PETALING JAYA, Mar 11: In conjunction with International Women’s Day 2026 (IWD2026), Grab Malaysia today announced two major initiatives to give women more choice, comfort and peace of mind on the road, while opening up greater earning opportunities for women on the platform. It is rolling out the Women-Only Rides (Beta), a dedicated service matching women passengers exclusively with women driver-partners, and the nationwide acquisition campaign to grow its community of women driver-partners across the country.
Currently available exclusively through Advance Booking (AB) in the Klang Valley, the Women-Only Rides (Beta) service addresses requests from both women driver-partners and users for enhanced safety options, particularly when travelling alone. The ride option is visible only to women passengers and matches them solely with verified women driver-partners, providing an additional layer of assurance for both sides of the journey.
To ensure platform integrity, passengers must complete a one-time verification process using their MyKad (or passport) and a selfie for gender verification, which is crossed-referenced against official records, before they can access the service.
“This launch deepens our longstanding commitment to safety and empowerment. Built on Grab’s existing safety infrastructure, the Women-Only Rides (Beta) builds on our #SisBoleh initiative which started in 2023. It’s not just a new feature, it’s about ensuring every woman has a safe space to move and earn,” said Adelene Foo, Managing Director, Grab Malaysia.“By strengthening trust, we create mutual benefits: greater comfort for women passengers and more earning opportunities for women driver-partners. When we prioritise a woman’s peace of mind, we also support her path to financial independence.”
The Women-Only Rides (Beta) service complements broader public safety measures such as women-only train coaches and parking zones, extending that protection to the crucial last mile journey.
The service was launched at Grab’s International Women’s Day celebration, hosted by Grab’s senior women leadership for its women driver-partners and was attended by Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Lim Hui Ying. The event highlighted a shared commitment to safer, more inclusive mobility for women across Malaysia.
Expanding economic access
To meet the potential demand for Women-Only Rides (Beta) and create more flexible earning opportunities, Grab also launched the Women Driver Acquisition campaign running from 8 March to 30 September 2026. The nationwide initiative is about expanding our community of women driver-partners, building on the platform’s strong safety standards.
The campaign invites more women to leverage Grab’s flexible earning opportunities, providing them with the tools and support to thrive in the digital economy. New women driver-partners are eligible for rewards totalling at RM100,000 including fuel vouchers and a Proton Saga grand prize. Beyond rewards, the campaign invites more women to join a community where they can earn flexibly while feeling safer and more supported on the road.
These announcements mark the evolution of #SisBoleh, Grab’s women empowerment initiative first introduced in 2023. Built on three pillars namely #SisBoleh Drive With Confidence, #SisBoleh LevelUp, and #SisBoleh Community, the programme has grown into a comprehensive ecosystem supporting Grab’s women partners that supports women partners with safety, skills and a sense of belonging from the moment they join the platform.
Women-Only Rides (Beta) and the Women Driver Acquisition campaign operate atop Grab’s rigorous safety architecture, designed so that every user can work and travel safely, confidently and effectively in any environment:
- On-boarding safety screening: Every driver-partner undergoes a stringent screening process before joining the platform, encompassing security checks, and physical health screenings.
- AI-powered Facial Verification: Driver-partners and passengers are required to submit live selfies prior to app access; machine learning models determine if a face is real or not based on movement and lighting, to prevent fraudulent access.
- Number Masking: Protects and ensures the privacy of both parties’ contact details by displaying a set of random digits rather than real phone numbers.
- Share My Ride: During a ride, driver-partners and passengers can share real-time ride details with trusted contacts, giving families and friends greater peace of mind.
- “Get Emergency Help” SOS button: Provides one-tap, 24/7 emergency assistance.
- AudioProtect: Offers encrypted audio recording, accessible only when safety incidents are reported. AudioProtect is mandatory for night-time rides (10pm–6am).
- Trip monitoring technology: Helps detect possible safety incidents by pulling signals from a variety of sources to detect if there is an unplanned stop, route deviation, and vehicle collision
- Telematics solution: Using telematics data obtained through sensors on drivers’ mobile phones, Grab provides personalised reports to help driver-partners identify unsafe behaviours and rewards those who consistently maintain high safety standards.
“Quietly working in the background, these safety features help ensure that every Women-Only Rides (Beta) and every Grab ride feels more secure, so women can focus on where they are going and what they want to achieve, rather than how they will get home,” concluded Adelene.
