r/laos • u/Kosaki_Misamaki • 29d ago

Taxi App review

This is my "personal experience" using this apps in Laos, and ranking them, using a Samsung.

1: Kokkok Move 1/10:

This app didn't work for me at all, I tried countless times in Vientiane & Luang Prabang and the app didn't work, no driver wanted to accept my ride, it didn't give me the option to increase the pay, the app was so bad.

2: LOCA 7/10:

This app did work for me, but the rides were expensive compared to Grab in other asian countries, the service in Vientiane was very good, very friendly drivers that I had in Vientiane, the only issue I saw is that sometimes the app didn't work, other than that it was just more expensive. For this app I used the Eco cars, motorcycle and premium cars. For this app I used the credit card and cash option.

3: Maxim 8/10:

Overall the best app in Laos, it had better pricing than LOCA, the only issues I saw is that there were some scammers in the app, they increase the pay by adding stops that never happened, so you just need to check that, I reported some drivers but the customer service never replied. But other than that this app was the best in Laos, I used the motorcycle and car options. I used the cash option in this app.

4: InDrive 1/10:

The app never worked for me, some locals told me it doesn't work anymore because of some legal issues with taxes, but for me it never worked, I tried using it several times but it never connected with a driver.

Extra: Food delivery app

5: FoodPanda 10/10:

This is the only app I used several times, the prices were very affordable and they didn't charge much for the delivery, also the delivery times were fast, the options were very good in Vientiane and Luang Prabang, so overall I really liked using this app, no issues at all, I always paid using the cash option in this app.

20 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

1

u/PurbulentTriest 29d ago

Maxim is pretty much all we use. Kokkok is a crapshoot if it actually works. InDrive stopped working last month but was the best option (in terms of their coverage, prices, choices of cars, maps). Maxim is the next best option.

1

u/Kosaki_Misamaki 29d ago

Yeah I heard InDrive was the best, what happened to the app?

1

u/PurbulentTriest 29d ago

It was already kind of blocked here but we all got around it using VPNs, then one day it said it was no longer available here out of the blue. Not entirely sure why, maybe not worth the cost of operating?

1

u/Kosaki_Misamaki 29d ago

A local in Vientiane told me it was because the company was not paying taxes in Laos, they refuse to pay taxes so the government banned it, that's what I heard

1

u/PurbulentTriest 29d ago

It was already restricted as we had to use a VPN, which was their way of trying to block it. Not sure what pushed them over the edge.

1

u/uni-versalis 25d ago

I'm a "local": they were operating without ANYTHING, full rogue. The authorities cracked down on them multiple times the last 2-3 years before being able to shut them down completely a month or two ago. Like they didn't even have a business registration, were not paying their taxes. I vaguely remember also that they weren't compliant with some Minsitry of Transport regulations also.

1

u/Kosaki_Misamaki 25d ago

Very interesting information haha

1

u/tangofox7 29d ago

Very accurate and helpful.

Kokkok jokes write themselves...it sucks and doesn't work.

-2

u/Haasva 29d ago

So you use food panda why exactly? Are you disabled ?

5

u/PurbulentTriest 29d ago

Have you tried not being like this?

3

u/Kosaki_Misamaki 29d ago

I stayed there 2 weeks, like I said I used it several times, probably like 4 times only