Everyone is excited with the official debut of Uber in Bangladesh. There are times when you might not find a suitable driver around due to the distance or time limits and might have to look for other alternatives.
Before Uber was launched in Bangladesh there were local services around which did not create as much hype as Uber has managed to do, of course due to its immense popularity. Now as Uber has been declared illegal, which we believe is for a short time before things get sorted out, here are the 5 best local alternatives:
Oikhali – Motorbike
OiKhali is currently in beta and is a motorbike ride sharing service. Currently, it works through a Facebook group where anyone with a motorbike can post about his/her time of travel to a specific destination and anyone who is interested can directly hop in. They did have an app but they have suggested users to use the Facebook group since it’s more interactive. Since trust plays a big issue here, not everyone can join the group as of now. Only trusted contacts are added in the group to make it a safer place.
The fare is based on the travel time by the bike regardless of any traffic jam:
1-15 minutes- 50 Taka
16 – 30 minutes- 100 Taka
31- 45 minutes- 150 Taka
46 – 60 minutes- 200 Taka
Join their group here
Pathao Rides
Pathao Rides is solely dedicated to renting a motorbike service from anywhere in Dhaka City. They have a fleet of motorbikes with trained personnels who even wears a red uniform, rides a red bike and wears a red helmet!
Just download the app and you can either book a ride or even send a parcel. The UI is very user friendly and won’t take much time to understand how it works. What I like best about Pathao is its professionalism towards the service. They even ensure that the passenger wear a helmet before riding.
Fare Structure:
1. 20 BDT starting fare
2. 10 BDT/km
3. 50 paisa per minute of the ride
Example fare: Banani-Dhanmondi would be 115 BDT Approx.
Join their group here
Chalo
Chalo falls under the category of rent-a-car service for specific period of time. It was launched back in 2015 with just renting a car at a fixed price. They have made more advancements and have introduced new features. Initially it wasn’t possible to book directly through the website but with the new site in operation, you can easily book your desired car by selecting range of options.
Chalo is now only available in Dhaka & Chittagong City.
Services:
- a) Book premium rides with Toyotal Axio in Dhaka or Chittagong
- b) Book Economy rides with Toyota in Dhaka or Chittagong
- c) Send parcel to your desired location
- d) Hire a bike
- e) Purchase plane tickets.
Taxiwala
The name says a lot about their service already, hiring a transport by booking one in an app or website. Initially Taxiwala was designed only to book a yellow taxicab for a journey. But with time, Taxiwala have also diversified themselves to rent-a-car service for specific period of time eg. for 2 hours, for 6 hours or the whole day.
They have launched a new program called Zoom Pro service where office goers can share a ride based on a location for the whole working days.
Other Services:
a) Zoom Pro: Mainly for office goers who can share ride with other office goers
b) Airport Service: Pick up and drop service from the airport
c) Hourly Basis: Possible to book a car in Dhaka city or around the Dhaka division for 5 hours or 10 hours.
d) Holidays: For 12 hours.
Garivara
Gari bhara follows the same road as Chalo X but has more additional features as below:
Let us know if you have tried any of the ones listed above! If you think I have missed something out, do let us know in the comments section below! 🙂 Till then, happy riding!
