News Forum - Phuket officials comment on recent ‘taxi’ fiasco – everything except taxi meters

[Soidog]

10 hours ago, Sawarot said:

I should probably not come back to Thailand any time soon. Even if I can afford it, it's just not worth it. 

I think you make a very good point. Thailand is a naturally beautiful country, but so are many others. I got involved in the country over 30 years ago as a much younger single man and enjoyed all it had to offer. I then worked here for a Norwegian company for several years and started to develop friends and it became much more than a holiday and more a second home. If Thailand had remained just a holiday place, I think it would have lost its sparkle many many years ago. My advice is to go elsewhere and tell all your friends to do the same. Dont waste your $,€,£ etc on Thailand and don’t waste your time expecting it to change. It never will…

[Marc26]

8 minutes ago, Soidog said:

Too cheap based on what? Surely market forces dictate prices? If they are too cheap people don’t make profit and they don’t establish taxi companies. It’s how free markets work isn’t it. It’s not too cheap based on all the other economic factors within the country. It’s cheap compared to many other places, but Bangkok isn't many other places.

Yes, for sure

But every time I take a BKK taxi, I get out feeling it should have been more

I guess that's a good thing

 

Also, I guess I have been very lucky but in the 100's I have taken, I can't recall every having a jerk driver. They have been either quiet or very nice

 

[Soidog]

3 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

So isn't the 800 baht a rate based on running the business?

Never said it wasn’t. I challenged your ascertaining that Bangkok taxi fares were too cheap. That’s all. I have no problem with 800 baht from the airport on an island location. I do have a problem with 600 baht unmetered or tampered meter from Kamala to Patong. But that’s an entirely different conversation. 

[Soidog]

2 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

Yes, for sure

But every time I take a BKK taxi, I get out feeling it should have been more

I guess that's a good thing

Also, I guess I have been very lucky but in the 100's I have taken, I can't recall every having a jerk driver. They have been either quiet or very nice

I agree. I tip very well in BKK for exactly that reason. I sit in the back and often look at the 60 year old driver from Kalasin; miles from home and family, trying to eek out a living. So I tip well and make myself feel good in the bargain. 

[ExpatPattaya]

Have city buy EV passener vans to transport people to major towns, then have EV songthaews owned by hotels take them to their resorts.  21st century, no more renewing licences on personalized ICE taxis at airport and charge a premium elsewhere in town.  Big resorts should have their own EV vans at the airport to take you to your hotel room.  personal taxis need to be phased out in smaller cities as EV's and autonomous EV's become available.  Like so many "jobs" from the 20th century, taxi drivers need to go IMO.  Ford has a 15 passenger EV van for $45,000 USD now

Huge problem here in Pattaya is that there are 3-4 times too many songthaews just driving through their routes with zero or one customer.  Way too many licences given out by city for drivers.  Motocycle taxis likely 10 times more of them than is needed here.  Safer non-polluting transport is needed ASAP

 

[Fanta]

All the current, pointless discussion about taxis fares in Phuket would never have occurred if the Thai taxi driver didn’t meet a Thai passenger unwilling to pay the price demanded. 

[notpoor]

9 hours ago, BIGGLES said:

You're correct!

Fancy dragging a sprog around and looking for sympathy.

Can't be ar..d with them or their parents!

Go to Benidorm where the ankle snappers are catered for. 

get your hand off it mate

[Marc26]

4 hours ago, Johnny_Rambo said:

Good comment Soidog. Its time to avoid Thailand forever and look for other destinations. This non-reciprocal, country doesnt deserve our money or respect. Just forget Thailand and whipe this s##t out from your memories.

I think this post represents so many guys that come to Thailand 

 

To me, there are so many guys that aren't shit where they come from

So they come to Thailand, get a little attention that makes them finally feel special for once in their life

 

Then they get all hostile when that attention wanes

 

I don't get the anger and hostility so many have 

Well I guess I do, I just explained where I think it comes from

 

Scorned lovers almost

They became obsessed with a place and now are bitter it didn't love them back 

 

For most it's just a holiday destination 

Some have family ties

 

But it's just like any country

It has it's good and it's bad

 

The hostility is just downright weird to me

[Saltire]

Only had one trip to Phuket around 5 years ago, only used a taxi twice to go to and from the airport. I don't recall being miffed at the cost.

