Fresh of its latest expansion into Chiang Mai, Grab has launched an electric tuktuk service in the city.
Officially called “GrabTukTuk (Electric)” the new service, as it name suggests, will allow users to book electric tuktuks using the Grab app.
The exact details of the new service are not clear with the company saying in a statement that it was planning to replace 450 LGP tuktuks in Chiang Mai with electric ones this year.
How they are replacing existing Chiang Mai tuktuks which they don’t own was not explained.
Grab added that it aims to drive the adoption of electric vehicles in Thailand.
As of today, June 5, the option to book an electric tuktuk was not available in the Grab app.
The company also announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chiang Mai Province and other private sector providers to establish the “Chiang Mai Smart Mobility Alliance Network.” The public-private partnership is said to be aiming to reduce the use of private vehicles in Chiang Mai by 35% in five years.
Neither the announcement of the new tuktuk service nor the fact that the company has signed on with the provincial government is likely to be well received by the Lanna Transport Co-op, an organization that has been protesting against the company’s presence in Chiang Mai for several years.
