Lao ridesharing service LOCA has begun its trial service in the city of Luang Prabang, aiming to provide 24-hour service in the northern tourist town by February next year.
The service became available on December 23 in Laos’s iconic ancient city. It is the first city outside the capital Vientiane where LOCA service is available.
LOCA founder Mr. Souliyo Vongdala said the company sees “high number of registrations” when it comes to the number of drivers, without providing the exact number.
He said LOCA will “slowly” add and train drivers in Luang Prabang before putting them on the road.
The service has more than 300 drivers in Vientiane, with each undergoing a strict and competitive screening process. The service is available 24 hours in the capital.
Since LOCA has no on-the-ground office in Luang Prabang, the company works with a local partner and sends out Vientiane-based team members there to train the first patch drivers.
The monitoring of drivers will be done from the headquarters in Vientiane, said Mr. Souliyo.
Since its establishment in 2018 as the first local ride-sharing service in Laos, LOCA has seen dramatic growth over the years. Its sales volume has grown 600 percent and has teamed up with several third parties to enhance service safety and capabilities.
In October, it signed a memorandum of understanding with Vientiane-based Minivan Association to have 240 minivan association members to the LOCA platform, increasing ease of access to minivan services in Vientiane.
Separately, the company teamed up with Lanexang Assurance Public Company in a move to enhance the protection standard of the service. With the agreement, two companies agreed to start providing standard insurance coverage for LOCA service, while exploring healthcare for its drivers.
Two firms are currently in talks to provide trip insurance that will cover each valid trip passenger regardless of the driver insurance status or liability in case of the accident, according to Mr. Souliyo.
