|
The
services are popular among city dwellers in Thailand's
grid-locked cities, where bikes weaving through traffic jams get
people around in a fraction of the time a car takes.
There are over 186,000 motorcycles registered to provide taxi
services in Thailand, almost half in Bangkok, according to
government data.
UberMoto and Grab Bike services had caused conflict with those
registered to provide taxi services, said Nunthapong Cherdchoo,
a senior official at the transport ministry.
Grab Bike said in a statement it was working with the government
to resolve the issues.
"Grab Bike offers a service that reduces traffic in Bangkok, one
of the world's most congested cities," Singapore-headquartered
Grab said in a statement. "Staff are well-trained and insured."
Uber representatives were not immediately available for comment.
Uber launched its services in Bangkok in February.
Authorities have arrested 66 motorcycle drivers working for Uber
and Grab Bike, Nunthapong said. They would face fines of up to
4,000 baht ($112) for first-time offences and have their
licenses suspended for repeat offences.
San Francisco-based Uber has grown rapidly around the world but
has faced protests, bans and restrictions in a number of cities.
(Reporting by Pairat Temphairojana; Writing by Simon Webb;
editing by Adrian Croft)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
