car being rented for just an hour. With the mandatory requirement for private ride-hailing drivers to hold a public service vehicle (PSV) license, people are worried about the number of drivers dropping.

Even with the three-month extension for drivers to get the license, it’s unseen if passengers will have to waiting longer for rides, or even experience more frequent price surges.

So with that, SOCAR, who allows you to book a car by the hour, day, or week through their mobile app are looking to capitalise on the situation. There’s currently 37 public transit station and hubs that are SOCAR zones in the Klang Valley, 2 in Seremban and Johor, and 1 in Penang.

They have a fleet of a total 1628 SOCAR vehicles at 894 SOCAR zones. They also allow for a door-to-door delivery service, so they can bring the car to you. This will cost an additional fee of RM10, and residents in Bangsar, Mont Kiara and Bukit Bintang are the only ones who can make use of the service for now. But is it just me, or does 1628 cars not sound like that many?

I’m not sure they could handle the volume of people who use Grab, and they’re not going for them. They’re targeting those who uses Grab, but can drive and rent a car. We’ll have to see how this plays out, and if SOCAR will be able to keep up with demand if they get to the levels they’re hoping for.

From now till 7 August 2019, you can use their car-sharing promo every Wednesday. Get 40% off with a minimum of 5 hours per booking. This promotion can be redeemed for unlimited bookings only on Wednesdays.  For more information on SOCAR, download their app on the Google Play store or iOS App Store, or check out the link here.