BANGKOK, Oct 25 (TNA) — The Land Transport Department stated that the ride-hailing service via application software like Grab is likely to be legalized in March next year.
The department announced on its Facebook page that it set details of the services and service providers. Ministerial regulation drafts for the services will be finished within this month and proposed to the Transport Ministry next month. The ministry will then organize public hearings on the matter.
The department expected the ministerial regulations would be submitted to the cabinet for approval in December. The Council of State will then scrutinize them and the new regulations should take effect in March next year, the department stated.
The development resulted from a policy of the Bhumjaithai Party to legalize application-based ride-hailing services for the conveniences and fair treatment of commuters as private vehicles have been used to provide such services unofficially.
A source said that there would be three ministerial regulations to set requirements and conditions for the use of private vehicles for application-based ride-hailing services, the licences of their drivers and the areas of the services.
Private cars to be used for the purpose must not have been used for more than nine years and drivers must have driving licences for public vehicles.
The Transport Ministry will help conventional taxi drivers by raising their fares, allowing advertisements on their taxis and extending the use of their taxis, for example. (TNA)
