Phuket reviews taxi rates after “Sandbox” tourists report high prices

[Thaiger]

The notoriously high taxi rates in Phuket have been looked into after reports of overcharging the “Sandbox” tourists. The governor says he ordered local authorities to review claims of overpriced rides and found that rates are appropriately priced. From the Phuket International Airport to Patong, a “Sandbox” tourist can pay 600 to 1,050 for a ride. One tourist planning a trip under the Phuket Sandbox model made a post on Facebook saying that a hotel in Patong beach told her it would be 900 baht from the airport to the hotel. She had stayed at the hotel several times in […]

The post Phuket reviews taxi rates after “Sandbox” tourists report high prices appeared first on Thaiger News.

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[EdwardV]

Well that didn’t take long. No surprise when the authorities looked into the rates they found nothing amiss. Par for the course. 

[Soidog]

The phrase or idiom comes to mind - Biting the hand that feeds you. 
 

This will be a significant issue in Phuket and elsewhere once the country opens up to tourism. Tourist price inflation could be significant as businesses look to recoup lost revenues. The smart business people should resist this and keep a focus on good customer service at a fair price.
 

[Malc-Thai]

Just go to the taxi desk and say patong ฿600 they go to say no then start to walk away they then call you back for ฿600 when in patong ask prices from many people or felang living here they always have a cheap contact.  We pay ฿500 with our regular taxi guy

[DWiener]

Seriously? After all the cost involved getting to Phuket and someone is complaining about a $10 difference in a taxi ride??? I got mine for 700 baht from the airport to Karon which is ridiculously cheap considering the distance. I'll tip the driver 2-300 baht. To put it in perspective - my Uber to Sydney airport is half the distance and it's AUD$110 (~2500 baht)! 

 

Whingers gotta whinge

[HolyCowCm]

Well, as far as I know the Taxi mafia are at least not racist and try to suck the life out of everyone's wallet. Pretty disgusting on any level though!

[ozz1]

They will never learn its allways been the same and they will complain no customers

[Malc-Thai]

13 minutes ago, DWiener said:

Seriously? After all the cost involved getting to Phuket and someone is complaining about a $10 difference in a taxi ride??? I got mine for 700 baht from the airport to Karon which is ridiculously cheap considering the distance. I'll tip the driver 2-300 baht. To put it in perspective - my Uber to Sydney airport is half the distance and it's AUD$110 (~2500 baht)! 

Whingers gotta whinge

Be honest it's not the amount of money but the principle of being blatantly ripped off! .. its sad to see if you live here we get to know the rates but if your a tourist they take advantage of you

[Soidog]

9 minutes ago, DWiener said:

Seriously? After all the cost involved getting to Phuket and someone is complaining about a $10 difference in a taxi ride??? I got mine for 700 baht from the airport to Karon which is ridiculously cheap considering the distance. I'll tip the driver 2-300 baht. To put it in perspective - my Uber to Sydney airport is half the distance and it's AUD$110 (~2500 baht)! 

Whingers gotta whinge

I take onboard the point you are making here, but is it really right people get charged different prices depending on where they came from? I bet your AUD$110 Uber ride would be the same price if you live in Sydney or if you are a visitor to Sydney? The idea that Phuket airport allow taxi firms to operate with dodgy meters or a special “tourist switch” under the seat is not right. I regularly give generous tips to taxi drivers when I feel they have charged me the same as anyone else. I feel sorry for many of these guys who are living hundreds of miles from family, sleeping in the cab and working long days just to earn a few hundred baht profit. 
 

It’s the same when trying to get a taxi from Bkk centre to Suvarnabhumi. Last time I was there it was every taxi who refused to put on the meter and wanted a flat 500baht including toll fees. The actual metered prices was around 330 baht and the tolls were around 120 baht, a total of 450 baht. If the meter goes on then I’d give the driver 800-1,000 baht including tolls. Meter off they get the 500 they demanded.  

[HolyCowCm]

11 minutes ago, DWiener said:

Seriously? After all the cost involved getting to Phuket and someone is complaining about a $10 difference in a taxi ride??? I got mine for 700 baht from the airport to Karon which is ridiculously cheap considering the distance. I'll tip the driver 2-300 baht. To put it in perspective - my Uber to Sydney airport is half the distance and it's AUD$110 (~2500 baht)! 

Whingers gotta whinge

We are not talking about your home country. Don't know how long you have been going to Phuket and coming to Thailand for, but this is not a new problem and it even greatly exists of always even being reamed down in the beach areas. I am 100% sure that everyone of all races including Thai who have been to Phuket have been gouged for a taxi service at every stage and place before. 

So in sense it is the fairness of the principle, and that needs to go both ways of consideration as the taxi if an airport one will go back with no new passenger, so we pay the extra for that and the business modem fee. So to some point I agree with you and 600 - 700 is ok. But metered taxi should be lower and you should not be forced to pay high rates. Back in the old days it was rather disgusting and you were strong armed having no choice.

Suvarnabhumi to down town Sathorn is about 400 - 450 with the expressway tolls, but these taxi have the benefit of being able to get another passenger fairly quickly as is BKK. Part of this problem is the hotels are tacking on an extra fee for someone's pocket and this is greed. A plane ticket for an hour ride say CM - BKK will cost you 1000 +/- depending on how you book it. And that is an airplane.

[Mick9876]

Taxis should use meters just like in Bkk,that solve the rip off!!

the problem in Thailand is that there are way to many taxis on the road!!

