Laos has a clear first app and no universal taxi network. LOCA is built for the foreign arrival; Green SM and KOKKOK are useful only when their live cars solve a specific city or price problem.
Install and register LOCA before a time-critical ride. Compare Green SM where electric taxis appear, keep KOKKOK as a Vientiane experiment, and agree the complete price before boarding any roadside tuk tuk.
| Your situation | Best first move |
|---|---|
| First app for an international arrival | Use LOCA and confirm the live vehicle map.23 |
| Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Savannakhet or Champasak | Compare Green SM's live wait and fare with LOCA.45 |
| You want a tuk tuk or third quote in Vientiane | Try KOKKOK only if verification and a driver both succeed.67 |
| Early flight, train or bus with no room for failure | Pre-arrange a hotel or operator transfer and reconfirm it. |
| You take a street tuk tuk | Show the destination and agree the total for the whole vehicle before boarding.910 |
For Lao kip, cards and QR payment planning beyond one ride, continue with Payments Apps in Laos
Licensed local ride app with verified drivers, trip tracking and coverage in five major Lao destinations.
Electric taxi app, formerly Xanh SM in Laos, offering a useful second ride quote where vehicles are available.
Vientiane focused electric tuk tuk and car app where passengers can propose a fare to nearby drivers.
Not available here Uber does not operate in Laos. Use LOCA first, compare Green SM where it has cars, and agree the full fare before entering a street tuk tuk.
LOCA's current product material names Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Pakse and Savannakhet. It supports advance or immediate booking, shows a standard fare and accepts cash plus major international cards where available.23
LOCA says drivers and vehicles are verified, trips are tracked, human support runs 24 hours and each trip carries insurance up to 500,000,000 LAK. Those controls create a better record than an anonymous street negotiation, but they can't guarantee a nearby car at every hour.2
Green SM, formerly branded Xanh SM in Laos, documents launches in Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Savannakhet and Champasak. Its Champasak announcement says app, hotline and street-hail booking are available and describes transparent route and fare information.45
The operator reported nearly 500 electric cars across those four markets in April 2024. That dated fleet snapshot confirms a substantial launch, not current availability at one pin in 2026. Open the live map and compare the wait with LOCA before committing.5
KOKKOK Move lets the passenger set a proposed fare and review bids from drivers. That workflow can produce an electric tuk tuk or car around Vientiane, but it requires both account verification and a driver willing to accept.67
Current store and community reports describe verification failures and sparse acceptance. Treat those as possible failure modes, not universal service quality. KOKKOK adds a useful third quote when it works; it should never be the sole plan for a departure deadline.7910
For an airport or station pickup, open the live vehicle map while there is still time to change plans. Confirm the terminal or public-road meeting point, keep the booking active and compare the plate before loading bags. Supply varies sharply outside the largest cities and after dark.2910
For a dawn flight, a railway departure or a rural property, ask the accommodation to arrange a known driver and reconfirm the night before. A scheduled app request is useful, but the real success test is an assigned vehicle approaching the correct pickup.
LOCA lists cash, international cards and supported QR methods. Its currently published ride terms add a 4% plus 6,000 LAK convenience fee to credit-card bookings. Card approval can still fail, so carry small Lao kip notes, check the charged total and never pay twice after an in-app charge.28
For a street tuk tuk, show the destination and agree whether the number covers one person or the whole vehicle. Write the total on the phone before boarding. Keep small kip notes so a lack of change does not reopen the negotiation.910
Do not build a backup plan around inDrive. An analysis of Laos's October 2025 transport notices says the approved online-taxi list names LOCA, KOKKOK and Xanh SM, but not inDrive. Reports from 2026 conflict, and users in July and August say access has been disabled. Uber and Grab are not established Laos alternatives either.111
Ask the hotel, guesthouse or transport desk for a known driver, call Green SM's local hotline where it operates, or negotiate a roadside vehicle in writing before boarding. For intercity or early transport, arrange and reconfirm a transfer rather than relying on a last-minute app match.
LOCA is the strongest first install for a visitor because it supports international numbers, publishes five key destinations and accepts cash, cards and supported QR payments. Always check the live vehicle map before relying on it.
Neither Uber nor Grab has an established passenger service in Laos. Use LOCA first, compare Green SM where cars appear and keep KOKKOK as an optional Vientiane quote.
Treat old inDrive recommendations as stale unless the app actually matches a vehicle. Its position changed during 2026, so choose one of the approved local services instead.
Set up the card before the pickup. If authorization fails, use cash or another supported method shown in the booking instead of making a second unrecorded payment to the driver.
Get the driver's name, phone number, vehicle and pickup time from the accommodation or operator. Reconfirm the night before and leave enough time to call the property if the car doesn't appear.
These apps need data
Guac eSIM covers Laos with plans from $0.58 per GB. Install it before you land and activate instantly.
Use official entry portals, keep cash, and match each island with the right app
Use local ride apps, official entry portals, and current border advice
Check official warnings, plan every route, and keep cash and offline backups
Use Grab widely, treat Touch 'n Go card and eWallet as separate tools, and verify every terminal
Register eTravel, keep pesos, and download maps before moving between islands
Fast, English-friendly travel where cards work widely, but local QR still needs care
