News Forum - Man complains after 23 taxi drivers in Bangkok refuse to serve him

[Thaiger]

An angry Thai man slammed Bangkok taxis on his TikTok account for favouring foreigners after 23 cab drivers refused to take him on a journey that was less than 15 minutes. The man said that taxi drivers in the Asoke area only wanted to serve foreign passengers because they can rip them off with expensive fares. The Thai TikToker, @iceprapadang, uploaded the experience to his social media account while waiting for a taxi in front of Terminal 21 shopping mall in the Asoke area of Bangkok. The caption on TikTok said… “Break the record! Called the most taxis in my […]

The story Man complains after 23 taxi drivers in Bangkok refuse to serve him as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

[PQBC]

Perhaps the incidences of cheating would be fewer if Bangkok taxi drivers had acceptable working conditions and received a reasonable return for their labour.

[ChrisS]

Of course they want to rip off 'rich' tourists. The metered fares are set way too low for them to earn a reasonable living without working round the clock. Also foreigners often tip and Thais don't.

[Dmitrii]

Sounds like we foreigners should use Grab and Bolt. 1000 baht for 5 kilometers is way too much.

[Malc-Thai]

As a foreigner living here,  if I travel to bkk and I want a taxi then I just ask the driver for meter only,  if they say no then take the next one.. it doesn't take long before you get an honest one,  but make sure you tip him and tell him why you tipped him .. 

[Marc26]

  On 9/12/2022 at 2:05 PM, Malc-Thai said:

As a foreigner living here,  if I travel to bkk and I want a taxi then I just ask the driver for meter only,  if they say no then take the next one.. it doesn't take long before you get an honest one,  but make sure you tip him and tell him why you tipped him .. 

Expand  

Exactly

And I almost always have the 1st taxi agree to meter, but if he doesn't usually the next ones does

And excellent advice on the tipping and acknowledgement 

[MrNovax]

its not just Thai's, our place is a solid hr drive from Asoke and when in the area i often find myself asking 10 -20 taxi's before getting a "yes".  Part of the problem is that fairs are too low.  i usually demand meter but if they do a decent job i always tip upwards of 20-80% of the meter.  

[stevenkongju]

Yep. My Thai wife, a Thai friend and I were in Chinatown a couple of weeks ago. About 9:00pm we looked for a taxi. 5 or six said "No" the 7th said "yes". Our fare was B200, we gave him B500. All were happy.

[Vigo]

  On 9/12/2022 at 1:26 PM, PQBC said:

Perhaps the incidences of cheating would be fewer if Bangkok taxi drivers had acceptable working conditions and received a reasonable return for their labour.

Expand  

The fare schedule is supposed to deliver that. If the drivers' working conditions are so bad, then the first place they should go to look for a solution is amongst themselves. They are the people who are driving illegally and who are not respecting the fare schedule. There are 100,000 "taxi " autos in Bangkok and yet only 66,000 +/- taxi drivers are legally registered. Owner/operators can make 50,000+ profit/month and drivers who rent vehicle can make 30,000+ profit/month. (Bangkok Post wrote up the profit margins some years ago and while their numbers were slightly lower, it reflected the economic downturn of 2015). This is decent income for unskilled labour, yes?

Please don't give me sorrowful tale of poverty for taxi driver, because it  can be good money for someone who is disciplined and good driver.

[Marc26]

  On 9/12/2022 at 3:13 PM, Vigo said:

The fare schedule is supposed to deliver that. If the drivers' working conditions are so bad, then the first place they should go to look for a solution is amongst themselves. They are the people who are driving illegally and who are not respecting the fare schedule. There are 100,000 "taxi " autos in Bangkok and yet only 66,000 +/- taxi drivers are legally registered. Owner/operators can make 50,000+ profit/month and drivers who rent vehicle can make 30,000+ profit/month. (Bangkok Post wrote up the profit margins some years ago and while their numbers were slightly lower, it reflected the economic downturn of 2015). This is decent income for unskilled labour, yes?

Please don't give me sorrowful tale of poverty for taxi driver, because it  can be good money for someone who is disciplined and good driver.

Expand  

I would highly question that 30k/mo profit for the driver

Where do you get that figure?

But I could be wrong

Between the cost of renting the taxi, to gas vs the fares they receive I would be suspect that they are clearing 1k baht/day working every day

PS..........My BIL's do MB Taxi and they do very well but they are less costly and more mobile than a taxi

[Guest1]

  On 9/12/2022 at 3:52 PM, Marc26 said:

I would highly question that 30k/mo profit for the driver

Where do you get that figure?

Expand  

If you would have read all of it, he wrote Bangkok Post, 2015

But perhaps your google is down?

https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/465101/a-taxing-time

[Marc26]

  On 9/12/2022 at 4:19 PM, Guest1 said:

If you would have read all of it, he wrote Bangkok Post, 2015

But perhaps your google is down?

https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/465101/a-taxing-time

Expand  

Thanks, sorry didn't notice the parenthesis

I still question the 25k for drivers renting between gas and renting the car plus any other overhead they need to pay given the fares/traffic and the share # of taxis out there

[Robert2020]

so the Tuk Tuks and taxis both rip off the tourists. I wonder why more rich people don't go to Thailand as a "premier" destination as the government hoped....

[Fanta]

  On 9/12/2022 at 10:09 PM, Robert2020 said:

so the Tuk Tuks and taxis both rip off the tourists. I wonder why more rich people don't go to Thailand as a "premier" destination as the government hoped....

Expand  

Taxi fares have been fixed since 2014 so perhaps the drivers are justified in being selective with customers. 

