Chat App Line To Become Taxi Booking Service

Many people outside of Asia will not be aware of the popular instant communications application known as LINE. But those who live in Thailand are well aware of how fashionable the app is, and the fact that it is the preferred method of communication over mobile phone networks here in Thailand.

Many Thai nationals, despite having Facebook accounts, will use LINE to chat or make free calls to their friends, rather than use Facebook's messaging service.

The app was released back in 2011 in Japan and is now available on iOS, Android, Blackberry, Firefox OS, Windows desktop and mobile and Mac OS formats.

It is utilised in forty languages and although it can be downloaded in most countries, its popularity remains very much in the Asian market.

In Japan, for instance, almost 70 million people make use of the app, whilst in Thailand, the figure is nearer 40 million. Indonesia, Taiwan, and India are keen users and in Europe, Spain leads the way for LINE downloads.

The application, features chat, phone calls, address book syncing, video calls, including multiple calls where you can add other friends to an existing call and you can use QR codes to find and add your friends.

Like many other chat apps, you can share your location, use emoticons, voice messages, share images or videos and stickers. It also features games, for when users get fed up of chatting or calling each other.

If you ever see two people shaking their phones furiously, they could well be adding each other on LINE.

The latest news from the company is that they have been approved to compete against Uber and Grab in the taxi booking service market. Unlike Uber, LINE has the full backing of the government and taxi drivers in Bangkok, where the service is likely to be rolled out later in 2017.

Reports suggest that almost 60,000 taxi drivers could subscribe to the scheme, which the authorities say will improve service and help solve many of the well documented problems within the taxi trade in Thailand.

There will no requirement for users to download an additional app, for the existing one will feature the booking and payment service. However, reports in months gone by, suggested that various independent applications were being developed to do just what the LINE app is reportedly going to provide. What will happen to that software remains to be seen.

Source: Khaosod English

Content: TPVS