Uber launched UberMOTO, a motorcycle ride-sharing service, in Bangkok, Thailand Wednesday in response to competitors in the area. The service is aimed at providing short trip services for passengers around the city, where heavy traffic has become notoriously commonplace, according to Newsweek.
Douglas Ma, Uber's head of Asia expansion, is very optimistic about the new venture, stating that UberMOTO would not only benefit the Thai commuters, but also create tens of thousands of jobs in the country.
"Motorcycles are part of the commuting culture in Thailand," he said, reported CNN Money. "Uber's goal is to provide safe, affordable, reliable transportation at the push of a button, everywhere for everyone."
With fares starting at just $0.28, UberMOTO is significantly cheaper than its automobile counterpart. Apart from its benefits in price, the service is also quite safe, as UberMOTO drivers are instructed to always bring a helmet for their passengers.
Other ride-hailing apps have begun to saturate Bangkok with motorcycle-hailing services, such as Uber's main rival in the area, GrabTaxi, which recently launched GrabBike in the Thai capital, reported Business Pundit.
While the program is still currently in its trial phases, Uber has announced that if the program becomes successful in the popular Asian city, the service would be rolled out to other locations as well, such as Bali, Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore.
UberMOTO is not Uber's first venture into the motorcycle-hailing business. In 2012, the company launched a similar service in Paris as part of a short-term experiment. Uber also attempted to breach the Indian market through UberAUTO, an auto rickshaw-hailing service, though the project was eventually abandoned months after launch.
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