The launch of the smart phone application was officially announced at a press conference held at the Phuket Merlin Hotel this morning.
More than 100 metered taxi drivers were in attendance at the seminar organised by the Provincial Land Transport Office (PLTO) to advise in the apps use.
Speaking to the drivers at the launch seminar, Phuket Governor Nisit Chansomwong said, “Today I want all of you to understand that this new application will give you more choice for income.
“You do not have to believe me, just think and decided for yourself.
“At this time you have to accept that this system is now available and this will make it easier and safer for people in Phuket to find a taxi.
“I do not want to force you to sign up to use the service, but you should consider it.
“This application will not only serve tourists, it will also serve local people and it will help to increase your income,” he said.
“However, here there are different groups and i donʼt want you to fight with each other,” he added amusingly.
“Please explain to your taxi friends in a positive way. It doesn't matter who will win or lose income, the safety of our tourists must come first,” he concluded.
Meanwhile in the launch event, Vee Charununsiri, Deputy General Manager, GrabTaxi Thailand said, “Thank you for this opportunity in Phuket. GrabTaxi is an opportunity to make the islandʼs taxi service more safe as passengers will know all the details of the taxi and its driver.
“There are now 10,000 users in Bangkok but there are fewer taxis in Phuket. There are 10 calls per second on GrabTaxi in Bangkok. All that the drivers have to pay to us is B30 per ride.
“We are only using metered taxis to begin with, others will be considered later.
“Everything will be by meter using our service and to use our our application all drivers need to put on their meters.
“This application is so easy for drivers to use and they can check all details on their smart phone. In addition, we also offer GrabLife insurance to all drivers who use the application as a benefit,” he said.
Teerayut Prasertpol, Chief the Provincial Land Transport Office (PLTO) added, “The GrabTaxi application was considered for Phuket because they only accept meter taxis and black plate taxis cannot use it.
“Green plate taxis are not currently able to use the app because they use different rates,” he said.
Download GrabTaxi from an app store now.