What a great idea! it should have been done long time ago.!!
Thai motorcycle taxi meter developed
Bangkok Post: 15 Nov 2010
Fare BusinessNew portable meter could pull Thailand's motorcycle taxis into the 21st century
Some 700,000 people nationwide earn their living driving motorcycle taxis, weaving their way through small sois and traffic-clogged thoroughfares.
In Bangkok alone has an estimated 180,000 motorcycle taxis, with drivers earning 500 baht a day or more, not an insignificant sum considering the relatively low entry requirements needed for the job.
Fares are typically fixed by the co-operatives working each major intersection, albeit with no fixed formula based on time, distance or fuel consumption.
Paul Giles believes its high time to bring the industry into the 21st century.
Mr Giles runs World Moto (Thailand), which boasts development of the world's first portable taximeter.
The Moto Meter uses GPS technology to help measure distance and calculate fares. It can even compute geographical information to custom-tailor "smart advertising" on the viewscreen _ for example, food promotions can be shown for a fast-food restaurant near which the meter happens to be.
Mr Giles, a 42-year-old Canadian and decade-long resident of Thailand, called Thailand the "perfect market" for the Moto Meter.
"Whenever you ride on a motorcycle taxi, you have no idea how far you actually travel to the destination," he said.
World Moto spent about US$1 million to develop the Moto Meter and manufactures them in Samut Prakan province.
The company is negotiating with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to offer 10-20 terminals free as a pilot project.
"We want to run a pioneer project in tourist areas, such as Khao San Road, Ratchadamnoen, Nana and Thong Lo. We believe this system will help raise the profile of Thai motorcycle taxis around the world," said Mr Giles said, adding that his firm has already held preliminary talks with motorcycle drivers at target locations across the city.
He acknowledged that the motorcycle taxi industry is "complicated". Most drivers operate under syndicates, with revenue split with group leaders who in turn negotiate with city officials and local police to claim informal concessions for a given area.
If the system is widely adopted, it could affect the various motorcycle syndicates across the city, particularly if drivers decide to break away from the influence of "queue leaders" and operate independently instead.
But Mr Giles is hopeful the system will prove popular among drivers and passengers alike, particularly foreign tourists and expats, who are more comfortable with meter-based fares rather than negotiating rates separately.
"Moto Meters will help improve the image of this entire industry to make it seem more professional overall," he said.
"I hope that when the motorcycles are waiting at a red light, everyone will turn to the driver with the meter and say: 'Wow, what's that?"'
The Moto Meter is designed to be completely portable and can be used with not only motorcycles, but also tuk-tuks and other vehicles. The system uses GPS tracking to alert authorities in case of an accident or theft and acts as a "black box" to track travel, speed and other data over a five-year period.
In Berlin, police authorities using similar technology for public transport have shown a 36% reduction in accidents, as the tracking system helps push drivers to adjust their driving behaviour.
Mr Giles said the system, priced at 5,599 baht per box, offers clear financial benefits for drivers. Installation is free for each vehicle, and drivers would continue to receive the same fares as before plus additional revenue from the system's built-in advertising service.
World Moto will also offer financing options for drivers purchasing it.
He said a test of the system in Brazil involving 200 motorcycle taxis showed drivers reporting a 15% increase in fare revenue after nine months excluding additional income gained from ads.
The system can also be developed to accept electronic cash payments via radio-frequency identification technology and smart cards. Passengers may also request receipts for their fare payments. "I myself use motorcycle taxis quite often. I think with the Moto Meter, drivers wouldn't dare to take me to dangerous areas. And there would be no need to argue about fares," said Mr Giles.
Chris Ziomkowski, World Moto's chief technology officer, said the system had built-in safeguards against tampering.
"If you try to open up the box to, say, manipulate the fare charges, the programme will automatically shut down," he said.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/206423/fare-business 
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