● Thai people from all walks of life have joined the fast-paced, exciting challenge of LINE MAN delivery
LINE MAN riders at the launch of service in Ayudthaya
When COVID-19 began to sweep the world last year, one of the hardest-hit industries was the airlines, as people mostly stopped traveling. As a result, a lot of pilots lost their jobs or saw their hours drastically cut back.
For Krittee ("Guide") Youngfuengmon, a 36-year-old pilot in Bangkok, it was a tough situation, and he needed to find another way to earn a living. Fortunately, he had a motorcycle and a smartphone, which was all he needed to join LINE MAN as a food delivery driver.
Krittee (“Guide”) Youngfuengmon, a pilot and LINE MAN rider
"The nature of this gig matched my needs. I have the freedom," says Guide. "LINE MAN allows me to be my own boss. I can pick my own schedule and fix my own hours."
This is actually Guide's second time delivering for LINE MAN, having been one of the first riders when the service launched in 2016, which waiting to begin his piloting job. More than just a job, Guide says he also really enjoys getting to know the city better and building relationships with his regular restaurants. "When I go to a restaurant, the staff treat me just like a customer and even offer me a drink or something to eat."
"To me, for a service job, everything starts with the rider's passion," says Guide. "People around you can see this passion and detect what kind of person you are. Customers can tell if you are being sincere. But once you do a good job, you will receive goodness in return."
For Nattadanai Klintongbai (or "Jae"), his interest in becoming a rider actually came from using the service. "I used to be a LINE MAN customer," Jae says. "I like this job because it provides freedom. I can choose when I work and what kind of jobs and when I take a rest."
Nattadanai Klintongbai (or "Jae") says being a LINE MAN rider has helped him take care of his family
Jae says he still clearly remembers his first days on the job. "I was nervous whether I would do it right," he says. "I had to attend training sessions and I was worried I would make mistakes. But the people at LINE MAN were very nice. They mentored me and gave advice and helped coach me."
Thai people take their food seriously, but with the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Bangkok's restaurant scene has made a significant shift to delivery services, thanks in part to LINE MAN Wongnai’s fast and efficient service. And with Thailand boasting rapidly increasing mobile speeds and a deep mobile phone penetration rate, it’s a country that has moved to mobile enthusiastically, with LINE leading the way in all aspects of becoming the 'life infrastructure" for the Thai people.
"The pandemic brought unforeseen difficulties to restaurants and workers who lost their jobs, so LINE MAN Wongnai took this as its top priority and helped them activate on our platform," says LINE MAN Wongnai CEO Yod Chinsupakul. "Last year, LINE MAN food delivery expanded to 36 provinces in all six regions across Thailand. The expansion created jobs for both restaurants and riders. We will continue this expansion to more restaurants and riders nationwide."
LINE MAN Wongnai CEO Yod Chinsupakul (right)
"I'm proud of this job," says Jae. "I started from nothing, but now I can take care of my family, and I have even bought a car. This job has helped me build a career."