Thai government develops new app for taxi passengers

BANGKOK, February 21 (TNA) – The Transport Ministry’s Department of Land Transport (DLT) has come up with a new smartphone application allowing users to report on the safety and service of taxis they use for travel. The move followed numbers of complaints from passengers on the quality and poor services given by taxi drivers. Deputy Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith and senior officers of DLT jointly of Friday launched the so called ‘DLT Check In’ app, which could be downloaded for free. Arkhom said passengers can now rate and report service quality of taxi they use by submitting its licence number on the application. The deputy minister said complaints made by passengers would be used to determine if a second round of taxi fare increase should be allowed after the first hike of eight per cent was allowed late last year. He said the second round of a five per cent fare increase would be considered within the next six months and the quality of service offered by taxis would be a major determining factor for the fare hike. Meanwhile, DLT deputy director-general Jirut Wisanjit said names of disciplined taxi drivers would be announced and prizes would be given to them in order to boost their morale and reward excellent service. (TNA)