On Apr 25, a Brazilian tourist was raped by a taxi driver before being abandoned in the middle of rice fields in Suphanburi province. That taxi driver had previously been arrested twice for rape and his license plate was expired. At the same time, authorities were pushing to ban Uber, arguing that it’s not safe. The obvious disconnect forced authorities to announce a bevy of new taxi regulations and promises for stricter background checks. Here are some of the latest developments:

All taxis to be fitted with cameras, tracking devices, panic buttons

The Department of Land Transport hosted a seminar two weeks ago to discuss the installation of tracking devices and cameras alongside an emergency button in all taxis in Bangkok. The tracking devices will be linked to the taxi department management center and the Taxi OK application. The app will also come with an option to prevent taxi drivers from refusing service to passengers. The installation would cost around B20,000 per taxi.

GrabBike is back, with Department of Land Transport approval

Back in Mar 2016, the DLT ordered GrabBike’s motorcycle-taxi service to halt all operations operations until it followed local rules. Seems they got the message. The newly relaunched GrabBike (Win) is a partnership with the widely available Win motorbike taxi service, which uses legally registered drivers and motorcycles. Users can request to be picked up from their doorstep and transported anywhere within Bangkok, instead of having to walk to the local Win street corner. Much to the DLT’s delight, bikes also come equipped with helmets for drivers and passengers, plus protective jackets for driver-partners.

Uber teams up with LINE, still isn’t legal

Despite government requests to halt service pending a study, Uber Thailand is stepping up operations through a partnership with LINE, the country’s most-used chat app. Uber rides can now be requested directly through LINE, while another new feature will mean users no longer have to type in their destination as long as they are noted in their calendar. They’re also touting an in-app chat function for riders and drivers.  

Taxi cooperatives must flush out expired license plates

It’s believed there are about 5,000 taxis driving around with expired licenses. This week, officials told the taxi cooperatives to report all the expired ones within 15 days. Feeling safer, now?