Most Bangkokians don't use ride-hailing apps, study finds

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Most Bangkokians don't use ride-hailing apps, study finds

By The Nation

 

 

A survey by Assumption University has found that one-third of Bangkokians have never tried a ride-hailing app as consumers are looking for options, the institution said in a press release issued on Friday.

 

Assumption University’s Institute for Research and Academic Services in collaboration with GET, an app for two-wheeled ride-hailing, courier and food delivery services, conducted a research in November 2018 to survey the satisfaction and perception of users and service providers of Bangkok’s two-wheeled ride-hailing industry. 

 

According to the survey involving 1,234 Bangkokians and 605 legitimate motorcycle taxi drivers, the majority of consumers and motorcycle taxi drivers never tried a ride-hailing application for motorcycle taxi booking and they are looking for new and more applications to allow them to have more choices, healthy competition for better prices and services and to eliminate monopolisation.

 

According to the survey, 79 per cent of Bangkokians use motorcycle taxi to commute. Females use the service more than males and younger generations use the service more than older ones.

 

When inquired those who use motorcycle taxi service, 68 per cent of them use the service more than once a week and 23 per cent use it almost daily.

 

The problems commonly found are long queue in rush hours, no service available in nearby areas, customer rejection, and no service during early morning and late night.

 

At the same time, the study found Bangkokians would like to see improvement on safety, driver behaviour, and standardisation in price for motorcycle taxi.

 

In the modern days when technology has stronger presence on everyday lives, 72 per cent of Bangkokians are aware of motorcycle taxi booking applications. However, despite the awareness that such applications can help make life more convenient, as high as 65 per cent of the people have never tried the service.

 

The survey points out that if there’s a new application available in the market, most of Bangkokians up to 65 per cent are willing to try. Most of the interviewees provided the reasons that more choices in the market will benefit users as it will provide users with more options, competition will result in better prices and promotions and it can help improve the service.

 

The main reasons to attract Bangkokians to an application are fares, speed, easy-to-use experience, insurance, good service and others.

 

On the supply side, almost all of motorcycle taxi drivers, 96 per cent, are aware of motorcycle taxi hailing applications. But only 15 per cent have joined an application or applications. The reasons for not joining were there’s nothing attractive and they don’t know how to use an application and their jobs are already good.

 

From the survey, a number of motorcycle taxi drivers thought that more applications in the market could be good for them as it would offer them more choices to join, eliminate monopolisation, encourage competition to help drivers gained more income and better benefits, as well as help expanding the market to get more customers.

 

Good income and reliability are what drivers want in an application.

 

The reasons to convince a driver to join an application are good income, reliability, life and accident insurance, and other factors like bonus or incentives and good treatment for drivers.

 

Pinya Nittayakasetwat, GET Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, said: “GET has carried out various studies and surveys in order to truly understand Bangkok riders and drivers and how we can fulfil their needs. The survey conducted by AU Poll helped reaffirm many of our hypotheses.

 

Ride-hailing application adoption here is growing but not as fast as it could due to a lack of choice in the market. Our arrival will help expand both the demand and supply side and promote healthy competition that will benefit both riders and drivers here in Bangkok.

 

“Since our beta launch in December, we have proven that licensed ‘win’ drivers are eager to partner with a company that understands their needs. We are operating in 29 districts in Bangkok with many win drivers and our fleet continues to grow. We’re excited to fully launch in Bangkok within the coming weeks as we seek to provide another choice and make life easier for both riders and drivers in Bangkok.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30364200

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-02-15

[yogavnture]

thats because the thai mafia controls transport in bkk. go to hcmc. order a grab taxi or moto and its their in moments.  to think how much money is lost in revenue due to transport difficulites in bkk is ridiculous.  also ban those damn tuk tuks . what a ripoff and they are massive polluters

[VocalNeal]

Ride hailing? Mostly all motorcycle taxi drivers operated from their fixed sites so how will an App help?

[Phuketshrew]

4 minutes ago, yogavnture said:

thats because the thai mafia controls transport in bkk. go to hcmc. order a grab taxi or moto and its their in moments.  to think how much money is lost in revenue due to transport difficulites in bkk is ridiculous.  also ban those damn tuk tuks . what a ripoff and they are massive polluters

Exactly. Easy and cheap to use Grab in Yangon too. Plus it's safer, you know the reg no of the vehicle picking you up and the price is fixed and displayed to both you and the driver before pick up. You can also track your route to ensure you will reach your destination by the best/shortest route as all the drivers follow the route on the App.

[fruitman]

Before you know it you're in a fight between the mototaxi or taxidrivers in BKK....it's all maffia. So we go with our own vehicles, much safer.

[sungod]

58 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Ride hailing? Mostly all motorcycle taxi drivers operated from their fixed sites so how will an App help?

Because they can sign up too if they want, and then go to where ever the customer is.

[StayinThailand2much]

1 hour ago, VocalNeal said:

Ride hailing? Mostly all motorcycle taxi drivers operated from their fixed sites so how will an App help?

...and many will either refuse to take one 'away' from their assigned alley into another one, and/or will charge exorbitant prices doing so. Thailand in this regard, thanks to antiquated oligopoly schemes, is behind other countries in the region...

 

Add to that the fear to 'get into other moto gangs territory and way', and it is obvious why apps for motorbike taxi service won't be much of a thing in Bangkok in the foreseeable future.

[StayinThailand2much]

24 minutes ago, fruitman said:

Before you know it you're in a fight between the mototaxi or taxidrivers in BKK....it's all maffia. So we go with our own vehicles, much safer.

Been there, done that. Heated arguments between motorbike drivers to the tune of 'why did you pick up that passenger, as it is my area'...

[StayinThailand2much]

1 hour ago, yogavnture said:

thats because the thai mafia controls transport in bkk. go to hcmc. order a grab taxi or moto and its their in moments.  to think how much money is lost in revenue due to transport difficulites in bkk is ridiculous.  also ban those damn tuk tuks . what a ripoff and they are massive polluters

True. In HCMC or PP can travel from one end of town to the other with one motorbike taxi. In Bangkok cannot; one gang limited to one alley, and afraid to get into fight with "owners" of the destination alley...

[StayinThailand2much]

24 minutes ago, sungod said:

Because they can sign up too if they want, and then go to where ever the customer is.

To get beaten up by the moto guys of that Soi... ????

[fruitman]

9 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Been there, done that. Heated arguments between motorbike drivers to the tune of 'why did you pick up that passenger, as it is my area'...

Yup, also taxi's can't just pickup passengers anywhere.

 

Last time i took a taxi was from Don Muang at night. The engine stalled 3! times during our ride but he could manage to get it working in 30 seconds..

I asked him where he would go next and he replied back to Don Muang because he only has a license to pick up passengers from there.

[Eaglekott]

I think its because it is much more expensive to use the apps than stop one on the street, Sometimes Grab charge dubble than same trip by meter. 

 

I only use the apps when Im in locations there is hard to get a Taxi.

[Beatriz]

 

Their lives are already poor and harsh and the mafia control them? How sad.