BANGKOK — The Thai government has launched a mobile phone application that will allow passengers to rate their experiences with taxi drivers in Bangkok.
The app, produced by Department of Land Transport (DLT), will allow users to log their location, the license number of the taxi they are riding in, and evaluate various aspects of the service.
“The app will first be applied for taxis in Bangkok prior to expanding to other provinces,” said Deputy Minister of Transport Arkom Termpittayapaisith. “It is meant to improve efficiency and quality of service. I have instructed the DLT to publish the taxi evaluations on a daily basis, so that taxi users will know about that data too.”
The app, called “DLTCheckin,” is part of an effort to improve the behavior cab drivers in Bangkok, who are notorious for rejecting customers and refusing to use meters.
Arkom said the reviews submitted through the app will also help the Department decide whether to increase taxi fares by 5 percent in June, as was requested by taxi drivers earlier this year.
The DLT also recently teamed with the inter-provincial bus company Nakhonchai Air to create a line of luxury taxis equipped with a series of high-tech features aimed at improving passenger safety. The cars will have GPS systems that can be monitored by the DLT, a ‘black box’ to record the driver’s behavior, and an emergency warning button for passengers.
The driver will also have to pass breathalyzer test and verify his or her identity through a scanning system. The service, called All Thai Taxi, will cost 20 baht extra and is set to launch in May.
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