Ryde to offer door-to-door courier service from 3 September
If you need a package delivered quickly, there’s a new service launching next month that can help you do that.
Come 3 September, local start-up Ryde Technologies will offer RydeSEND, an all-day on-demand courier service that promises to deliver small items – such as documents, parcels, or even packed meals – within 60 minutes.
“We are excited to innovate and expand our services beyond transport to courier services and more,” said Ryde Technologies founder and chief executive Terence Zou at a press conference on Wednesday (15 August).
Delivery pricing for the service will be based on distance, time of day and will include toll charges incurred for the journey. There will also be an added $6 door-to-door delivery fee and customers can make payment via the RydePay secure digital payment feature.
RydeSEND will also offer its users live tracking of the items being delivered as well as $100 insurance coverage on the items. The size limit for delivery items is: 70cm in length, 50cm in width and depth, and with maximum weight of 20kg.
In its press release on the service’s launch, the company also promised to keep prices at “competitive levels with all fees upfront and fixed”.
To provide its courier services, Ryde will tap on its existing pool of 60,000 private-hire and car pool Ryde drivers, while also reaching out to the 140,000 motorcyclists here to expand its courier network.
With Ryde aiming to onboard 20,000 motorcyclists by the fourth quarter of this year, the company said that this will improve the RydeSEND service by increasing availability and reducing waiting times, while also reducing delivery prices by another 30 per cent.
The motorcycle courier service is expected to be launched by end-September and riders interested in becoming couriers can apply through the Ryde Driver app from 3 September.
Existing Ryde drivers can also take RydeSEND courier jobs by adding a $100 refundable deposit – which acts as a security against any loss or damage to delivery items – via the Ryde Driver app.
Dealing with phantom bookings
On June 28, Ryde issued a statement on its Facebook page detailing complaints from drivers about being hit by fake accounts and bookings. In the post, Ryde said it had detected close to 300 fake accounts and 2,000 “phantom” bookings, claiming that the disruptions caused to its drivers had resulted in an income loss of over $50,000.
Asked if Ryde was concerned about such incidents recurring, the company’s head of operations Shaun Wu, said that security measures had been tightened since the earlier incident.
“If you are a genuine user, you will definitely pay with your (credit or debit) card, which is traceable. So I won’t say that we will have zero fake accounts… but for them to (pursue) phantom activities is getting more and more challenging,” he said.
Regarding whether Ryde would screen delivery parcels for possibly dangerous or illicit items, Zou said the onus would be on the user to adhere to the services terms and conditions, which do not allow for the delivery of contraband or cash.
Growing user base, ‘prepared’ to face competition
Since Ryde launched its RydeX private-hire car booking service in May, the company has seen its user base increase sevenfold, said Zou.
With Indonesian ride-hailing start-up Go-Jek looking to enter the market, Wu said Ryde was “prepared” to face the increased competition.
“One thing is how Ryde has been surviving since 2015 till now. It’s because of our competitors. It helps us to grow and also angles us in what key things to focus,” Wu.
Related story:
Ride-hailing app Ryde gets LTA’s approval to provide third-party taxi booking service