As for Bangkok taxis the one complaint I have is when you try to get one to take you somewhere, many just blatantly drive off presumably to get a better fare,

However I owe a debt of gratitude to one driver, who saved the day big time. We got in the taxi on lower Sukhumvit and instantly my stomach woke up with a vengeance. I had to go and in a hurry!  The wife asked the driver if he knew of a toilet close by. The cab was crawling along one of the alleys off Sukhumvit, high walls narrow two-way traffic, rammed. I was expecting the worst including a fee for cleaning the cab.

Almost immediately he turned left through a gate and stopped outside the entrance to a huge building, dark with the exception of a security desk. A word from the driver and the guard grabbed his keys and opened a few corridor doors, eventually arriving at the most welcome public toilet ever. It even had paper.

It turned out to be an army hosptal and the taxi driver even waited outside the toilet to take me back to the entrance.

Well worth the tip that night.

 

 

[poohy]

14 hours ago, Marc26 said:

but i think BKK taxi prices are way underpriced, IMO

but the main people using Bangkok taxis are Thais not necessarily the rich ones believe me Bangkok Thais complain about Bangkok taxis..scams costs refusals etc

i have a Bangkok born wife

[Bifrost]

Turists Misunderstand ? no they are just surprised to pay 10 times more than in Bangkok  cause the island Phuket is runned by criminals mafias and gangsters - thieves currupt official who onle have one goal ; To rip of turist and be as ruse ans possible and treat innocent truist as dirt !   Fhuket island I hope wil  go down in its own swamp.  they taxi fares wil never change the whole ssytem is to rotten no official want to do anything about it.     

[AussieBob]

5 hours ago, Marc26 said:

Don't mistake me for someone who doesn't care if he gets ripped off, I have had many a confrontation(although try and be pleasant) over being overcharged

And I question and look at prices, just as anyone should......

But I also travel with some perspective 

And you get that perspective by comparing what you pay at home

If I landed in Phuket and they wanted $50-75usd for a 40min taxi ride, I would question it or find other alternatives

I am just not getting stressed over, what? $10usd because I think the 40min fare should be $15usd and not $25usd

And by the way, none of this is an actual "scam"

They advertise their pricing, if I felt it was too expensive I could take the shared mini-bus

I've lived in Patong and been coming for 18 years

I do think taxis are an issue on the island.

But I don't think the price for airport ride. although expensive to other places in Thailand, is that expensive.................

Thanks for confirming my post as an accurate reflection.  One man's bargain is another's ripoff.

 

 

 

[BIGGLES]

4 hours ago, notpoor said:

get your hand off it mate

Surprised you can see mate with those things dangling in your eyes.

[AussieBob]

27 minutes ago, Johnny_Rambo said:

I speak for the majority, whether you believe it or not. My mission here is to stop people from going to this criminal scam country. As an altruistic person i want to protect clueless people from running straight into the Thai scam trap. Sadly, ignorant persons like you will never appreciate that. Dont ever come up again with your pathetic Thailand defence because you cant defend the undefendable. 

Wooh - back down a little mate - you are going way too far.   Everyone knows I am forever pushing the narrative about 'Dont Travel to Thailand Now' - because I believe many tourists are unaware of the problems if they test positive etc etc.  But going as far as you have gone is definitely out of order. 

Thailand has its scams for sure - but so does many other countries when it comes to tourists.  Certainly they could treat 'residents' who move to and live in Thailand a lot better in many things, but they are no worse than many other tourists traps all over the world.  Phuket taxis deserves 'extra special' treatment because it has become institutionalised, but your broad sweeping criticism of Thailand is unfair. I have found that Thais are by and large wonderful, friendly and honest people - perhaps if you ventured beyond Phuket and Pattaya 'hotspots' you would find that out.  

