Grab for Families: What to Know About Transport, Costs, and Child Seat Realities

Getting Around South East Asia as a Family Has Never Been Easier. I say this to people all the time — travel has never been easier, and a huge part of that is because of Grab.

There are lots of transport apps across South East Asia… and we’ve tried many of them. But time and time again, we come back to Grab. It’s simple, reliable, and works incredibly well for families.

When you’re travelling with kids — often tired, hot, hungry kids — keeping your sanity matters.

What Is Grab (and Why Families Love It)

Grab is much more than just transport. It’s an all-in-one app that many families end up using daily.

With Grab, you can:

• Book transport directly from your phone

• Choose the size of the vehicle you need

• Pay cashless via a securely linked bank card

• See the fare before you confirm

• Keep all receipts in one place (great for budgeting)

• Order food delivery to your accommodation

For families, this removes so much friction from daily life.

Transport With Grab: What to Expect

One of the biggest reasons we prefer Grab over taxis is the clarity.

What we love:

• The price is pre-arranged — no bartering

• Drivers are accredited through the app

• Pickup locations are clear

• Cars are readily available, including at airports

• You can choose:

  • Smaller cars

  • Larger cars (great for families)

  • Motorbikes/scooters (more on this below)

When you’re managing kids, luggage, and heat, that predictability is priceless.

Food Delivery: A Family Lifesaver

Grab also offers food delivery, similar to Uber Eats — but in our experience, it’s often faster and significantly cheaper.

This has been a lifesaver on days when:

• Kids are overtired

• Everyone’s adjusting to the heat

• We’ve had a big day out

• We just want a quiet night in

You can order local food or familiar options and have it delivered straight to your door.

Important Safety & Cultural Differences Families Need to Know

This part is really important — especially for families used to Western transport laws.

Seatbelts & Child Seats

• Seatbelts are not always compulsory

• Child restraints, toddler seats, and baby seats are not readily available

• It is not legal for drivers to offer child seats

• This is very different to Western requirements

Some organisations do offer child restraints, but using these services can slow you down significantly and remove the flexibility Grab offers.

What we personally do:

• We always ensure our kids wear seatbelts where available

• Kids sit in the back

• We mainly use Grab for short distances

• Traffic congestion usually keeps speeds lower (often under 60km/h)

Every family needs to assess their own comfort levels — there’s no one-size-fits-all approach here.

What About Grab Motorbikes?

Grab motorbikes are very popular and definitely look fun — but we personally don’t use them as a family.

Why?

• We didn’t have appropriate cover in our travel insurance

• Helmets for kids can be inconsistent

• Comfort and safety with children were our priority

If you’re planning to use Grab motorbikes, check your travel insurance carefully before you go. This is often overlooked.

Accommodation Location Matters More Than You Think

One thing many families don’t realise until they arrive: where you stay affects your daily transport costs.

When choosing accommodation overseas, it’s helpful to think about:

• Access to grocery stores

• Availability of basics like milk, bread, and eggs

• Cafés, parks, and food options nearby

Sometimes staying further out looks cheaper — but transport and delivery costs, although are cheap, can add up quickly, if used regularly.

A more central location may cost more per night, but:

• You may walk more

• Use Grab less

• Save on daily transport

Often, it balances out.

Hiring a Private Driver for the Day (Often Better Than Multiple Grabs)

We have had some lovely drivers, including this one in Bali, who took us to Ubud for the day and was really hands on and helpful with the kids, especially my boys.

If you’re planning a bigger day out as a family — especially heading outside the city and into the countryside — it can actually be better value (and far less hassle) to hire a car and driver for the day rather than booking multiple Grab rides.

We did this several times during our time in South East Asia and it worked out really well. We met some genuinely lovely drivers, and they ended up adding to the memories we made — not just getting us from A to B.

If you’re wondering where to find a private driver, don’t stress — they’re everywhere, and most are happy to negotiate a fair day rate. My best advice is to:

• Ask your hotel concierge what a reasonable price is (or have them organise it for you), or

• Simply ask a Grab driver you already like if they’d be open to a day booking.

A tip we use often: when we arrive in a new place and take a Grab from the airport, if the driver is friendly, the car is clean, and they connect well with our family, I’ll often ask for their WhatsApp number and their day rate. Then I’ll do a little research over the next few days — chatting with a couple of other drivers — before locking in a bigger day trip or two.

And one more thing: WhatsApp is incredibly common in South East Asia. It’s one of the main ways to communicate with drivers, hotels, and even new friends you meet along the way. I always recommend downloading WhatsApp before you travel for this exact reason.

Walking: The Best (and Free) Alternative

No matter the country, walking is always a great option — if you plan wisely.

scenario’s like this one are not that uncommon, having to navigate several sets of stairs with a stroller, kids, a toddler (that doesn’t want to get out of the pram), bags, water bottles, shopping etc etc, makes for a stressful moment, but it is what it is and we get on with it, is the attitude I take most of the time.

Tips for walking in South East Asia:

• Walk during cooler parts of the day

• Carry water

• Plan regular stops

• Be realistic about distances

• Avoid peak heat when possible

• expect the pathways to be uneven and broken in some places or even unfinished.

• elevators are not as common in SEA as they are in other parts of the world, so a light weight stroller and being prepared that you will need to lift it (and often a child) up and down stairwells is advised… I have only encountered a few occassioins where someone has not offered to help me carry a pram up and down the stairs, most of the time people are really willing to help if you ask.

If you position yourself well, it’s entirely possible to not need a car at all for day-to-day life.

What About Mini Buses and Airport Transfers?

For larger families or lots of luggage, a mini bus can be a great option.

I’ll admit — I was excited when I heard I was getting a limousine in Vietnam… until I realised it was essentially a fancy mini bus. But once I stepped inside? I was sold.

Many are:

• Modern and spacious

• Extremely comfortable

• Fitted with phone chargers

• Sometimes even heated seats

Mini buses can be harder to organise than Grab, but:

• Hotels can often arrange them

• They’re great for return airport journeys

• Useful when travelling as a group

That said, Grab is usually waiting right outside the airport, which makes arrivals much less stressful with tired kids.

My Biggest Tip: Set Up Grab Before You Land

This is an example of the grab app where you can see the map, cost and number of seats you prefer, then you confirm the order by clicking “schedule standar 6 seats”, once your driver has been found you will be able to track them to your location.

This is one I can’t stress enough.

Download Grab and get familiar with it before you arrive.

After a long flight, immigration, customs, and baggage collection, the last thing you want is to:

• Download an app

• Set up payment

• Learn how it works

• While managing tired kids

Having Grab ready to go makes that first journey smooth and calm.

Why I Choose Grab Over Taxis Every Time

Honestly? I don’t enjoy bartering — especially after travel days.

Grab offers:

• Fixed pricing

• Transparency

• No negotiation

• Clear records

For me, that peace of mind is worth it every single time.

Final Thoughts

Grab has completely changed how families move around South East Asia. It’s not perfect, and there are cultural differences to understand — but once you do, it can remove a huge amount of stress from family travel.

For us, it’s become one of those tools we rely on daily… and one I wish more families knew about before they arrived.