Uber has introduced a motorcycle taxi service in the congested streets of Bangkok.

    The move is an effort to counter what rival ride-hailing apps are doing -- competitor Grab already offers a motorcycle option in the Thai capital, called GrabBike.

    It isn't Uber's first go at motorcycles. In 2012, the company launched a moto-taxi option in Paris for a few weeks as a short-term experiment. It hasn't tried another motorcycle feature until the Bangkok one, which it has designed for cities in developing countries like Thailand, according to spokesman Karun Arya.

    "Two-wheel transportation is a form of mobility for millions and millions of people," he said.

    Motorbike rides can now be requested like any other Uber taxi on the app in three central Bangkok neighborhoods, and the driver will even show up with a helmet for the passenger.

    "Motorcycles are part of the commuting culture in Thailand," Douglas Ma, Uber's head of Asia expansion, said in a statement. He suggested the new service would "create tens of thousands of flexible work opportunities for Thais."

    Fares start at 10 baht, and cost an additional 3.5 baht for each kilometer and 0.85 baht per minute for every ride -- cheaper than the car service.

    Bangkok residents reported varying degrees of success at finding available motorcycle taxis in the city after the feature launched Wednesday, ranging from a few minutes away to none at all. Uber declined to comment on how many motorcycles are available through the app.

    The startup said it has plans to roll out the motorcycle service in other cities in the near future, but it wouldn't specify which ones.

    The taxi-hailing app is in over a dozen Southeast Asian locations, including Bali, Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore.

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    阻塞

    zǔsè

    congest

    crowd or become crowded to excess, overfill

    拒绝

    jùjué

    decline

    withhold or deny consent to do, refuse

    优步泰国推摩的

    优步在拥堵成患的泰国首都曼谷推出了“摩托出租车”服务。

    优步的竞争对手、打车软件公司“Grab”已经先于优步推出了这种服务——“GrabBike”，于是优步赶紧跟上。

    但此举不是优步的第一次尝试“摩的”。2012年，优步就曾在巴黎尝试“摩的”，试验持续了几周时间。其后优步不曾推出“摩的”，直到在曼谷重新开始。据优步发言人卡伦·艾尔亚透露，公司考虑在泰国等发展中国家的城市推出这一服务。

    他说：“对数百万人口来说，两轮交通工具是不错的出行选择。”

    目前曼谷三个主要居住区的居民都可以通过优步软件打到摩的，与优步汽车的打车流程是一样的。摩的司机接活儿之后还会给乘客带来一顶头盔。

    优步亚洲推广总监道格拉斯·马在一份声明中称：“泰国人本来就比较喜欢用摩托通勤。”他认为，摩的服务将会“为泰国带来成千上万个灵活的就业机会”。

    优步摩的起步价10泰铢（约合1.8元人民币），每增加一公里需额外付3.5泰铢，同时每分钟的等待时间需要付0.85泰铢——费用比优步汽车便宜不少。

    优步上周三推出该服务后，就有曼谷当地居民报告了打摩的成功率：最快的几分钟就能打到一辆，而有人则根本打不到。针对“共上线了多少辆摩的”的提问，优步未予回应。

    这家创业公司还计划不久后将摩的推广到其它城市，但未透露具体是哪些城市。

    目前可以用优步叫车的东南亚城市有十多个，包括巴厘岛、胡志明市、新加坡。