A city council member has asked the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to develop a new application for calling motorcycle taxis to ensure safety and reasonable fares for passengers.
Viput Srivaurai, who represents Bang Rak district, said the BMA should make the best use of technology and innovation to enhance motorcycle taxi services. This could include creating a data management system for organising services, providing information about drivers and their vehicles.
He also stressed the need for a ride-hailing service that charges reasonable fares to provide people with an alternative mode of transport that is safe and convenient, with easy access to motorcycle taxis.
Such a service would also allow motorcycle taxi drivers to pay lower fees than those they are charged for providing their services via platforms such as Grab, Mr Viput said.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the BMA already has a database of motorcycle taxi services, which includes information about locations of service points, the number of drivers, their ID numbers, licence plate numbers, fares, and so on.
However, the database cannot be shared with the public due to the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), he said.
There are currently around 5,300 motorcycle taxi service points and 80,000 registered drivers in Bangkok.
Some of the most common problems faced by passengers when using a motorcycle taxi service include denial of service, unreasonable fares and drivers’ inappropriate behaviour.