Singapore-based ride-hailing service provider Grab has officially launched operations in Cambodia, entering its eighth country in Southeast Asia and a market shared with Uber and several already entrenched local platforms. At the launch ceremony yesterday, the company announced the signing of two new memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with both the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the United Nations Development Programme in Cambodia, which respectively outline plans for using Grab’s data to reduce traffic congestion and limit carbon emissions in the Kingdom. According to the company’s co-founder, Grab has three long-term goals in the country, including encouraging financial inclusion, lessening traffic congestion, and improving road safety. Wee Tang Yee, Grab country head of Cambodia and Thailand, explained that while Grab’s carhailing service Grabcar and online payment platform GrabPay will only be available in Phnom Penh for now, the company expects to expand in the near future. Sng Su Min, Grab’s regional head of communications, noted that the company was interest in eventually conducting a “mapa-thon”, which would plot out all existing roads, first in main cities and eventually in the provinces, to prepare a complete map of travel routes in the Kingdom. Currently, Grab has signed on 500 drivers to serve Phnom Penh. (Source: Phnom Penh Post)