Grab’s Robotaxi Plan: Drivers Become “Remote Safety Operators”

According to Fortune, Grab CEO Anthony Tan announced robotaxis are coming to Singapore in early 2026, building on the company’s recent autonomous vehicle investments. The ride-hailing giant reported $873 million in Q3 revenue, up 22% year-over-year, with ride-hailing specifically growing 17% to $317 million. Grab also raised its full-year profit forecast to $480-$500 million in adjusted EBITDA for 2025. During the earnings call, Tan suggested current drivers could transition to “new kinds of jobs” like remote safety drivers and data labelers. The company has been actively investing in AV technology, including partnerships with Chinese operator WeRide and U.S.-based May Mobility. Despite the strong numbers, Grab shares fell 4.7% on Tuesday, possibly due to net income of just $17 million showing minimal growth from the previous year’s $15 million.

The robotaxi reality check

Here’s the thing about launching robotaxis in Southeast Asia: the economics are brutal. Tan himself admitted that lower labor costs in the region make it harder for autonomous vehicles to compete with human drivers. Basically, when you can hire a driver for relatively cheap, why bother with expensive self-driving tech that needs constant monitoring and maintenance?

And yet Grab is pushing forward with not one but two major AV partnerships. They’re investing in WeRide and May Mobility, covering both Chinese and American autonomous vehicle approaches. It feels like they’re hedging their bets rather than going all-in on one technology. Smart move? Probably. But I wonder if they’re spreading themselves too thin.

The driver transition dilemma

Tan’s suggestion that drivers could become “remote safety drivers” or “data labelers” sounds nice in theory. But let’s be real – how many of Grab’s current drivers actually want to sit in an office monitoring screens or labeling data? Driving provides flexibility and independence that office jobs don’t.

The company’s latest earnings report shows they’re doing well enough financially to fund this transition. With deliveries growing 23% to $465 million and financial services exploding 39% to $90 million, they’ve got multiple revenue streams supporting this AV experimentation. But the core ride-hailing business is still crucial – it’s their identity.

AI is already everywhere at Grab

What’s really interesting is how much AI is already embedded in Grab’s operations. Over 98% of their engineers use AI for coding? That’s basically everyone. And the speech recognition improvements are genuinely impressive – jumping from 46% to 90% accuracy across regional accents is a massive leap that actually helps real users, especially those with visual impairments.

So while robotaxis get the headlines, the quiet AI revolution inside Grab might be more immediately impactful. They’re using technology to improve existing services while simultaneously planning for a driverless future. It’s a delicate balancing act between optimizing today’s business and betting on tomorrow’s.

The competitive landscape heats up

Grab isn’t the only player eyeing autonomous vehicles in Southeast Asia. But they do have the advantage of scale and existing infrastructure. Their challenge will be convincing regulators, customers, and most importantly their own drivers that this transition makes sense.

The share price drop despite good revenue numbers tells you something. Investors might be skeptical about the AV investments paying off anytime soon. Or maybe they’re worried about the costs of retraining drivers while simultaneously building out expensive autonomous fleets. Either way, Grab’s robotaxi announcement sets up 2026 as a crucial test for whether self-driving cars can actually work in Southeast Asia’s unique conditions.