Bhutanese version of Uber launched

Online taxi-booking app ‘DrukRide”  (BBS)

By Peter Jaegeul Song
Staff Reporter at Asia N

Thimphu: Equipped with the full support from His Majesty the King, Bhutan Taxi Association in collaboration with DrukRide has launched the online taxi-booking app ‘DrukRide’.

The new app, launched on February 23, has many features similar to that of Uber and is promising the public to make taxi ride in Bhutan much more convenient, easier and simpler.

DrukRide lets the customers to look for the nearest taxi when in need and provides them with different options of a car. The customers on-board can then pay either in cash or online via app.

“In Bhutan, it is becoming apparent that the number of taxi is significantly increased day by day and thus, many transportation problems have been created such as customers not paying the right amount of fare as a result of poor service,” Rinzin Chophel, Chairman of Bhutan Taxi Association said

“I am sure that DrukRide will ease such problems by fixing the rate of fare ensuring the right type of service for each customer.”

So far, around 600 customers in Bhutan have already chosen to use DrukRide as a means of using a taxi service.

“There has been a need for the type of taxi service we offer to the customers for a very long time and I believe that our app can serve the people of Bhutan in various kinds of emergency situations where you need a taxi right at your door step,” Jigme T.Y. Rinzin, CEO of DrukRide, said.

The app now allows the driver and passenger to rate each other and if the driver gets the rate of poor performance for three consecutive rides, the driver will automatically will face a revocation of the DrukRide license.

There are around 3,000 taxi drivers across the Kingdom of Bhutan registered with DrukRide, but the figure is expected to rise.