TADA, Southeast Asia’s first blockchain-based ride-hailing and delivery company, is set to expand to India this year after its parent company Mass Vehicle Ledger (MVL) signed a memorandum of understanding  (MoU) with Boloton, a subsidiary of Indian auto manufacturing giant Krishna Group.

TADA was founded in Singapore in 2018 and now operates in Singapore, Cambodia and Vietnam with an estimated 100,000 drivers and 890,000 users.

According to MVL TADA (Cambodia), MVL and Boloton will team up to create an electric vehicle production and sales division in India as well as offering TADA’s ride-sharing and delivery platforms in the country.

The delivery service is expected to go live by the end of this year with production of their electric tuktuks in India to kick off during the second half of 2022.

The recent MoU signifies MVL’s increasing prioritisation of electric vehicles.

The Council for the Development of Cambodia approved the construction of a $20 million electric rickshaw factory in Kandal province in February to be built by Onion Mobility, a subsidiary of MVL operated by MVL TADA (Cambodia).

Last April, MLV announced it had raised $15 million in series B funding to help build the factory.

MVL TADA (Cambodia) General Manager Poly Chim said the warehouse is expected to be completed this year, possibly within a few months and that the company is also focusing on constructing charging stations to power the upcoming fleet of new Onion T1 electric tuktuks.

The new tuktuks will feature a battery-swapping service designed to reduce overhead costs for traditional tuktuk drivers whose earnings can be majorly offset by fuel consumption and sometimes high maintenance fees.

Drivers of the Onion T1 will be able to swap their batteries out at designated charging locations for a subscription fee.

TADA arrived in Cambodia in 2019 and, while its ride-hailing service hasn’t reached the popularity of Grab or PassApp, it has experienced growth in its delivery operations in Phnom Penh and distinguishes itself by not collecting commissions from drivers and by utilising blockchain as a key piece of its framework.

“TADA’s mission is to create a fair mobility platform for everyone. That is the reason why we don’t charge any commission to drivers,” Chim said.

“But the word fair doesn’t end at zero commission. We also believe important mobility data should be securely stored and distributed in a safe and reliable network and that is what blockchain can do and do better than any centralised networks, in my opinion. We also hope to utilise this blockchain foundation to provide more benefits to users who are participating in our platforms including riders, drivers and partners.”

In other countries of operation, MLV utilises cryptocurrency tokens to incentivise users of the platform but, in Cambodia, this service is not available.

Chim said he is not concerned about the number of ride-hailing and delivery operators that have cropped up in the Kingdom during the pandemic to meet rising demand for contactless business.

“Cambodia is still in the early stage of growth, especially with mobility and e-commerce. There are a lot of opportunities for everyone,” he said.

“The key here is we keep focusing on our own goals without being distracted by competition,” Chim added. “That is one of the reasons we can keep growing despite all the challenges.”

• Tags: India, TADA