All Thai Taxi Co has suspended a plan to add more taxis to its fleet after a struggle to recruit drivers and performance that has fallen short of targets.
Kruawan Wongrukmit, chief executive officer of Nakhonchai Air Co -- the operator of All Thai Taxi, providers of a yellow taxi fleet that debuted in 2015 -- said the company has decided to put expansion plans on hold.
All Thai Taxi, with 300 cars on Bangkok streets, aimed to beat other taxi firms by using better cars with drivers who never refuse passengers who flag them down on the street or call the service via its app and call centre. The company has faced stiff competion from other ride-hailing app companies such as Grab and LINE.
The company had planned to expand its fleet, but Ms Kruawan said that while demand for the service remained high, it had found it difficult to recruit qualified drivers to meet its standards.
All Thai Taxi is the only firm that guarantees drivers a monthly salary of at least 18,000 baht. Despite the incentive, its website and Facebook page still display notices seeking more drivers.
It also introduced a new luxury taxi service last year, using Mercedez Benz cars to target wealthy passengers.
All Thai Taxi Co is a business unit of Nakhonchai Air Co, which runs interprovincial bus routes, mainly from Bangkok. The taxi service is its first venture beyond the successful bus operation.
