Moto rally: Riders demand Grab play by the rules

[snoop1130]

Moto rally: Riders demand Grab play by the rules

By Jintamas Saksornchai, Staff Reporter

 

Motorcycle taxis Thursday burn a vest uniform at a protest in front of Grab’s Bangkok headquarters.

 

BANGKOK — Motorcycle taxis Thursday converged on the Bangkok headquarters of the largest ride-hailing service to demand it cease operating in violation of the law.

 

Hundreds of win riders in their signature orange vests rode along New Phetchaburi Road and arrived en masse at Grab offices at about 1pm in hope of pressuring the company to stop fielding unlicensed and unregistered taxis.

 

Full Story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2018/05/17/moto-rally-riders-demand-grab-play-by-the-rules/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2018-5-17

[sweatalot]

better an honest taxi driver who is unlicenced and unregistered

than a registered one who is fleecing their customers

[stubuzz]

Most of the motorcycle taxis in my province are unlicensed and unregistered and wear fake orange vests.

[snoop1130]

Angry motorcycle taxi drivers in Grab protest

By CHAKKAWAN SALAYTOO 
THE NATION

 

 

BANGKOK MOTORCYCLE taxi drivers on Thursday morning held a protest in front of the Grab Thailand office, calling on the company to stop owners of motorcycles with white licence plates from providing rides via the Grab app, as ordered by the Internal Security Operations Command’s (Isoc) May 7 instruction to the firm.

 

Santi Patipanrat, a representative of the Motorcycle Taxi Association of Bangkok, submitted his group’s petition to the Grab Thailand manager via its legal department staff in front of the Thanapoom Tower on New Phetchaburi Road. 

 

The demonstrators brought funeral wreaths with the names of Grab Thailand executives and burned a motorcycle taxi vest to symbolically express their anger. 

 

The Grab staffer told him that the petition would be passed on to the manager, Santi said.

 

Taxi drivers said they would give Grab 15 days to respond to their demands, before going on to protest at the Land Transport Department and call on its director-general to step down over this issue, said Santi before the crowd broke up and went their separate ways.

 

Makkasan police officers were at the site during the protest.

 

Santi also expressed hope that the Land Transport Department would bring together all sides to discuss the problem and implement measures.

 

“I have no problem with the Grab application, but they have to adhere to the law,” he said, suggesting the city’s more than 100,000 motorcycle taxi drivers are sufficient for providing services via Grab without also allowing illegal riders.

 

Thailand requires that vehicles used in public transport display yellow licence plates, while members of the general public receive white licence plates for vehicles for their personal use.

 

Grab drivers with white licence plates – who are said to offer cut-rate rides and are reportedly more convenient to hail via smartphone apps – are therefore considered unauthorised to offer the service and compete with motorcycle and automobile taxi drivers.

 

Failing to resolve the issue could lead to more disputes and assaults or fistfights between the legal drivers and the “illegal” Grab transporters, warned Santi. 

 

He also insisted that fares for motorcycle taxi rides are regulated by the government.

 

A recent confrontation was witnessed last week by a female office worker who hailed a Grab motorcyclist to take her from the Sathorn area to the Yaowarat area.

 

A Facebook user posted about the incident along with a video clip as the Grab motorcycle on which she was riding pillion was chased and cut off by an angry motorcycle taxi rider in the Sathorn area who then scolded the Grab rider.

 

The post asked others how much they would choose to pay for the three-kilometre ride – the traditional motorcycle’s fare of Bt120 or the Grab motorcycle’s fare of Bt28?

 

“Is the Bt120 fare legal? As a customer, I have the right to choose, right?” she asked.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30345664

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-5-17

[Katipo]

The corrupt and incompetent can't compete with the smart and effecient. And so this. 

[Get Real]

These people are talking about breaking the law? Really? Grab and Uber are angels compared to this pack.

 

But we all know it´s not about that. It´s about that they don´t want to work. Much money one time, and all set.

Edited May 17, 2018 by Get Real

[sweatalot]

"He also insisted that fares for motorcycle taxi rides are regulated by the government."

 

Oh yes - and the "legal" drivers keep to the regulations?

 

Edited May 17, 2018 by sweatalot

[smedly]

The rip off MB taxi riders need to smell the cheese, this is happening whether they like it or not, bullying passengers and riders alike isn't going to cut it, and on the question of yellow plates.....do I even need to say it.

 

Grab is regulated - it takes the fare costing away from the driver just like a meter should.

 

Their days are numbered and the police should be dealing with these thugs with stiff fines 

[Juan B Tong]

Hmmm.

I thought 'Win' riders lived by the law of the jungle.

 

Faced with the overwhelming reality of competition they are now acting  like Democrats!

 

 

[zzidenn]

It serves the motorbike taxis right. They are at times vicious and aggressive, shouting death threats and driving like they own the place. Grab drivers are mostly polite and helpful and we have the possibility to actually complain and as far as I have learned grab actually follows up with these complaints and holds the drivers responsible (I.e. blocks them ) 

if the regular mb taxis want to stay relevant and competitive they should start with an attitude  adjustment.

[Somchai Logic]

Ha... Pot calling the Kettle Black 

Not one of these (I can't use the correct word here as I will be blocked) has ever in their life played by any rule or even any decent civilized gesture. SOM NOM NA MF's 

[Classic Ray]

Check out the motorcycle taxis at Mo Chit (right in front of the so-called police and Land Transport inspectors), or at any other BTS station. A large percentage of the "official" ones use no-plate or fake yellow sprayed plates so they are as illegal/uninsured as any Grab vehicle.