Bangkok, Thailand - Uber has offered its first motorcycle taxi service, launching a pilot scheme in Bangkok on wednesday that could spread across Asia as it takes on chief regional rival Grab Taxi.
Motorcycles have long been a popular commuting option in the Thai capital, which has horrendous traffic jams due to increased car ownership and poor city planning.
Ubiquitous motorcycle taxi drivers, found at stands across the city wearing bright orange jackets, weave in and out of stalled traffic with both skill and knuckle-whitening speed.
An Uber motorcycle that collects passengers from their office or home could prove popular with commuters.
But Uber will be up against both Singapore-based Grab Taxi, which began offering a Bangkok motorcycle service alongside its cabs in 2015, and the tens of thousands of regular motorcycle taxi drivers who jealously guard their patches.
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 capital's often mercurial cabbies who routinely decline fares or refuse to use their meters.
The company will initially roll out the bikes in three commercial districts and says the fares should be cheaper than regular motorcycle taxis.
THOUSANDS OF RIDERS
Uber will focus on Thailand but does not rule out launching similar services in other traffic-clogged Asian megacities such as Jakarta and Manila.
“This is the first time we're doing it in any market in the world,” said Uber head of Asian expansion Douglas Ma, “so our hope is to develop it. If it makes sense, absolutely we want to look at other markets.”
Ma wouldn’t say how many motorcycle riders the company had already signed up but said it was in the thousands.
At a stand in the commercial district of Chidlom, motorcycle 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,” the 37-year-old said. “But for me now, if I can't agree with passengers on the prices, I won't go.”
Chalerm Changthongmadan, head of the Association of Taxi Motorcyclists of Thailand, said he was concerned by the arrival of start-up competitors.
“I think it will bring conflict among people who do these jobs,” he said.
AFP