Uber Heads to the Beach in Phuket

After their successful launch in Bangkok earlier this year, Uber has just announced their first #UberDESTINATION in Thailand. It’s only on a trial run at the moment, but Phuket has been chosen as their first “exotic destination resort town where travelers from around the world can turn to the service they love and trust to ride in style in any holiday city”. For many years taxis in Phuket have had a notorious reputation of ripping off customers and quite frankly being both unreliable and dangerous. Now with the recent crackdown and arrest of many of these drivers and the regulation of the taxi service, Uber has stepped in to provide a world renowned “limo service”. If you loved them in Bangkok, you will love them in Phuket too.

To book yourself an UBER driver, all you have to do is download the free app for your smartphone. Once you are registered and it is up and running, it’s very easy to book your driver. At the moment they are in the testing stage and so they are primarily servicing the Patong Beach district. But, they plan to spread across the island as soon as more drivers and cars become available. But, be warned, it doesn’t come cheap. In fact, it’s more expensive than Bangkok.  The base fare is 140 Baht. You then have to pay 2.5 Baht per minute and 20 Baht per kilometer. The minimum fare is 180 Baht. Rides to the airport from anywhere on the island are a flat rate of 950 Baht. If you want to test them out, use the promo code uxtb6 to get 200 Baht off your first ride.

For more information, please visit their website uber.com or follow them on social media such as Twitter and Instagram. If you get a chance to use Uber in Phuket then please let me know in the comments. I have also written a blog on Why I prefer to Use Uber Bangkok and not Taxis which you might find interesting.