Bolt ride hailing app

[buksida]

Gonna give a big thumbs up for the Bolt ride-hailing app. Have used it several times in Hua Hin and it is reliable and very cheap. Even late at night, you can get drivers so there is no excuse for going into town and getting stung by the packs of cops lurking at their roadblocks! A pal used it to get from downtown back to Cha-am pretty late on and it was less than 200 baht!

Grab used to be the app of choice, but this one seems to be superior. The tuk-tuk/taxi mafia must be seething!

[Big Boy]

I've never used them, but friends have told me the cars are often sub-standard, and the drivers not so good.

[buksida]

Total opposite experience, all cars have been virtually new and the drivers spot on so far ... (cant vouch for the traffic or other idiots on the road though).

Edit: I wouldn't have recommended it if it was shite.

[Big Boy]

No, I realise that, but friends who have to use them regularly always talk badly of them, and use them because the likes of Grab won't go there (Grab often cancel en-route to their house) . Problems they say that are common are broken seat belts and broken windscreens. Maybe you've been lucky or my friends have been unlucky.

[buksida]

I guess you're not going to get a stretch limo for a couple of bucks!

[Bubba1]

No, I realise that, but friends who have to use them regularly always talk badly of them, and use them because the likes of Grab won't go there (Grab often cancel en-route to their house) . Problems they say that are common are broken seat belts and broken windscreens. Maybe you've been lucky or my friends have been unlucky.

Absolutely not the case. Been using for the past year in Hua Hin and Phuket

[Big Boy]

OK, you guys have convinced me - next time I need a taxi, I will try them. What sort of savings can I expect over Grab please? e.g. if Grab costs 100฿, how much less would Bolt be? I'm expecting the answer to be minimal, in which case the difference would be simply be swallowed up in a slightly bigger tip (I normally just round up to the nearest 20฿). However, try them, I will.

I must say, Grab have always been efficient/cheap enough, and my friends really put me off, but curiosity has got the better of me.

[Bubba1]

OK, you guys have convinced me - next time I need a taxi, I will try them. What sort of savings can I expect over Grab please? e.g. if Grab costs 100฿, how much less would Bolt be? I'm expecting the answer to be minimal, in which case the difference would be simply be swallowed up in a slightly bigger tip (I normally just round up to the nearest 20฿). However, try them, I will.

I must say, Grab have always been efficient/cheap enough, and my friends really put me off, but curiosity has got the better of mr.

Pricing is dynamic but in this case probably a 20 baht savings.

[Big Boy]

OK, thank you, 20% is substantial.

[Bubba1]

OK, thank you, 20% is substantial.

Since both bolt and grab use algorithms based on the number of requests and the number of drivers with the app on it will vary. During peak times like this past new year grab was cheaper in some cases

[buksida]

Another example last night, a Bolt from Takiab to Cha-am, a ten-minute wait, 280 baht, brand new Toyota, and sensible lady driver. The tuk-tuk bandits would want more than that just to go back to Hua Hin!

[Big Boy]

I hope I was purely unlucky last night, but I used Bolt for the very first time.

The driver was everything I hate about Thai drivers:

- My Soi was too narrow for him to drive up. He wanted us to walk to the end to get into his cab. He couldn't get his little Vios up the Soi when I get my Ford Ranger up and down with no problem. He eventually agreed to pick us up.

- Every right hand turn he took was on the right hand side of the road. Fortunately, there was nothing coming in the opposite direction any time except the last.

- He drove right up the arse of every car in front. You'd have struggled to get a cigarette paper in the gap.

- The final right right turn from Soi 88 to Shiva there was a car and 2 motorcycles coming towards us. Same maneuver, he just took the right hand lane, and forced them to stop.

I was a shaking wreck by the time we got there. Last night was a bad night for getting Grab. We had 3 cancel on us before using Bolt. Going home, it was the same, but I refused to go in a Bolt cab again. It took so long, the good doctor at Shiva put a couple of seats outside for my wife and I until we eventually managed to get a Grab.

I've heard a few good reports about Bolt since this thread was started, but I was a shaking wreck last night after my first experience. I will try them again one day - bad memories do fade.

On the good side, the cancelled Grabs wanted at least 115฿; Bolt only wanted 68฿.

[Dannie Boy]

A discounted death trap - sounds like a bargain!!

[Big Boy]

I should have realised the guy couldn't drive when he was saying my Soi was too narrow for his car. I was already 20 minutes late because of cancelled Grabs, so I think there was already a level of desperation creeping in.

[joelle]

You should leave a comment about it on their app