Toyota Develops 'Total-Care Service' Designed for Ride-Hailing Companies

Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) has launched 'Total-care Service,' a pioneering set of mobility services specially designed for ride-hailing companies. Working with ride-hailing companies, Total-care Service will enable Toyota to leverage onboard telematics data through a shared information platform and provide services such as fleet management, automotive insurance, and vehicle maintenance packages, aiming to expand the use of ride-hailing vehicles and enhance the driving experience for end users. Through this Total-care Service, ride-hailing companies can provide their driver-partners with more cost-efficient and timely maintenance services. Singapore will see the first service roll-out, with Toyota Motor Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. (TMAP)--the sales & marketing regional headquarters of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) in Asia--offering the Total-care Service for 1,500 Toyota vehicles owned by Grab Holdings, Inc. (Grab) through its subsidiary GrabRentals. TMAP and Grab will sequentially offer this service to Grab-owned Toyota vehicles across Southeast Asia. In addition, both companies will work to increase the share of Toyota vehicles in Grab's fleet in the region by 25 percent by 2020. In the future, Grab will also seek to implement Toyota's world-renowned Toyota Production System (TPS), a system based on a philosophy of eliminating waste, to improve Grab's business operational efficiency. Ride-hailing vehicles tend to accrue five times more mileage than privately-owned vehicles. To keep vehicles in safe, good working condition, it is essential to provide proper vehicle maintenance based on the vehicle's condition. Driver-partner and passenger safety is a top priority for Grab, and by ensuring that driver-partners are driving vehicles that receive timely maintenance, Grab aims to provide the highest level of safety on its platform. Ming Maa, president of Grab, commented: "We are excited to work with Toyota to roll out the Total-care Service to our Grab Rental fleet. The ability to meld data analytics with vehicle maintenance will make our rental fleet even safer for our driver-partners, and go toward achieving our goal to raise transport safety standards in the region." Shigeki Tomoyama, Toyota executive vice president and president of Toyota's in-house Connected Company, said: "The Total-care Service will help enhance the operational efficiencies of ride-hailing companies and provide even safer, more secure, and better-quality mobility services for drivers and end users. Starting from Singapore, we aim to gradually expand this initiative globally, including other Southeast Asian countries." Through the Total-care Service, driving data is collected by Toyota's in-vehicle data-transmission device, TransLog, and sent to the Mobility Services Platform (MSPF), an information infrastructure developed by Toyota for vehicle connectivity. Grab, Toyota, and local dealers will use such vehicle data collaboratively to achieve a safer and more secure ride-hailing platform in Southeast Asia. For example, using vehicle data, Grab will be able to provide its driver-partners with support and safety advice as needed. In addition, Toyota dealers will apply TPS to vehicle maintenance for Grab-owned vehicles. Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance, a Toyota affiliated insurance company, will offer telematics-based automotive insurance to GrabRentals, allowing for safer driving and lower-cost insurance premiums. Maintenance schedules for each vehicle will be fully optimized, based on driving and vehicle condition data. Intensive Care Stall (ICS) has been implemented at Borneo Motors (Singapore) (BMS), the authorized Toyota dealer in Singapore. Making use of TPS know-how, ICS achieves ultra-efficient maintenance services, reducing vehicle downtime and maintenance costs.

On the local front, Toyota Motor Philippines and Grab Philippines signed a Memorandum of Agreement in October "that makes vehicle replacement and regular maintenance easier for existing TNVS drivers."