hobz

3 hours ago, observer90210 said:

Why not be fair and just by allowing foreigners to own one plot of land on which they would like to live their retirement ?

They don't want foreign money raising the price of land. Is 30 year lease not long enough?

I bet if we talked with your bully he would have tons of bad stuff to say about you. There's usually two sides to stories like this. 

Take a long hard look in the mirror and try to talk with the bully or move and behave better in the new place you move to. 

In case I'm wrong and you have encountered some weird psycho you should still move or try to make peace with him, involving the police against a true psycho like this could be dangerous. 

14 hours ago, observer90210 said:

What these donkeys don't understand is that each time they hit the news with their despicable behaviour, it gives Uber/Grab even more positive publicity.

 

But the worst part of this story is that the police let the crook go.  Sad for Thailand....

Yeah, I wonder why they let him go the second time... is this standard in Thailand? maybe the requirement for holding someone is really high under law?

Can someone (seriously) explain why he was let go a second time?

Is it because assault is not a serious crime in Thailand? would it be same in farangland?

2 hours ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

In reality if they operate illegally the insurance will be void.

 

Not if the insurance is tailored and paid for to specifically cover grab drivers and passengers.

Of course, I don't trust insurance companies etc. But this insurance should cover any grab passenger in Thailand, according to grab. Of course it's possible that grab wants people to believe they are covered while actually not covering... 

38 minutes ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

Ultimately this is yet another example of the lack of law enforcement here.

Local taxis don't follow the rules and nobody does anything about it.

The "app" taxis are not legal so insurance companies are unlikely to pay out.

Traveling on the roads in Thailand is dangerous whatever you are in, some worse than others.

Until the "police" are paid properly and heavily monitored by an uncorrupt authority nothing will change.

But I am whistling in the wind again.

Grab covers passenger and driver. https://www.grab.com/th/en/insurance/

7 minutes ago, AccidentalTourist said:

Grab, Uber you will find all over the world; there is hardly a issue with this in Europe; which of course are mostly civilized countries... which makes the difference

Wrong. Try to Google "Uber war Paris".

Everywhere that Uber comes the established taxi lobby fights them in every way possible. Including throwing rocks at Uber vehicles etc.

25 minutes ago, new2here said:

I agree that only properly licensed vehicles should be used - that’s a fair statement... and to that end, IF it is that Grab is using people/drivers whose vehicles are not properly licensed with DLT for commercial use - then I think that’s a fair complaint.

The "real" taxis are not insured either it seems. Based on the relatively recent news about British tourist who was hospitalized after an accident with a supposed "real" taxi and had to beg for money online to cover hospital expenses.

If they want to keep make a living all they have to do is join grab. Their experience should allow them to become top grab drivers quickly if they just follow the rules.

Hell, many of them seems to have done it already in Chiang Mai.

As for long term future. Self driven cars will sooner or later take over. But before then I'm not sure if grab is making losses just like Uber did and how long they can keep it up. Maybe they need to raise prices to a level where the taxi mafia can compete again. Who knows?

37 minutes ago, IamNoone88 said:

The old taxi ranks will go the way of the dinosaurs. A change in climate, a brief and desperate struggle to survive and then certain extinction. Grab first, autonomous vehicles next. Like the dinosaur's, large creatures with a brain the size of a pea, the taxi drivers demise is already cast in fossil stone. They don't even have the imagination to join the App can could save their immediate future. If you ain't busy being born, your busy dying ......  

But if they join the app how can they overcharge the customers and refuse inconvenient rides? 

They play the insurance card again. Yet I recall a British tourist involved in a real taxi accident had to go to crowdfunding to pay his medical expenses. Or, real taxis are not insured either.

8 minutes ago, 0815 said:

The trip into CNX city center might only take 2 hours, bcoz the roads are blocked most of the times already now.

That's just not true.. I drive mornings, evenings and nights from hang dong to cnx and the surrounding areas and the roads are usually clear with the occasional pileups... but it's NOTHING near bangkok levels of traffic jams... even when traffic is bad it takes only like 30 minutes from hang dong to the airport.

1 hour ago, just bob said:

Just some thoughts to chew on... 