Check this list out below - Thailand is on it, but they are least worst (20th).  Take a serious look around mate - there are far far worse than Thailand out there. 

20 Countries Where The Locals Lie To Tourists | TheTravel  

https://www.thetravel.com/countries-where-locals-lie-to-tourists/

I have travelled (on business) to some of them, and I know many people who have have been to them and many others - China is the worst.   A mate of mine and his wife who were taken by the taxi driver to some dark place and met with uniformed Chinese 'police' with machine guns demanding they pay up or die.  That was their worst experience there - but there was many other times they regretted going there (and they never did again).  The best country in the world they visited was USA - safe and welcoming and cheap. They also loved Italy and Greece.  They never made it to Japan - he got sick and has since passed away.  I hope to one day toast him with a drink if I ever get to 'piss alley' 

https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/a-guide-to-tokyos-piss-alley/ 

 

[Sawarot]

17 hours ago, BIGGLES said:

No sympathy for you, leave the ankle snapper at home. Thailand/Phuket is big boys playground!

I don't care about your sympathy. Are you low on empathy as well?

[Grumpish]

I don't feel that there is any big deal with the rates to and from the airport, yes they are expensive compared to the rest of the country, but so is everything else on Phuket. The problem is the extortionate rates demanded for short trips by the tuk Tulsa and taxis, with 200 to 300 baht being asked even for short trips of a kilometre or less. Yes, you can bargain that down, but still not to anything reasonable. And as for metered taxis, I am not sure that Thai taxi drivers quite understand the concept,  other than knowing that a tourist is more likely to flag down a metered taxi.

[JamesR]

21 hours ago, Marc26 said:

Good reasonable post

Although I don't know how people think paying $24usd for a 40-45min taxi ride from the airport is anywhere close to being ripped off

I know, it is super cheap.

Taxi from my house to the airport at Heathrow costs the equivalent of 3600 baht, from Phuket airport to Kathu costs 800 baht.

Once in Phuket on a day to day basis there are plenty of private taxis at the side of the road, you negotiate a price and that is that, not expensive.

I know a way for the moaners to save money, stay at home.

[JamesR]

I was really ripped off when I was last in Phuket in August 2020.

I took a taxi from Patong and was driven over the mountain to Kathu at about 1am.

It took fifteen minutes and the driver had the cheek to charge me 300 baht.

I cried for a month. 

[JamesR]

3 hours ago, AussieBob said:

Wooh - back down a little mate - you are going way too far.   Everyone knows I am forever pushing the narrative about 'Dont Travel to Thailand Now' - because I believe many tourists are unaware of the problems if they test positive etc etc.  But going as far as you have gone is definitely out of order. 

Thailand has its scams for sure - but so does many other countries when it comes to tourists.  Certainly they could treat 'residents' who move to and live in Thailand a lot better in many things, but they are no worse than many other tourists traps all over the world.  Phuket taxis deserves 'extra special' treatment because it has become institutionalised, but your broad sweeping criticism of Thailand is unfair. I have found that Thais are by and large wonderful, friendly and honest people - perhaps if you ventured beyond Phuket and Pattaya 'hotspots' you would find that out.  

Check this list out below - Thailand is on it, but they are least worst (20th).  Take a serious look around mate - there are far far worse than Thailand out there. 

20 Countries Where The Locals Lie To Tourists | TheTravel  

https://www.thetravel.com/countries-where-locals-lie-to-tourists/

I have travelled (on business) to some of them, and I know many people who have have been to them and many others - China is the worst.   A mate of mine and his wife who were taken by the taxi driver to some dark place and met with uniformed Chinese 'police' with machine guns demanding they pay up or die.  That was their worst experience there - but there was many other times they regretted going there (and they never did again).  The best country in the world they visited was USA - safe and welcoming and cheap. They also loved Italy and Greece.  They never made it to Japan - he got sick and has since passed away.  I hope to one day toast him with a drink if I ever get to 'piss alley' 

https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/a-guide-to-tokyos-piss-alley/ 

I was in New York on my first night out with a mate, we had just started a one year contract in New Jersey.

