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During the launch phase in Bangkok, UberMOTO will be available in the Sathorn, Siam, and Silom areas

Ride-hailing app Uber today announced that it has launched motorbike service in Bangkok, Thailand. Called UberMOTO, the service aims to enable passenger to save time and money on short trips by booking a motorcycle ride through the Uber app.

The passengers will be provided with helmets to complement Uber’s existing safety procedure such as live GPS tracking, two-way feedback, and a feature to share trip details with family and friends.

Rates started at THB10 (US$0.30) and THB3.5 (US$0.10) per kilometer or THB0.85 (US$0.025) per minute. Passengers can pay using credit card or cash.

During launch phase, UberMOTO will be available in the Sathorn, Siam, and Silom areas, covering more areas in Bangkok in the upcoming weeks.

As part of the launch, Uber partnered with the Thai Traffic Police and Head Awareness Club (HAC) to campaign for the importance of wearing helmets for safety.

Also Read: Deliveree ramps up delivery service with motorbike fleet

Motorbike taxi is an existing transportation service in Bangkok, which experienced dreadful traffic jams on daily basis, according to research from British oil company Castrol, the Thai capital has the eight-worst traffic in the world. The average driver in the city spends a whopping 36 per cent of his or her time idling.

Does this mean that other countries across Asia, in which motorbike taxis are common, will be seeing the launch of UberMoto soon?

The possibilities are endless, there is already a strong motorbike culture in Asia and many countries across the region have established motorbike taxi industries. For example, GrabBike operates in both Vietnam and Indonesia , which is now under the Grab brand umbrella, while Indonesia is home to Go-Jek.

The post Vroom, vroom: Uber rides on a motorbike with UberMOTO appeared first on e27.

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