[HiuMak]

  On 9/12/2022 at 1:48 PM, Dmitrii said:

Sounds like we foreigners should use Grab and Bolt. 1000 baht for 5 kilometers is way too much.

Expand  

I just use Grab in Bangkok. Save the headache of being ripped off and asking if they can turn on the meter. Also I do not have to give directions to the driver. Grab takes care of everything.

[rtclaus]

Haven't hailed a taxi since Grab and Bolt app came out. Best way to get around in my opinion or BTS.

[Pi_Tim]

  On 9/12/2022 at 2:05 PM, Malc-Thai said:

As a foreigner living here,  if I travel to bkk and I want a taxi then I just ask the driver for meter only,  if they say no then take the next one.. it doesn't take long before you get an honest one,  but make sure you tip him and tell him why you tipped him .. 

Expand  

Agreed, I am doing the same. Took me "7 taxies" in Asoke before one honest one took me and my friend in Asoke. And we tipped largely, and happy to do so

[Pi_Tim]

Yes, taxis are tying - AGAIN - and despite the fare increase they requested - to rip off tourist. Anyone can go to Central World, and try to get a taxi, tuk tuk or even motorbike on Petchburi road. It is a SHAME for Thailand. Even in front of 5 starts hotel, they dont care ! 

Last week, it tooked us 7 taxis in Asoke before finding a good one !! 2 weeks ago, we almost had a fight in Nana with the TukTuks that tried to prevent us to call for a taxi !

As a foreigner, and long term resident, I can guarantee you that I share you anger and shame. Taxis and motorbikes that try to rip me off, they hear my poor thai language replies, and go away as fast as they approach me. 

Unfortunately, the tourists do not know as much as we do, and are left with NO choice, except the online taxi, but most of them will not use it.

And the country wants to attract millions of tourists ??? lol

Where is the police ??? 

[Pi_Tim]

  On 9/12/2022 at 1:26 PM, PQBC said:

Perhaps the incidences of cheating would be fewer if Bangkok taxi drivers had acceptable working conditions and received a reasonable return for their labour.

Expand  

If that was the case, why some of them remain honest ?? They would accept to live miserably ??

Your argument is not valid

[Marc26]

  On 9/13/2022 at 12:43 PM, Pi_Tim said:

Yes, taxis are tying - AGAIN - and despite the fare increase they requested - to rip off tourist. Anyone can go to Central World, and try to get a taxi, tuk tuk or even motorbike on Petchburi road. It is a SHAME for Thailand. Even in front of 5 starts hotel, they dont care ! 

Last week, it tooked us 7 taxis in Asoke before finding a good one !! 2 weeks ago, we almost had a fight in Nana with the TukTuks that tried to prevent us to call for a taxi !

As a foreigner, and long term resident, I can guarantee you that I share you anger and shame. Taxis and motorbikes that try to rip me off, they hear my poor thai language replies, and go away as fast as they approach me. 

Unfortunately, the tourists do not know as much as we do, and are left with NO choice, except the online taxi, but most of them will not use it.

And the country wants to attract millions of tourists ??? lol

Where is the police ??? 

Expand  

I have had instances where the taxis parked outside hotels won't go for a metered fare, but the hotel has just called a taxi that would

Ridiculous but not a huge hassle

And honestly, in 20 years in BKK, I have had maybe 10 total taxis not want to turn on meter and then just usually got a taxi on 2nd request

We were just in Asoke, had no issues whatsoever all over Asoke

From Terminal 21, K Square or up the soi on Soi 16

[Blogosopher]

Their rate of pay and working conditions are not justification for poor service or cheating. No one is forced to be a taxi driver in Bangkok. Weak people complain about such when taking a job is 100% voluntary. You don't like your compensation for what you are doing, move on to another gig and shut up.

[Blogosopher]

  On 9/12/2022 at 11:17 PM, Fanta said:

Taxi fares have been fixed since 2014 so perhaps the drivers are justified in being selective with customers. 

Expand  

There's no justification for breaking the law in this case. You don't get paid enough as a taxi driver? Find another job and stop cheating people.

[Robert2020]

  On 9/12/2022 at 11:17 PM, Fanta said:

Taxi fares have been fixed since 2014 so perhaps the drivers are justified in being selective with customers. 

Expand  

"being selective" is a nice way of saying scamming. They've been scamming tourists since 2014, so the rates are not the reason for their bad behavior. Tourists should not be scammed by businesses if your economy relies on tourism.

[Mazz11]

My Thai girlfriend and I were trying to get a taxi to Nonthaburi at the IconSiam mall. We gave up after being refused by about seven or eight taxi drivers.

We walked down to the road and the first taxi we hailed accepted the fare. Unfortunately he got a little lost and nearly got into an accident with a motorcycle rider while trying to turn around. He then pulled over and told us that was as far as he was taking us.

Fortunately we were only about a block away from our hotel.

[Marc26]

  On 9/13/2022 at 9:32 PM, Mazz11 said:

My Thai girlfriend and I were trying to get a taxi to Nonthaburi at the IconSiam mall. We gave up after being refused by about seven or eight taxi drivers.

We walked down to the road and the first taxi we hailed accepted the fare. Unfortunately he got a little lost and nearly got into an accident with a motorcycle rider while trying to turn around. He then pulled over and told us that was as far as he was taking us.

Fortunately we were only about a block away from our hotel.

Expand  

Being selective of what fares you take isn't scamming people, IMO

Now I don't think it's providing the service that it should either

That trip is a long, traffic filled trip

We just bought a house in Nonthaburi and it's all traffic

But it happens all over

Try getting a taxi in NYC during rush hour

They all shut off their "available" signs