We got into  yellow cab and asked to be taken to a local typical bar, it took about 20 minutes.

After we left the bar we asked for directions to the place we had started at and found out it was two minutes walk from where we were.

I have been told of people being charged £10 for an ice cream in Hyde Park London, there are rip offs everywhere if we are not careful. 

[BIGGLES]

5 hours ago, Sawarot said:

I don't care about your sympathy. Are you low on empathy as well?

Yep!

[Marc26]

2 hours ago, JamesR said:

I was in New York on my first night out with a mate, we had just started a one year contract in New Jersey.

We got into  yellow cab and asked to be taken to a local typical bar, it took about 20 minutes.

After we left the bar we asked for directions to the place we had started at and found out it was two minutes walk from where we were.

I have been told of people being charged £10 for an ice cream in Hyde Park London, there are rip offs everywhere if we are not careful. 

We went to Puerto Rico

The hopping spot was the El San Juan Casino/Hotel

 

We stayed in the condo 2min walk next door

1st night we went out and got pretty hammered

The next day we walked back to the Casino and one of our friends sheepily asked if this is where we were last night

Yep, we said

 

He said 'I paid $20usd to take a taxi home last night!"    :)

[Marc26]

11 hours ago, poohy said:

but the main people using Bangkok taxis are Thais not necessarily the rich ones believe me Bangkok Thais complain about Bangkok taxis..scams costs refusals etc

i have a Bangkok born wife

I also have a Bangkok born wife.....she doesn't complain about the fare, she just doesn't trust taxis as a solo female passenger

 

She uses Grab when home...............

[HiuMak]

11 hours ago, JamesR said:

I have been told of people being charged £10 for an ice cream in Hyde Park London, there are rip offs everywhere if we are not careful. 

Scams and Tourist traps are everywhere. £18 to enter St Paul's Cathedral in London, 15Euros for a cup of coffee in St Marks square in Venice, 300pesos for half an hour ride in tricycle in Intramuros Manila, etc. It feels shit to be scammed, Just live and let live and I learn from all these mistakes.  

 

 

[AussieBob]

13 hours ago, JamesR said:

I was in New York on my first night out with a mate, we had just started a one year contract in New Jersey.

We got into  yellow cab and asked to be taken to a local typical bar, it took about 20 minutes.

After we left the bar we asked for directions to the place we had started at and found out it was two minutes walk from where we were.

I have been told of people being charged £10 for an ice cream in Hyde Park London, there are rip offs everywhere if we are not careful. 

One day my team (from Sydney) and I went out to a big dinner in Melbourne to celebrate a big win. We went straight to the restaurant from the business centre where the deal was closed and signed off.  We had stayed in the same hotel in the City and travelled each day to the business centre for the negotiations by taxis, and on the last day we caught a couple of taxis straight to the restaurant.  One of the guys (Phil) got so drunk that he decided to leave a bit early and get some sleep.  When we asked him did he know where the hotel was, he said that he would be OK.  After another hour or so we finally finished up and we walked across the park to the hotel - I picked that restaurant because it was close to the hotel.  We were walking up the steps to the hotel when guess what - Phil pulled up and got out of a taxi and it drove off.  We thought (of course) that he must have paid a visit to a GF (or something).  But when he looked up he said loudly "how the *** did you guys get here".  He had been taken for a taxi ride for over an hour, when it was a  5 minute walk 

[petermach]

On 2/3/2022 at 9:40 PM, Marc26 said:

My point about BKK is that I feel it is too cheap

So when compared to Phuket, it makes Phuket seem uber expensive

And when I am in Phuket, I always find a driver, usually with a very nice car, that charges a fair price and I use them the whole trip..........

fully agree Bangkok is too cheap , but Phuket prices are too high , by the way WE WANT TAXI METERS