News Forum - Thailand’s taxi troubles: Tourists slam overpriced rides and shoddy service

[TheDirtyDurian]

16 minutes ago, AMurray2 said:

Some people never heard of Uber. Brilliant service don't know how the make money - 1600bht from Pattaya to Bangkok to Ratchatewi road area - top quality Toyota Fortuner, driver good english and collected from condo !?!

You were done. Should only have paid 1500.

(Joke)

[Marc26]

3 hours ago, AMurray2 said:

Some people never heard of Uber. Brilliant service don't know how the make money - 1600bht from Pattaya to Bangkok to Ratchatewi road area - top quality Toyota Fortuner, driver good english and collected from condo !?!

I thought Uber is no longer working in Thailand?

 

We used it years ago but then it went away in Thailand

[Soidog]

3 hours ago, AMurray2 said:

Some people never heard of Uber. Brilliant service don't know how the make money - 1600bht from Pattaya to Bangkok to Ratchatewi road area - top quality Toyota Fortuner, driver good english and collected from condo !?!

Can’t beat Mr T Taxi to/from Pattaya. Me and 5 friends paid 1,800 baht from Central Pattaya to central Bangkok. Beautiful Toyota minibus. Free bottles of water. Prompt and polite driver. Toll fees included. Great service and been using him for years 

[MrStretch]

15 hours ago, AMurray2 said:

Some people never heard of Uber. Brilliant service don't know how the make money - 1600bht from Pattaya to Bangkok to Ratchatewi road area - top quality Toyota Fortuner, driver good english and collected from condo !?!

The reason plenty of people haven't heard of Uber is that it stopped operating in Thailand 4 years ago.

[Smiler]

I agree with the comments regarding ‘grab’ etc and it is obviously a better option than hailing a taxi off the street but it doesn’t change the fact that the regular street taxis need ‘coming down on’ from the authorities but of course we know that isn’t going to happen so the problem will persist and continue to damage the image of Thailand to the rest of the world, obviously the ‘powers that be’ don’t really care. 

[Somsakandme]

Returned to Thailand recently after a short stay away over Christmas. Been in Thailand 12 years. Met gf at airport. Jumped in a taxi - normally take the airport link. Taxi driver got hotel name in sukhamvit and then the negotiations started. 500. No. How much. Meter. No. Take me back. 200 to take you back. No. Drop us here - on the road. He finally agreed to remove towel covering meter. Then apparently I had to pay +50 for getting taxi at airport.so we had to have that explained to us in multiple languages because it was new - apparently. I just told him to drive and get it over with. Welcome to Thailand- not!!

[TheDirtyDurian]

6 hours ago, Somsakandme said:

Returned to Thailand recently after a short stay away over Christmas. Been in Thailand 12 years. Met gf at airport. Jumped in a taxi - normally take the airport link. Taxi driver got hotel name in sukhamvit and then the negotiations started. 500. No. How much. Meter. No. Take me back. 200 to take you back. No. Drop us here - on the road. He finally agreed to remove towel covering meter. Then apparently I had to pay +50 for getting taxi at airport.so we had to have that explained to us in multiple languages because it was new - apparently. I just told him to drive and get it over with. Welcome to Thailand- not!!

And this was from the basement level at soyouwannaboomboom was it?

Something not right there, as soon as you get in you can see the meter is on.

Or did you take a taxi from departures that had just dropped somone off?

[Soidog]

7 hours ago, Somsakandme said:

Then apparently I had to pay +50 for getting taxi at airport.

This is a genuine charge. Back in October when my friends came over, we went in the “Large Taxi” lane and the woman driver said we had to pay 20 baht per item of luggage (5 cases). I was going to start debating with her but my friends weren’t up for a problem after a 12 hour flight so we just paid it. I’ve never been asked for that before, but I’ve never used a “Large Taxi” before, so maybe it’s correct? 

[yselmike]

8 minutes ago, Soidog said:

This is a genuine charge. Back in October when my friends came over, we went in the “Large Taxi” lane and the woman driver said we had to pay 20 baht per item of luggage (5 cases). I was going to start debating with her but my friends weren’t up for a problem after a 12 hour flight so we just paid it. I’ve never been asked for that before, but I’ve never used a “Large Taxi” before, so maybe it’s correct? 

I prebooked a taxi from the airport to pattaya last November.Didnt fancy the wait for the bus or the nonsense with the taxis.All the web sites allowed one suitcase and one personal bag,any more bags had a charge,the buses also  allowed the one suitcase and one carry on for free.Its a genuine charge as is the 50 baht airport surcharge.

[Guest1]

On 2/8/2023 at 5:06 PM, Marc26 said:

...

I use the "limo" service from airport and I find the 700baht fare for a 40min ride in a nice car with a nice driver reasonable

The one night we go to Bangla, we always find a private taxi to take us back to, usually Kamala, the 20min ride for 500baht is fine by us

Fine by you, just the ride from the Airport is about 40% (700) more, as a meter fair is (around 500)

And Patong to Kamala for 500? It is just about half the distance to the Airport. Also "private taxi", so an illegal driver, no yellow or green plate, no insurance no nothing. They are another problem, taking away customers from licensed taxis! So they have less rides. Which lets them ask for more money. Circle of life!

Sound to me, you and others "fine by me", "it is so much cheaper, as it is at home", are part of the problem: You accepting overprized rides. Without thinking about, that the majority of Thai people don't even earn that  much money in a full day working!

[Marc26]

Been in BKK for a few days

Used taxis about 10x

 

Refused once and the rest all put on meter 1st time asked 

But I am with my wife and stepson so don't know if that factors in

 

Worst area is by the Grand Palace 

Pretty impossible to get a metered taxi 

Now I told my wife that really makes Thailand look bad

But in reality I don't know how much it does

It's obvious super touristy and most of them seem to be jumping in tuk tuks

 

IconSiam doesn't mess around

They have a taxi line and there is no question that metres are turned on

 

[Marc26]

Sukhumvit was pretty bad

No one would turn on meter going from Sukhumvit to Thonglor

Which makes no sense

They were driving rhat way

 

So they'd rather take no fare and drive in the same traffic

 

Just dumb 

 

But found good ones pretty easy later

 

And outside my hotel, the Sheraton on the river 

There are tons of taxis parked across the street that won't do meter

 

It really does make Thailand look bad

Even if you can find a taxi with meter after a few tries 

 

 

[Grumpish]

5 hours ago, Marc26 said:

So they'd rather take no fare and drive in the same traffic

Just dumb

I have often been bemused by the business sense of those drivers that will wait in tourist areas, hour after hour, turning down fare after fare, all in the hope of finding that one foreigner to overcharge.

[Marc26]

3 hours ago, Grumpish said:

I have often been bemused by the business sense of those drivers that will wait in tourist areas, hour after hour, turning down fare after fare, all in the hope of finding that one foreigner to overcharge.

The driver that took us home last night was great and he said he doesn't understand it either 

That by refusing fares how they make more than him who takes all fares

[Grumpish]

49 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

The driver that took us home last night was great and he said he doesn't understand it either 

That by refusing fares how they make more than him who takes all fares

Agreed  - there are plenty of goodun's out there, but having to go through ten refusals and attempts to overcharge to find one does tend to leave a bad taste in the mouth. 

[Karolyn]

I noticed a number of cabs were refusing to use the meter, at least for white people. Now as then, it's bike taxis that offer the best service, unless you are carrying luggage, in which case cabs the way to go