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Tag: handling

  • Blockchain-based ride-hailing app to arrive in Vietnam

    Blockchain-based ride-hailing app to arrive in Vietnam

    MVL says drivers will not have to pay commission, and the company will make a profit from selling data. A blockchain-powered ride-hailing app which requires no commission fee from drivers will be arriving in Vietnam this July in the wake of Uber’s departure last month following Grab’s acquisition of the firm’s Southeast Asian operations.

    MVL from the Singapore-based startup MVLchain is going to recruit its first batch of drivers in Vietnam this month.

    The upcoming app utilizes blockchain technology, and is the first ride-hailing app in Vietnam to do so, said CEO Kay Woo during a conference held in Ho Chi Minh City last Saturday.

    Blockchain technology utilizes a growing list of digital records which are linked and secured using cryptography. That means a blockchain system can act as a secure, open and transparent distribution ledger to record transactions between two parties efficiently and verifiably. Blockchain technology can be applied to manage assets, contracts and global payments.

    “Our data is stored using blockchain technology. That means all data belong to all suppliers in the system, which provides transparency,” said Woo. Fellow ride-hailing apps Grab and Uber instead store all their data in servers, said Woo.

    MVL will also not require its drivers to pay a commission. Instead, the firm will sell data generated from its daily operations to insurance and market survey companies to make a profit.

    The firm hopes to attract more drivers this way, aiming to eventually acquire 25 percent of all four-wheel and two-wheel vehicles currently operating in Vietnam.

    MVL will have to compete with Grab, the largest ride-hailing app currently operating in Vietnam. Once all the legal procedures are completed, MVL is expected to go live in Vietnam this July.

    Grab has raised suspicions about creating a monopoly in Vietnam now that its biggest rival Uber is gone, despite an official from the Ministry of Transport saying Grab is unlikely to do so, considering how there are other apps competing with Grab, including ViVu, Mai Linh Bike and Go-Jek.

    MVLchain was founded in 2012 by a group of Korean investors. It currently operates in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

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  • Vietnamese developers reveal latest ride-hailing app

    Vietnamese developers reveal latest ride-hailing app

    The new app will work along the same lines as Uber and Grab, but with better understanding of local travel habits, developers said. A locally developed ride-hailing app was unveiled on Friday in Vietnam, giving travelers yet another option in the rapidly expanding market.

    APPP, developed by Vietnam’s University of Transport Technology with funding from German-based investment company Sapa Thale, will work similarly to Uber and Grab but with a better understanding of local travel habits, its developers said.

    Uber and Grab are both popular services in Vietnam and considered major rivals to traditional taxi companies, which have reported losses due to the competition.

    While the other apps estimate the fare of each trip in advance, APPP allows the customer to negotiate the fare with eight drivers before booking, the developers said at the launch.

    The investor expects a door-opening fare of between VND8,000-8,500 ($0.35-0.38) and for fees to range from VND6,000-6,300 per kilometer.

    Sapa Thale said it has submitted an application to license the service with the transport ministry. No timeframe for a commercial launch has been revealed.

  • Another first for Hactl’s pharma handling

    Another first for Hactl’s pharma handling

    Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) has been confirmed as complying with all the requirements of IATA CEIV Pharma. Hactl is the first handler in Hong Kong to obtain the certification.

    Hactl’s certification is the result of an initiative sponsored by Hong Kong Airport Authority, in which all relevant industry players at the airport will undergo validation for the IATA CEIV Pharma standard.

    IATA CEIV Pharma represents a co-ordinated effort to ensure competency, as well as operational and technical readiness, for the storage and transportation of pharmaceuticals by air. It is designed to help the industry further develop a network of certified pharmaceutical trade lanes that meet consistent cold-chain management standards and assure product integrity.

