The subsidiary of Grab’s rental arm GrabRentals plans to offer its services with the electric hybrid Toyota Prius, according to The Straits Times.

More hybrid models will be added starting from August, including the Hyundai Kona, and the company plans to eventually go fully electric within this year.

GrabCab aims to meet the minimum fleet size requirement of 800 taxis for the street-hail operator license before its third year of operations.

Victor Sim, director of GrabRentals, said that as of June 4, the company has received 700 to 800 registration applications from prospective drivers interested in renting a GrabCab vehicle.

Of these, approximately 400 to 500 eligible applicants have been selected as the initial pool of drivers.

Rental rates for GrabCab vehicles can reach up to SGD117 (US$91) per day, with the first 100 drivers who sign up receiving a discounted rate of SGD112 per day.

In comparison, rental rates for a Toyota Prius under other operators are approximately SGD110 per day for ComfortDelGro, SGD109.80 per day for Prime Taxi.

Sim explained that GrabCab’s passenger fare structure is aligned with those of other operators.

The taxi meter is fully integrated with the Grab platform, Sim added, allowing drivers to access both ride-hail and street-hail jobs by scanning a QR code on the meter via the Grab driver app.

When asked about GrabCab’s competitive edge, Sim emphasized its technological hardware and strong industry partnerships, including with charging point operators and fuel stations, enabling fuel and electric vehicle charging discounts of up to 25% at certain providers.