Most of What You Heard About ‘GoBike’ Service is Wrong

[webfact]

Most of What You Heard About ‘GoBike’ Service is Wrong
By Sasiwan Mokkhasen
Staff Reporter


GoBike’s beta app, which launched in Apple’s App Store Feb.26, is still unusable in most of Bangkok.

BANGKOK — A lot was misunderstood when “GoBike” became a trending topic on social media overnight, but one thing was true: It is the first legal, on-demand motorcycle taxi service.

The buzz began Monday when media organizations did as they do – copy information from each other – to report that the government had already launched its own replacement to GrabBike and UberMoto, just days after shutting them down.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1464089092&typecate=06&section=


-- Khaosod English 2016-05-25

[Thailand]

So in fact the gov is going to produce their own app and registration is likely to be compulsory?

The Thai owned foreign funded Gobike is OK but foreign owned Uber and Grab are not, is that correct?

Names for the gov app, GoP perhaps?

[Diplomatico]

"Only a few hundred of the thousands of motorcycle taxis in Chalerm’s association have registered, he said, adding that drivers are not required to join.

Will traditional motorcycle taxis want to do so? Pan Sangkhao, a motosai in front of Bon Marche market said he already has enough customers.

“I don’t think I need an app. But if they are legal, I don’t have a problem with them,” he said of services such as Grab or Uber.

“I don’t think it is worth it though if someone called me to pick them up too far away,” he said before zipping away with a document to deliver at a rate much higher than what he’d get from a passenger."

And therein lies your problem. These guys aren't really interested in competing for customers when they can continue to gouge their existing customer base.

[ezzra]

One thing keep bugging me, how dose the Gobike motorcycle rider handles his in calls and address

lookups and all the rest of the stuff that need the rider attention while he supposedly riding his motorbike?

what about the safety aspects here? when he take his yes and attention of the road to look at the screen

of his device even only for a second or two?......

[topt]

One thing keep bugging me, how dose the Gobike motorcycle rider handles his in calls and address

lookups and all the rest of the stuff that need the rider attention while he supposedly riding his motorbike?

what about the safety aspects here? when he take his yes and attention of the road to look at the screen

of his device even only for a second or two?......

Years of practice unfortunately.......

[gandalf12]

"Only a few hundred of the thousands of motorcycle taxis in Chalerm’s association have registered, he said, adding that drivers are not required to join.

Will traditional motorcycle taxis want to do so? Pan Sangkhao, a motosai in front of Bon Marche market said he already has enough customers.

“I don’t think I need an app. But if they are legal, I don’t have a problem with them,” he said of services such as Grab or Uber.

“I don’t think it is worth it though if someone called me to pick them up too far away,” he said before zipping away with a document to deliver at a rate much higher than what he’d get from a passenger."

And therein lies your problem. These guys aren't really interested in competing for customers when they can continue to gouge their existing customer base.

They cannot compete and neither do they want to. Competition means improved services which get the customer support. Right now it doesn't matter if they give good, bad or indeed any service they are the only ones allowed to operate so why would they care? At some point, way, way in the future, Thailand is going to have to leave the glass bubble it lives in and accept competition. Only then will they realise just how much people like them

[williamgeorgeallen]

Chalerm said there were two conditions for any commercial partner: It must not take a cut of the fares and not charge any extra fees to passengers.

so you can invest but not make any money from investing. 2 years and still waiting for investors. probably still better than investing in a bar where you continue to loose money.

[Bob12345]

One thing keep bugging me, how dose the Gobike motorcycle rider handles his in calls and address

lookups and all the rest of the stuff that need the rider attention while he supposedly riding his motorbike?

what about the safety aspects here? when he take his yes and attention of the road to look at the screen

of his device even only for a second or two?......

Why would he need to look at his screen?

How I understand that it works is that they put themselves on "available" when they are parked at their regular spot and no customer is approaching them.

When they see a request for a bike they click on a button the "claim" that customer and go pick the customer up (as it is in their neighborhood they probably know how to get there without a route planner; they cannot "claim" customers further away from their GPS location). Once they have the customer on the back of the bike they drive to the target location, drop the customer off, and get their payment. No need to handle your phone during driving.

Guess they will now drive back to their usual spot to repeat this all over.

[MaxLee]

I would simply call it THEFT of the not-to-be-named EXECUTIVE G<censored> REGIME from an entrepreneurial Generation Y group, whose original ideas have been shut down to make ways for these <CENSORED> Dinosaurs pseudo service

[taony]

One thing keep bugging me, how dose the Gobike motorcycle rider handles his in calls and address

lookups and all the rest of the stuff that need the rider attention while he supposedly riding his motorbike?

what about the safety aspects here? when he take his yes and attention of the road to look at the screen

of his device even only for a second or two?......

Why would he need to look at his screen?

How I understand that it works is that they put themselves on "available" when they are parked at their regular spot and no customer is approaching them.

When they see a request for a bike they click on a button the "claim" that customer and go pick the customer up (as it is in their neighborhood they probably know how to get there without a route planner; they cannot "claim" customers further away from their GPS location). Once they have the customer on the back of the bike they drive to the target location, drop the customer off, and get their payment. No need to handle your phone during driving.

Guess they will now drive back to their usual spot to repeat this all over.

They will look for their next customer during your ride, just like the taxi drivers now.

Or else call their friends for a chat.