    Hactl’s accreditation follows an extensive independent assessment and validation, involving detailed inspections, and personal interviews with managers and supervisors at all levels within Hactl. The assessment and validation covered the company’s quality management system and procedures, personnel, training, documentation, infrastructure and equipment, quarantine procedures, sub-contractor management, self-inspection procedures, transportation and operations. All were found to be fully compliant, with no non-conformances.

    The validation report praised Hactl’s preparations for the audit process, the helpful attitudes of its staff, and its total cooperation. Says IATA’s General Manager, Hong Kong and Macau, Yvonne Ho: “I congratulate Hactl on being the first to receive CEIV certification in Hong Kong.  In doing so, Hactl has achieved an internationally recognized standard for pharmaceutical handling.”

    Adds Hactl’s senior manager – quality assurance, Benny Siu: “We are very pleased with the positive outcome of the IATA CEIV Pharma Validation, and value the cross-departmental team effort that resulted in Hactl becoming the first to obtain this important certification.”

    Mark Whitehead, chief executive of Hactl, concludes: “We applaud the Airport Authority’s initiative in sponsoring this drive to adopt IATA CEIV Pharma in Hong Kong. It’s an excellent example of what can be achieved through collaboration, and will benefit the entire airport cargo community and its customers.”

  • Vietjet Air Appoints HACTL for Hong Kong Handling

    Vietjet Air Appoints HACTL for Hong Kong Handling

    The daily flight was launched in December 2016 and is operated with an Airbus A320. “We congratulate VietJet on the launch of this exciting new service to Ho Chi Minh, which provides access to an important destination for our customers,” said Mark Whitehead, chief executive of Hactl.

    Major exports from Vietnam to Hong Kong include electronic components, telecommunications equipment and footwear, while imports from Hong Kong include telecommunications equipment, meat products and electronic components.

    “Hong Kong is a very important market for Vietnam, and also a key step in our airline’s development,” said Thi Thuy Binh Nguyen, vice president of VietJet Air. “We look forward to playing our part in facilitating increased trade on this route.”

    VietJet Air launched operations in 2011. The low-cost carrier now flies to 23 international and 37 domestic destinations with its fleet of 42 A320s and A321s.

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  • Chinese Ride-Hailing Company Ucar Partners with BitTiger

    Chinese Ride-Hailing Company Ucar Partners with BitTiger

    Ucar, a major player in the Chinese ride-hailing and car rental market, has joined the global race to develop a road ready self-driving car. To compete for the best international talent, Ucar has opened a research outpost in Silicon Valley and partnered with online education platform BitTiger to host a deep-learning coding class and competition that offers winners cash prizes and a chance to interview with the company.

    Ucar (神州专车) booked approximately 15%1 of car chauffeur services in China in 2015, and are backed by Alibaba. They are based in Beijing, China and began aggressively expanding their research center in Silicon Valley last year by hiring experienced engineers from major Bay Area tech companies. The research center is part of a larger trend among Chinese companies, including tech giant Baidu, that are creating research outposts in Silicon Valley to gain a competitive talent advantage over domestic rivals.

    Ucar is responding to the huge market opportunity for self-driving cars in China where crippling traffic jams can keep city streets gridlocked for days2. Principal engineer of the Ucar Silicon Valley based research center, Zhong Hua, explains that Ucar’s self-driving car technology aims to “minimize traffic related deaths, reduce commute times, and make better use of cars left idly parked most of the day,” all goals that would have a big impact in China’s mega-cities.

    BitTiger is a US-based online learning platform for Chinese engineers that gained experience at elite tech companies to share their knowledge with Mandarin-speaking students around the world. These students are eager to gain access to a top education taught by industry experts not otherwise available to those outside of the best university programs.

    The course being launched by Ucar and BitTiger will provide candidates with fundamental knowledge of image recognition and deep learning techniques. Upon completion of the course, students will be challenged to accurately identify pedestrians, cars, and bicycles among images collected by Ucar’s test vehicles. The top three teams that most accurately and consistently identify these target objects will receive cash prizes and an opportunity to interview for a position at the Ucar Silicon Valley research center.

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