Popular Southeast Asian transportation apps Uber and Grab have suspended their motorcycle taxi-hailing services in Thailand upon orders from the government.
Transport ministry senior official Nunthapong Cherdchoo said UberMoto and GrabBike services had caused conflict with those registered to provide taxi services, Reuters reported.
In a statement released on its website on May 18, Uber said it is temporarily halting its motorcycle taxi-hailing service, but it assured that is working with the government to resolve issues.
“Despite strong support from Thai riders and drivers, we have decided to temporarily suspend our Bangkok pilot, starting at noon while we work on creating modern regulations for app-based motorbike services with the Government,” Uber said.
“We are pleased that the Thai Government is open to discussing new rules that would enable services like UberMoto for passengers to operate,” the company added.
Grab, meanwhile, is currently “in the process of internal discussions towards a conclusion for next steps,” the company announced in a statement reported by TechCrunch.
The company said GrabBike has always promoted the safety of its drivers and passengers by providing them with additional personal accident insurance coverage.
“GrabBike is focused on providing convenient and safe rides for passengers and will look to continue our dialogue with all industry stakeholders on using technology to make Thailand’s public transport safer and even more convenient,” the company said.
