New app can take the hassle out of reserving a van journey

People wanting to travel by van between Bangkok and upcountry provinces can now select the time and route and make a booking via their smart phone, thanks to the GetVan Booking application from Above Corp. 
Project manager Sangdao Ekkalugpaisit said the Thai company started to develop the app just three months ago, with the aim of creating convenience and reducing long waits for members of the public, including students or officials, who want to travel to and from home, school or office by van. 
GetVan Booking officially became available to users yesterday.
Mobile users can download the application via an iOS or Android smart phone to get the company’s van reservation service, parking points and maps. 
They can then choose their destination, route and time of departure – and book a place on the van. 
Passengers will be charged a service fee of Bt15 per booking, which can be paid via the 7/11 store network, online banking, credit card or True wallet. 
As well as Thai, the service is available in English for foreigners. 
“The GetVan Booking application will be easy to use and provides convenience to users or travellers wanting to go by van. They don’t need to wait in a long queue and can control the time it takes to get to their destination, including 30 tourism destinations,” Sangdao said.
She added that there were more than 10,000 transportation vans in Bangkok, with over 100,000 people travelling by van each day. 
Above Corp already has more than 120 van route members signed up to provide the service to and from over 30 provinces, including Saraburi and Lop Buri. 
It hopes to be able to offer GetVan Booking on over 240 routes nationwide within the next three months, the project manager said. 
In the initial stage, the company expects somewhere in the range of 300 to 500 travellers to book journeys via the new service per day. 
Moreover, further development work is under way with a view to providing an extended new service early next year, allowing travellers to pay both the GetVan Booking service fee and the van operator’s charge via a mobile app, as well choosing a specific seat using their smart phone, Sangdao said. 
Above Corp is also negotiating with business partners to provide van rental services in upcountry provinces such as Chiang Mai and Phuket, in a further service extension that is expected to be made available as the next step, she explained. 
With the current GetVan Booking service, she pointed out that as van drivers will receive customers’ names and telephone numbers, they would be able to contact them via the app to confirm their travel plans and inform them in the event of any change in departure time.