This may work in Singapore, but I would say it has limited appeal as-is, elsewhere in SEA.

There is some friction to finding and stopping for a snack in the west, whereas there are little street-side stalls selling drinks and snacks every 50 yards in most SEA cities, and the transport is often tuk-tuks and rickshaws rather than taxis.

Additionally, I doubt people will be willing to pay for premium western brands (which they're possibly unfamiliar with), with a further captive-audience premium, unless there's a "conspicuous consumption" aspect to it - rather difficult in a vehicle, as opposed to a glass-fronted coffee house for example.

Good luck nonetheless - they may have some success with the right products, though I can't think immediately what those would be.

Nothing new with this marketing approach! Many taxi drivers in Delhi charmingly (though a bit too stubbornly) offer to visit a shop of their brother, uncle, or good friend, always "nearby", and surely "very cheap!" Also, in many post-Soviet countries they sell illegal vodka, and cigarettes. Not to deny, it's very convenient if you urgently need to get drunk in the middle of night! Maybe it would work with cosmetics too.

Reminds me of this article [1] from a few years back. You've got a captive audience in the car - perfect time to make a sale.

My question is - why wouldn't drivers simply cut out the middleman and offer their own boxes? I don't think that Cargo provides much added value here.

[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonyoushaei/2015/02/04/the-uber...

Uber rides do seem underutilized. Someone posted a picture of them hooking up their switch so passengers would be able to play mario kart and the response was so positive it seems perplexing that nintendo or hbo doesn't put in samples for passengers to try.

What I don't understand is, why do they need to partner with overseas startup instead of, say, doing it themselves (and call it, "GrabMinibar") or partner with 7/11 or something. It's not like Cargo own the patent, or do they?

I think this is amazing - would definitely buy stuff during my uber trips.

Unfortunately it's not allowed to drink or eat in the car :<

Interesting! Indian ride-hailing giant "Ola" bought "Foodpanda" (food delivery startup) a few months back. A variant of food/snack service in the cab might be a hit in Indian metros like Bangalore and Mumbai where people are always late to the office because of traffic.

ugh so take up a seat+ with crap I don't need? yeah great.

Please stay out of Hong Kong.

Depends on how the drivers are trained, because this could have yikes potential in worsening the user experience.

Straight out copying China...