A Vientiane taxi company is improving services and increasing its fleet size to meet expected higher demand in the city during the SEA Games later this year.
Closed-circuit-televisions (CCTV), two-way radios and global positioning systems (GPS) will boost services and increase security for passengers and drivers, said Chief Executive Officer of the Taxi Vientiane Lao Group Company, Ms Bounmy Thepphavong last week.
“We can monitor all our cars through GPS and CCTV to ensure the safety of our customers. We also have a call centre with staff who can speak numerous languages, so that drivers can arrange for their customers to communicate with them via a two-way radio system,” she said.
“All these measures assist us to monitor the performance of drivers and help reduce security fears,” she said.
The company has supplied traffic police with a list of its registered vehicles so that police can inform them if one of their drivers is caught driving illegally or inappropriately.
“The SEA Games is very important for the region and attracts many visitors. Our company wants to provide customers with the best services possible,” Ms Bounmy said.
The company hopes to import a further 170 taxis from China before the games commence, as well as hiring more drivers to meet demand for services.
“After our pilot project ends, we hope to launch full operations with a further 170 cars,” Ms Bounmy said.
The company currently has 30 taxis on call 24 hours a day.
Each taxi contains information brochures on various hotels, restaurants and tourism sites in Vientiane .
A journey in a taxi costs 20,000 kip for the first kilometre and 2,000 kip for every 300 metres thereafter.
The company's headquarters is located in Saphanthong village, Sisattanak district, Vientiane .
By Souriya Meunviseth and Lourn Saboeun
Vientianetimes
