Thailand is GETting a new taxi service, and it's looking to break the Uber/Grab Monopoly in Southeast Asia...
Back in December 2018, Indonesia metropolitan transport phenomenon Go-Jek extended it's reach into other local communities. Unlike, Grab which acquired Uber in a take over and thrives on offering a uniform experience across the board, Go-Jek has looked to provide it's subset companies with a more autonomous localized brand. In a way the move can distance any fall out if the expansion fails in any particular market, but it is a risky business strategy.
Thailand's subsidiary has donned the name "GET!" and has taken on a management team formed from former UBER staffers and a CEO, Pinya Nittayakasetwat, who was recruited from chat app Lineās food delivery business.
Similar to Grab, and Go-Jek, GET! not only serves as a taxi service, but also doubles as a food delivery and mail courier.
Right now GET drivers are comprised only of motorbike taxis. You can recognize them by their bright yellow helmets reflective vests (they kinda look like construction workers on wheels). There is no clarification yet as to if and when GET! plans to expand to a four-wheeled service, but for now, they promise that their coverage is about 80% of Bangkok city streets.
As for their food app, the launch is a bit worrisome. GET! claims to have some 20,000 merchants on it's platform, but scrolling through the app provides a bit of a conundrum.. Many of the restaurants listed haven't provided any menus. This means customers have to input their desired dish and price on their own. This makes it pretty hard to use, to say the least.
I think it's great that their is some competition to smart phone taxi services popping up, it means customers will likely enjoy bargains and discounts, at least in the early days.. In the meantime, hopefully GET! can iron out it's hiccups and hit the tarmac running!