One of Thailand’s biggest transport companies, All Thai Taxi Co, has released its first Mercedes Benz VIP taxis onto the streets of Bangkok. According to the Land Transport Department, the starting fare for these luxury vehicles is a whopping B150 for the first two kilometers—five times more than the regular taxis’ B35 and three times more than Grab car, which starts at B60 and rises B5/km. The VIP fares are set to increase to B12/km plus an additional B6/min when stuck in traffic.

Department director-general Sanit Phomwong has announced that All Thai Taxi Co plans to send thousands of Mercedes-Benz C Class sedans into operation in the department’s VIP taxi  project, with at least 20 cars to be equipped with technology such as credit card readers, emergency buttons, GPS tracking, panoramic cameras, and fare meters connected to a central control system. It is expected that 5,000 of these luxury VIP taxis will hit the road by the end of this year.

If you’re wondering why you haven’t seen these taxis roaming the streets of Bangkok yet, it’s because the company has only released 15 of them so far, with 85 more set to join by the end of August - very exclusive indeed! The VIP taxis will initially run in main business areas, covering banks, hotels and airports.

You can book these VIP taxis through Taxi OK app, All Thai Taxi app, @allthaitaxi Line ID or call All Thai Taxi Co’s call center 0-2018-9799.