Thread: GrabBike Service Shutdown Because "It's Bad For Thailand"

Friday rush hour has one fewer option after transportation officials ordered GrabBike to halt its service because it violated the law.

The Department of Land Transport told the operator of motorbike taxi service GrabBike to stop operating because the use of private motorcycles, its payment system and rates do not comply with the law. Authorities also suggested such services were bad for Thailand.

“While their service is still against the law, the department will ask for cooperation to temporarily halt the service until it can comply with the regulation,” said Nanthapong Cherdchoo of Department of Land Transport.

Someone answering the telephone at a general number....

Military, Police to Monitor GrabBike Shutdown

Sooooo, what is good for Thailand.

Instead of just pointing out that it is bad, come up with some reasons why you think it is. Sayso just doesn't cut it.

It's mainly about protecting market shares for registered Motosai, the number of Moto-taxi is supposed to be fixed at about 100 000 for Bangkok (official vest with the name of the driver and yellow plate on bike), plus 100 000 more using a vest not in their name (meaning they bought it or are renting it, or using a fake one) ...

Theses officials vests were given for free as an attempt to clean the sector (people had to rent the vest and pay even when they were not working), but former taxi mafia bosses bought all the vests they could from people who had them for free to set up again their old habits ...

They don't want more competition, as usual with players in a protected market. Either the authorities release new vests to this new kind of Motosai operators, and possibly stand the heat from traditional motosai, or theses company hire registered motosai..

Here is an interesting article from 2010 about Bangkok Motosai, their organisation, their political weight :
Interview with Claudio Sopranzetti: The politics of motorcycle taxis

^Good article, that. Thanks for posting.

I read about this last week, and it's so-called great success. I was skeptical at best.
Especially when I was told the drivers had undergone extra training

So how good is this so-called revolutionary 'Uber taxi' thing in Thailand? I read too that these drivers had undergone extensive training



Just that I would never think in a million years that such a system could be rolled out in Thailand and be such an instant hit...what about
the saying ''treading on toes'' and such like?

How much did they charge from Cowboy to Nana?

The answer may have been part of the pomplem.

What next Uber or Grab a tuk tuk?

Bullet-proof might be an added feature...

Grab-LBFM would be a non-starter here, yes.

Gojek in indo, same thing, is great, cost and service outstanding.

Uber is also great, far better and cheaper than any other service.

Do they have Uber in Bangkok now ?......any good ?

GrabBike Responds to Govt Ban With Big Discount and Apathy




BANGKOK — Two days after it was ordered by officials to stop operating, GrabBike is giving rides as usual today.

In fact, GrabBike didn’t just ignore a government demand to halt its “illegal” operations, the popular motorcycle taxi app announced Wednesday it would discount all fares by half.

“If you’re looking for something cheaper than GrabBike, you might wanna walk,” the company said in its announcement of the 50 percent discount to both its motorcycle taxi and delivery services.

Doubling down on its appeal to customers, the company also extended to Friday a promotional code customers can use to further discount fares by 60 baht.

The aggressive pricing seems an act of defiance after the service was ordered to cease operations Tuesday by the Department of Land Transport.

Transportation officials said GrabBike’s motorcycles were operating illegally outside the regulations set forth by the military government.

GrabBike Responds to Govt Ban With Big Discount and Apathy

So we'd have to assume that someone high up has a hotline to the governors office then.

Who needs GrabBike when you can have this......

^ That's illegal, innit?...