1.  Chiang Mai used to be popular as a hub for hill tribe trekking.  Not anymore.

2.  Mae Hong Son used to have a bunch of daily flights; Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways, etc.  Not any more.  Why?  I think those people go to Sapa, Cambodge or Laos now.

3.  The east side out to Mae On is already turning into an overdeveloped mess of ticky-tacky tract homes.

4.  The smoke and air (lack of) quality continues to worsen.  Now Chiang Mai is a nightmare from February to mid May.  Word gets around.  I expect to see CM go the way of Mae Hong Song eventually.

5.  I'd guess another couple of hundred POS smoke belching stinking useless song-thews will ply the route to the new airport creating another tunnel of their carcinogenic farts along the corridor.

6.  The 1317 is already overcapacity at morning and afternoon rush hours.  I doubt it can handle the new subdivisions already going in.

 

End of rant.  Resume normal life...

 

Very sad, specially the air quality... very frustrating and is a yearly remainder that the governance is useless or corrupt or both. very sad. extremely sad.

1 hour ago, flyingdoc said:

What a pity that they don't have Public Enquiries in Thailand on such subjects?

They had one for expansion of the current airport in Chiang Mai last year.

This expansion was approved by AOT. Now they say it can't be expanded.. not sure what they mean... Maybe can't be expanded further than current expansion plans?

5 minutes ago, Dukeleto said:

Problem is many will simply select the current Phuket International airport when selecting their destination with the airline carriers and not the one which will add an additional half an hour to their trip on to Phuket traffic congestion excluded!

 

That problem will be solved automatically by pricing. It's called the law of supply and demand and if you're correct the prices will go up to main airport and go down to second airport. 

Just like DMK and BKK.

It's interesting that they say cnx can't be expanded as they last year approved a 20 billion expansion plan for it......

18 hours ago, clokwise said:

Never had issues with the destination address, but always with the pickup address. Grab won't find any home in my moobaan so I wait for the driver to arrive on the main street then I have to call him and tell him to go inside. It sucks and it's really annoying. I'll try your tip next time.

I had same issue, I contacted grab support and they added my house to their map.

The worst part about grab is how the location jumps to the nearest point.. hard to explain but let's just say that it sucks...

12 hours ago, Confuscious said:

A tourist would not be given a bike in Australia, the USA or any civilised country.

In civilised countries, rental companies are required to control that the renter has ALL the required licenses before giving him a vehicle.

Only in Thailand they make a law where a tourist can rent a vehicle without having the proper licenses and being extorted money by the RTP as soon as the tourist leaves the rental shop.

Thailand is killing the goose with the golden eggs.

BTW, in EVERY civilised country, a taxi driver who kicks a person under police custody in the head, would not get away with a 500/1000 baht fine but would be now in the hospital with a lot of broken bones.

Taxi drivers are not cops and don't have the right to meddle in the tasks of the Police.

"Taxi drivers are not the cops" - I beg to disagree, afaik the cops and taxi mafia in pattaya are all owned by the same people.

Shit is about to hit the fan :)

1 hour ago, grkt said:

 

Why not going back to your nanny state ?

 

I am here also because I do not fear cops and fines. I do not want this to change and I am sure that it won't change quickly.

 

 

 

 

I think Thai ppl don't want a nanny state. But they also don't want to be the most dangerous country in the world in terms of road safety.

2 hours ago, a977 said:

Should have read the original story a few days ago, your insurance will be invalid and you will be unable to register your vehicle until said fine is paid. I believe you can go to bank and pay fine supposed to be within 7 days

Ok, sounds good. There's hope. Now let's hope they expand the camera system nation wide and include speeding too.

8 minutes ago, mogandave said:

 

 

So rich people should be able to drive however they like, while the poor suffer..

 

 

You would rather see it being like finland where it's a percentage of income?

Either way, the percentage needs to be significant. People need to fear getting a ticket. Otherwise it's not effective repellent.

15 hours ago, Peterphuket said:

I think it is not so difficult.

As I remember they have already done when you'll have to pay your yearly cartax.

First pay the ticket, after you'll get the new sticker.

And what happens if cartax is not paid?

No mention of how fines will be collected or what happens if fines are ignored or "lost in the mail".

Makes me think they didn't think it through.... 5555