UberMOTO: Bangkok first to get Uber motorcycle taxis

Uber motorcycle taxis to offer cheaper fares than existing taxis in 3 commercial districts starting today, looking to spread Asian-wide.

TRANSPORTATION

Uber chooses Thailand for new motorbike-hailing service

24/02/2016
AFP News agency

Uber offered its first motorbike taxi service on Wednesday, launching a pilot scheme in Bangkok which could spread across Asia as it takes on chief regional rival Grab Taxi.

Motorbikes have long been a popular commuting option in Bangkok, which has horrendous traffic jams due to increased car ownership and poor city planning.

WEAVE IN & OUT OF TRAFFIC, SPEED ALONG SIDEWALKS

Ubiquitous motorbike taxi drivers, found at stands across the city wearing bright orange jackets, weave in and out of stalled traffic or speed along sidewalks.

An Uber motorbike which collects passengers from their office or home could prove popular with commuters.

CHEAPER THAN REGULAR MOTORCYCLE TAXIS

The company will initially roll out the bikes in three commercial districts and says the fares should be cheaper than regular motorcycle taxis.

Uber will focus on Thailand for now but does not rule out launching similar services in other traffic clogged Asian megacities like Jakarta and Manila.

"This is the first time we're doing it in any market in the world, so our hope is to develop it and innovate it," Douglas Ma, Uber's head of Asia expansion, told AFP. "If it makes sense, absolutely we want to look at other markets."

Mr Ma declined to say how many motorcycle drivers the company had already signed up but said it was in the thousands.

LOTS OF COMPETITION

Uber will be up against both Singapore based Grab Taxi, which began offering a Bangkok motorcycle service alongside its taxis last year, and the tens of thousands of regular motorcycle taxi drivers, all over Bangkok, who jealously guard their turf.

"I'm really excited to say Thailand is the first country to launch a two-wheeled motorcycle product in all of our cities," Douglas Ma, Uber's head of Asia expansion, told reporters.

WHAT DO MOTORBIKE TAXI DRIVERS THINK?

At a taxi stand in the commercial district of Chidlom, motorbike taxi driver Winai Bunprueng said he was unlikely to join up.

"If I joined the app and I refused to go, they would reprimand or sack me -- but for me now, if I can't agree with passengers on the prices, I won't go," the 37-year-old told AFP.

Chalerm Changthongmadan, head of the Association of Taxi Motorcyclists of Thailand, said he was concerned by the arrival of new competitors.

"I think it will bring conflict among people who do these jobs," he said.

UBER AMONG WORLD'S MOST VALUABLE STARTUPS

The US company Uber has become one of the world's most valuable startups, worth an estimated US$50 billion and with a presence in 68 countries.

But Uber has faced regulatory hurdles and protests from established taxi operators in most locations where it has launched.

Both Uber and Grab Taxi have shaken up the taxi industry in Bangkok, providing an alternative to the Bangkok's often taxi drivers who routinely decline passengers, refuse to use their meters, charge fares far beyond what the meter would dictate (especially for tourists) and get away with it. 

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/transport/875064/uber-chooses-thailand-for-new-motorbike-hailing-service

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