Uber. Where is it operating in Thailand.

[Dtrump]

Since it is now legal where is Uber operating?  I registered with my Facebook account and got an SMS confirmation.  Don't know how to find out if it is in my area.  I don't want to order a Taxi right now just want to find out if it is in this area. Never mind I found the uber site for cities.

[siam2007]

I don't think it is legal yet. That they started in CM recently does not mean it is legal - they started operations in many Cities around the globe without getting the "green light" from authorities beforehand.

What surprised me was that an official Thaivisa account posted the story about their CM operations recently. In the past, those topics were quickly "closed" by MODs as soon as someone mentioned UBER

[kannot]

uber "unfair" I hear the other taxi drivers squeal................my heart  bleeds

[fishbrando]

Uber is a true game-changer in Chiangmai.  

 

I've been to CM twice recently, once pre-Uber and once post-Uber, and the difference in convenience was like night and day.

[Peterw42]

8 minutes ago, fishbrando said:

Uber is a true game-changer in Chiangmai.  

 

I've been to CM twice recently, once pre-Uber and once post-Uber, and the difference in convenience was like night and day.

 

I am interested to know what is the big difference ? Is it prebooking via an app, no need to que up, you can get a taxi when its very busy ? In most tourist/expat places, I spend more time saying no to taxi's then looking for one.

[HooHaa]

i use uber in pretty much every city i have been in the the last 2 years.

Vancouver, little rock arkansas, manila, bangkok, KL. 

its a good thing.

[jeanericblass]

I have two cars and i want to add them for Uber services, what will be the procedure of it?

[fishbrando]

16 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

 

I am interested to know what is the big difference ? Is it prebooking via an app, no need to que up, you can get a taxi when its very busy ? In most tourist/expat places, I spend more time saying no to taxi's then looking for one.

 

Basically all of the items you mentioned.

 

CM is dominated by the red songthaews (red pickups) and some tuk-tuks, as well as some expensive cars-for-hire.  There are metered taxis but they are few and far in between.

 

Flagging down a songthaew in the noon heat vs. waiting in the air-conditioned restaurant/cafe/hotel lobby for the car to pick you up is a huge difference.

 

Negotiating a price with the songthaew and possibly getting rejected so you can repeat it all with the next songthaew is a pain.  Songthaews will also refuse passengers just like the taxis in Bangkok.  Uber often ends up cheaper than the songthaews as well, and they never refuse you.

 

The songthaews will invariably pick other people up as well, whereas with Uber you get a private air-conditioned car.

 

Leave your stuff in a songthaew?  Goodbye stuff.  Leave it in an Uber?  You can actually contact the driver.

 

You can also specify your destination in the Uber app and the Uber driver will use GPS to find it, vs. explaining where you want to go to the songthaew driver who doesn't know how to read a map.

 

Uber will also take you to/from Chiangmai airport for a fixed 150 baht per carload.  The taxi services there charge 150-180 per person.  

 

Uber will also take you to Doi Suthep for 250/carload - more expensive than the regular songthaew service (40 baht/person), but if you're prone to motion sickness, the songthaew ride up the winding mountain roads (with truck exhaust being blown back into the passenger area) can be a long and uncomfortable one.

 

I've met some nice drivers via Uber as well.  Some of them are retirees looking to talk to new people while earning some extra money as a bonus.

[Peterw42]

1 hour ago, fishbrando said:

 

Basically all of the items you mentioned.

 

CM is dominated by the red songthaews (red pickups) and some tuk-tuks, as well as some expensive cars-for-hire.  There are metered taxis but they are few and far in between.

 

Flagging down a songthaew in the noon heat vs. waiting in the air-conditioned restaurant/cafe/hotel lobby for the car to pick you up is a huge difference.

 

Negotiating a price with the songthaew and possibly getting rejected so you can repeat it all with the next songthaew is a pain.  Songthaews will also refuse passengers just like the taxis in Bangkok.  Uber often ends up cheaper than the songthaews as well, and they never refuse you.

 

The songthaews will invariably pick other people up as well, whereas with Uber you get a private air-conditioned car.

 

Leave your stuff in a songthaew?  Goodbye stuff.  Leave it in an Uber?  You can actually contact the driver.

 

You can also specify your destination in the Uber app and the Uber driver will use GPS to find it, vs. explaining where you want to go to the songthaew driver who doesn't know how to read a map.

 

Uber will also take you to/from Chiangmai airport for a fixed 150 baht per carload.  The taxi services there charge 150-180 per person.  

 

Uber will also take you to Doi Suthep for 250/carload - more expensive than the regular songthaew service (40 baht/person), but if you're prone to motion sickness, the songthaew ride up the winding mountain roads (with truck exhaust being blown back into the passenger area) can be a long and uncomfortable one.

 

I've met some nice drivers via Uber as well.  Some of them are retirees looking to talk to new people while earning some extra money as a bonus.

 

Thanks for the response, That explains it well. I had never really got what the difference was

[keeniau96]

Uber or similar are desperately needed in Phuket. All TVers have seen the numerous complaints about the tuk-tuks in HKT, and the criminal behavior of some of their drivers as well as the extortionate charges  eg. 600 baht from airport to Phuket city.

[fishbrando]

 

59 minutes ago, keeniau96 said:

Uber or similar are desperately needed in Phuket. All TVers have seen the numerous complaints about the tuk-tuks in HKT, and the criminal behavior of some of their drivers as well as the extortionate charges  eg. 600 baht from airport to Phuket city.

 

Given the nature of things in Phuket, the Uber drivers would need to carry a sidearm while working.

[siam2007]

While this all is great news, we still don't know why it suddenly is not considered illegal any longer. There was no official announcement me thinks. Oh, Khun UBER, would you please come to Samui, Phuket, Pattaya and Krabi as well? I'll get you a very special Somtam if you do  -_-