Bangkok: Metered motorbike taxis
Coming soon to Bangkok: Metered motorbike taxis
9 February, 2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV8NY...layer_embedded
Thanks to a crafty U.S. expat, some of the city's beloved vested drivers will reportedly start rocking moto meters in March
Convenient but risky, Bangkok’s motorcycle taxis are the city’s quickest form of public transportation, allowing commuters to bypass stalled traffic at breakneck speed.
In terms of rates, most of the popular destinations near sites where drivers congregate to wait for passengers are written on a board with a set flat fee. Some riders negotiate their own rates depending on distance.
But according to an interview on business website Fastcompany.com, come March some of the city’s motorbike taxi drivers will start using the world’s first motorcyle meters, a device invented by a U.S. expat in Bangkok.
Paul Giles, president of World Moto, says he originally came up with the idea in 2003.
"It's interesting because it's such a simple idea," he says in the "Fast Company" article. "When it hit, it was like a lightning bolt. I thought, my God, they're everywhere, why don't they have a meter?"
The article goes onto discuss how Giles tackled issues such as durability and tampering, as well as future plans for the company.
Fingers crossed Giles will next try to convince the city's unscrupulous tuk tuk drivers to install the meters.
For more on the city's motorbike taxis, check out our guide on how to ride -- and hopefully survive -- Bangkok's 'motocy.'
cnngo.com
