The Taxi apps, with fares starting at 40 baht, are now officially allowed in Thailand after being approved by Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob. The new ruling allows companies to request permission to use mobile apps, with a 30-day trial period.
The minister expects 10,000 taxis with a capacity of up to 7 passengers to sign up for the program, the taxis will be divided into 3 different vehicle types, from small taxis to large taxi vans, with fares priced accordingly.
For the cheapest taxi option, fares start at 40 to 45 baht for the first 2 kilometres and then charge between 6 and 10 baht for each additional kilometre.
Mid-range taxis start at 45 to 50 baht with 7 to 12 baht per kilometre after the first 2 kilometres.
The largest taxis have a pick-up fee for the first 2 kilometres from 100 to 150 baht, with additional kilometres costing 12 to 16 baht each.
To avoid inflating prices, the registration fee to order or flag a taxi is limited to a maximum of 20 baht. Waiting or idling in traffic is also charged at a rate of 2 baht per minute.
The plan says that when a user orders a ride through a taxi app, the first priority will be given to public taxis, followed by eco-friendly vehicles in the second. Motorcycle taxis are expected to be added to the program in the near future.
In order for companies to participate, they must have a registered capital of more than 5 million baht, be a qualified Thai company, be operational 24 hours a day and must never have their GPS authorization revoked by providers.
The companies that have already expressed interest and are eligible for these restrictions are GrabTaxi, Robinhood (Purpil Venture Co), Delivery Hero/Food Panda, Velox Digital (Gojek), and Lineman.
Catch up on more stories here
Follow us on Facebook here
