Gojek lets DBS PayLah in on the ride
Customers of ride-sharing operator Gojek can now book and pay for their fares with DBS Bank's digital payment app PayLah. The move is an extension of a partnership established in 2018, when Gojek began its foray into the Singapore market.
It gives more than 1.7 million users of PayLah the option to book and pay for their rides directly on the mobile payment platform, said the two partners in a joint statement Wednesday. PayLah last year was rolled out as the default in-app payment option in the Gojek app, which allows users who do not own a debit or credit card to pay via the digital mode. The DBS platform links directly to the customer's bank account.
More than 100,000 Gojek rides were booked using PayLah in the first month of launch.
DBS and Gojek began their collaboration earlier in 2018, giving five million customers of DBS and its subsidiary bank POSB early access to the ride-sharing operator's services prior to its official Singapore launch.
DBS Singapore's country head Shee Tse Koon said: "Consumers can fully appreciate the importance of digital payment options especially as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, with personal hygiene and safety now prioritised highly. This is evident from the exponential increase witnessed in the adoption of our digital banking and payments services."
Noting that ride-hailing services were amongst the most frequently used by PayLah users, Shee said: "Allowing them to now conveniently book and pay for their Gojek rides via PayLah further enhances their user experience as there's no need to toggle between apps. The integration also enables us to better engage PayLah users via our large range of services and personalised offers curated just for them, to help serve their everyday needs."
Cash-based payments for Gojek's daily ride-hailing transactions dropped from 35% in mid-2019 to 30% in mid-2020, with education institutions emerging as common destinations amongst commuters who continued to choose to pay for their rides in cash.
"These commuters are likely tertiary students who receive their monthly allowance from their parents in cash," said Shee. "We are working with several tertiary education institutions on a financial literacy curriculum, where we teach students financial planning concepts and fundamentals of digital payments via our NAV Planner. This has helped, and will continue to help, shift the traditional cash-based approach so that more students can make use of digital payments."
DBS and Gojek also jointly worked on other initiatives, including running various webinars for Gojek drivers that touch on topics such as personal finance management.
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