2017考研趣味閱讀：優步泰國推“兩輪出租車”

考研吧來源：中國日報 2016-02-26　

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

優步在擁堵成患的泰國首都曼谷推出了“摩托出租車”服務。

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.

優步的競爭對手、打車軟件公司“Grab”已經先于優步推出了這種服務——“GrabBike”，于是優步趕緊跟上。

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.

但此舉對優步來說并不新鮮。2012年，優步就曾在巴黎短期試水過“摩的”，但運行幾周后就銷聲匿跡了。不過據優步發言人卡倫·艾爾亞透露，公司其實一直考慮在泰國等發展中國家的城市推出這一服務。

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

他認為：“對數以百萬計的城市人口來說，兩輪交通工具是不錯的出行選擇。”

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.

目前曼谷三個主要居住區的居民都可以通過優步軟件打到摩的，與優步汽車的打車流程是一樣的。摩的司機接活兒之后還會給乘客帶來一頂頭盔。

"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."

優步亞洲推廣總監道格拉斯·馬在一份聲明中稱：“泰國人本來就比較喜歡用摩托通勤。”他認為，摩的服務將會“為泰國帶來成千上萬個更加靈活的工作機會”。

Fares start at 10 baht, and cost an additional 3.50 baht for each kilometer and 0.85 baht per minute for every ride -- cheaper than the car service.

優步摩的起步價10泰銖(約合1.8元人民幣)，每增加一公里需額外付3.5泰銖，同時每分鐘的騎行時間需要付0.85泰銖——費用比優步汽車便宜不少。

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.

優步周三推出該服務后，就有曼谷當地居民報告了打摩的成功率：最快的幾分鐘就能打到一輛，而有的人則根本打不到。針對“共上線了多少輛摩的”的提問，優步未予回應。

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.

這家創業公司還計劃不久后將摩的推廣到其它城市，但未透露具體是哪些城市。