Honda is working on a partnership with an Uber-like company in Southeast Asia that will see Big Red’s two-wheelers in taxi use.
The company in question is Grab (find their website here). Grab doesn’t just deal with motorcycles and scooters; its business model also includes cars. However, the deal is to focus on two-wheelers. While motorcycle taxis are hardly ever seen in North America, they are a common sight in other countries, and many Hondas are already in use in this role.
Which makes us wonder: What exactly is the point of the deal? Will Honda just focus on producing a boatload of cheap step-throughs to meet this demand, or is there more to it? Will we see taxi-spec models come into the market, with some sort of smartphone integration to make it easier for customers to hail them down?
The financial value of the deal is unknown. What is known is that the previous models of the transportation business that saw the world through the past few decades are on the way out. In North America, many millennials are pointing to Uber as a reason for them to avoid buying cars. In overseas markets, deals like this might mean the same thing for the currently booming bike markets.
It will be a great combination of both of experience and they could provide unbeatable services