US-based ride-hailing giant Uber says it is confident it will soon clear the legal hurdles that have thus far hindered the operation of its service in Thailand.
Following a meeting between company representatives and officials from the Department of Land Transport late last month, Uber Thailand general manager Sirupa Jungsalat said yesterday – on the local operation’s third anniversary – that they were committed to continued business in the country, adding they were expecting to be covered by Thai regulations within five months from now. A follow-up meeting with transport officials has been slated for sometime in the next two weeks.
According to Sirupa, Thai authorities have yet to recognize Uber as a ride-sharing service booked via smartphone app, with the company maintaining it is not a taxi service.
Sirupa noted that one solution could be to adopt the Malaysian Uber model, whereby driver-partners who pass certain training requirements are granted a licence for what is considered a new type of transport service. An alternative could see Uber drivers applying for a new class of licence to operate a ride-sharing service.
Uber currently operates in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines, with the company claiming it had received a positive response from the Myanmar and Cambodian governments for its ride-sharing model to be extended there.
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