[HolyCowCm]

8 minutes ago, Soidog said:

The idea that Phuket airport allow taxi firms to operate with dodgy meters or a special “tourist switch” under the seat is not right. I regularly give generous tips to taxi drivers when I feel they have charged me the same as anyone else.

Ya, if you watch in BKK you will catch the taxi guy lean and flip the switch and you will see the meter running fast. I always call them on it and then voilla the meter miraculously  slows down with the driver going - ha- ha with a stupid smile on his face. Sometimes it takes to get out the phone camera and threaten them. these are usually que drivers so you have the tag receipt to show them.

9 minutes ago, Soidog said:

It’s the same when trying to get a taxi from Bkk centre to Suvarnabhumi. Last time I was there it was every taxi who refused to put on the meter and wanted a flat 500baht including toll fees. The actual metered prices was around 330 baht and the tolls were around 120 baht, a total of 450 baht.

Yep. I went for meetings a lot and it got to the point that 4 out of 5 would not do the meter, or some would say they would but would try to get you to not meter it and then if you said you want the meter, then they would just pull over and say get out. So I got to the point of just offering 600 baht and they pay the toll way and then the ride was quite pleasant. I was before CV-19 in BKK once - twice a month every month. Now not.

[TorontoJeff]

1 minute ago, TorontoJeff said:

Phuket taxi mafia is shameful.  How the government allows it is even more shameful.

 

[TorontoJeff]

This app sucks.  Better if you can edit your post.  But at least it's not as bad as Phuket taxi mafia.  

Love The Thaiger!  Please take my criticism constructively.

[GuyIncognito]

Got to make back all that money they lost over the last 18 months, this is Thai business 101

[TorontoJeff]

Just now, GuyIncognito said:

Got to make back all that money they lost over the last 18 months, this is Thai business 101

Nope.  The mafia predates Covid.  One time I ran from the north end of Patong to the top of the Big Buddah, and then tried to run back, but ran out of steam.  I used Grab to get a ride the last few km, but I had to pull into a hotel to let the driver get me because he was afraid to pick me up in the street.   I totally understood because I am well aware of the Phuket taxi mafia.  They can all go to hell.  I hope they all starve.

[Soidog]

What is the latest with Grab in Phuket. Are they operating there with any success?
 

Last time I was in Pattaya I had a similar experience to TorontoJeff in Patong. The driver called me and you would have thought it was a drug deal taking place. The driver was so scared of being seen picking me up. He initially called and wanted me to walk across the road and around the corner some 200 metres away. When I got in the cab he apologised but said he didn’t want trouble with other taxi drivers. 
 

A shame really, as for most tourists, the taxi is the very first experience of Thailand. That said, Thailand is far from being on its own. Try getting a taxi in Cairo or Amman for example!

[KaptainRob]

52 minutes ago, TorontoJeff said:

Phuket taxi mafia is shameful.  How the government allows it is when more shameful.

To qualify for a Government position:

1./ Start as taxi driver in Phuket 

2./ ....

[MattBurgess]

39 minutes ago, Soidog said:

What is the latest with Grab in Phuket. Are they operating there with any success?

I was there over Christmas, and Grab was certainly operating. It was a little bit... Thai. Lot of skirting around the rules, asking you to cancel the trip so they can take you for a flat fee, etc.

[Maverick]

I don’t necessarily blame the drivers, the cartels remain because they pay off the local government that licenses them, they are paying backhanders, additionally many of the drivers don’t own the vehicles, and the owners dictate the rates they charge by the monthly fees the drivers pay......perhaps things will change now that GRAB vehicles no longer have to be licensed taxis, will provide much needed competition - the new electric buses coming to Patong May help, a Baht Bus similar to Pattaya is long overdue,  it it was blocked by the taxi cartels , an attempt to do something similar in Rawai suffered the same fate.......it all contributes to unqualified tourists hiring motorbikes, and farangs drink driving in the absence of affordable cabs 

 

[GES]

Really ??
Yes its more expensive than Bangkok but are we really this petty ?
Costs are far greater here, most drivers speak english here, you cannot compare Bangkok to Phuket, the poor drivers in Bangkok work 18 hours a day for next to nothing supplying car and fuel, spend hours on the motorway between city and airport and get a couple hundred baht at time, I don't think its correct for open slather and thats what should be contained but geez.. are we that petty.. OMG there are some tight arses here.. the 50bht beer drinkers.. go elsewhere

[GES]

1 hour ago, Malc-Thai said:

Be honest it's not the amount of money but the principle of being blatantly ripped off! .. its sad to see if you live here we get to know the rates but if your a tourist they take advantage of you

Ever been to Gare De Norde in Paris.. then you will understand tourists being ripped off.. think about it, they provide car and petrol and 40 -50 minutes driving,,, for how much ?
 

[TorontoJeff]

Are we having the same conversation?  We're talking about a cartel that promises harm on anyone who tries to make a living in competition with them, gives a bad and inaccurate perception of the people of Phuket and leaves a bad taste in the mouth of tourists.  Grab drivers should not fear for their safety when picking up a customer.

[vlad]

2 hours ago, EdwardV said:

Well that didn’t take long. No surprise when the authorities looked into the rates they found nothing amiss. Par for the course. 

Name the Hotel.

[Bob]

I have always paid 600 baht from the airport to the centre of patong. Paying 900 baht is nothing new. Prices have always varied between 600 & 900. It’s like everything else, shop about to get the best price. 

Edited July 5, 2021 by Bob