Uber, Grab etc...

[Shoeless Joe]

Has there been a decision regarding the licensing (or not) of Uber and Grab taxi services?

 

Regards,

 

Joe

[WinnieTheKhwai]

 

Nope; it remains illegal, just like all the other illegal things we happily do every day. (Y)

[Shoeless Joe]

3 hours ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

 

Nope; it remains illegal, just like all the other illegal things we happily do every day. (Y)

Thanks, that's pretty much as I thought.

 

Regards,

 

Joe

[rebo]

3 hours ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

 

Nope; it remains illegal, just like all the other illegal things we happily do every day. (Y)

Even police work as Uber drivers.

[thaibeachlovers]

Uber just lost its licence to operate in London. I'd say they have PO too many people and the end is nigh.

[Sydebolle]

Well, I was surprised this week at the BTS station when I saw Grab stickers inviting to download the .app and get a B75 cut on the first trip(s); little sticker/namecards were placed at the serving windows of their manned counters; on the train itself there was even an advertising clip for Grab. So I am puzzled .......... 

[samsensam]

16 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Uber just lost its licence to operate in London. I'd say they have PO too many people and the end is nigh.

 

not correct, uber has a license to operate in london until 30 september, but as they have lodged an appeal against the tfl decision they will continue to have a license to operate pending a decision on that appeal, which, after reading tfl's case, IMHO will be upheld.

 

 

Edited September 24, 2017 by samsensam
clarity

[Wake Up]

I personally use Grab in BKK and love it. A friend of mine came to visit me and used Uber from the river to sukhumvit soi 8. Cost 219 baht. 

 

I have not used Grab from Swampy but will if available.  

 

The last taxi taxi I took to airport negotiated a price then tried to strong arm me to pay more and acted pissed when I refused to pay tolls which were included in the negotiated price. So he cut off the air conditioning. Very unpleasant. 

 

Grab IMO is cheaper and better car and driver but even if it was more expensive better than some of the cab drivers in BKK. 

[samsensam]

30 minutes ago, Wake Up said:

I personally use Grab in BKK and love it. A friend of mine came to visit me and used Uber from the river to sukhumvit soi 8. Cost 219 baht. 

 

I have not used Grab from Swampy but will if available.  

 

The last taxi taxi I took to airport negotiated a price then tried to strong arm me to pay more and acted pissed when I refused to pay tolls which were included in the negotiated price. So he cut off the air conditioning. Very unpleasant. 

 

Grab IMO is cheaper and better car and driver but even if it was more expensive better than some of the cab drivers in BKK. 

 

to be honest you're asking for trouble, and behaving like a clueless tourist, if you start negotiating a price with a bkk taxi driver. they use the meter or dont get in, if you get in and thy refuse to use the meter get out. simple as that.

 

other tips; never go with a taxi that is hanging around, especially in tourist areas, never go with a driver who approaches you. there are plenty of honest, friendly taxi drivers in bangkok. flag one down, know where you're going and tell them to use the meter, that's it.

[Wake Up]

4 minutes ago, samsensam said:

 

to be honest you're asking for trouble, and behaving like a clueless tourist, if you start negotiating a price with a bkk taxi driver. they use the meter or dont get in, if you get in and thy refuse to use the meter get out. simple as that.

 

other tips; never go with a taxi that is hanging around, especially in tourist areas, never go with a driver who approaches you. there are plenty of honest, friendly taxi drivers in bangkok. flag one down, know where you're going and tell them to use the meter, that's it.

Would agree with you but around soi 4 and a few other areas BKK taxis don't use meters during certain times. You have to negotiate set prices. You have no choice and I was with a Thai friend that spoke fluent Thai. 

 

With Grab the ideas of asking 5 taxis until you get one to use the meter is over. Depends on where you live in BKK. Some BKk areas taxis are all meter and good but not true of all BKK especially in the tourist areas and especially sukhumvit soi 4. 

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

Uber is banned in cities all over the world, and from some countries.

Rightly so as they don't abide by the rules.

Trouble here with normal taxis is they don't either, and nobody enforces anything unless it makes them money.

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

9 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Uber just lost its licence to operate in London. I'd say they have PO too many people and the end is nigh.

Technically SSSam is right, but I agree with both they will be unlikely to get it even with the appeal.

It's an easy way to make money with no responsibility. Drivers and minicab firms should get their own apps. Black cabs don't need one.

 

[hawker9000]

8 hours ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

Uber is banned in cities all over the world, and from some countries.

Rightly so as they don't abide by the rules.

Trouble here with normal taxis is they don't either, and nobody enforces anything unless it makes them money.

Can't argue the rightness or wrongness.  But they DO have their satisfied users who keep preferring them to regular taxis.   And it's sheer hypocrisy to moan about their not abiding by "the rules", since their entire existence (and persistence) is due to regular taxis not abiding by the rules, certainly in Bangkok anyway.

 

 

[elgenon]

On 9/24/2017 at 10:57 PM, samsensam said:

 

to be honest you're asking for trouble, and behaving like a clueless tourist, if you start negotiating a price with a bkk taxi driver. they use the meter or dont get in, if you get in and thy refuse to use the meter get out. simple as that.

 

other tips; never go with a taxi that is hanging around, especially in tourist areas, never go with a driver who approaches you. there are plenty of honest, friendly taxi drivers in bangkok. flag one down, know where you're going and tell them to use the meter, that's it.

I have used drivers who approached me at the airport. I double-check they will use meter. if not, I just move to next one.

[idman]

Either I am the luckiest SOB or my size and Don't even try to F..uck with me look scares them off but in the twenty years I have been using the two airports in Bangkok I have never had a taxi driver not turn the meter on. My only conversation consists of telling them to take the Tollway spoken in Thai and English and after that I sit back until I reach my hotel in the lower Sukhumvit area.

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

On 25/09/2017 at 8:21 AM, hawker9000 said:

Can't argue the rightness or wrongness.  But they DO have their satisfied users who keep preferring them to regular taxis.   And it's sheer hypocrisy to moan about their not abiding by "the rules", since their entire existence (and persistence) is due to regular taxis not abiding by the rules, certainly in Bangkok anyway.

 

 

I hope you can find time to look at the other tread (Grab & Uber not door to door), it seems some of the App Taxi drivers are not so easy going now...

 

 

Edited September 26, 2017 by George FmplesdaCosteedback

[dingdongrb]

I used an Uber to go to Riverside restaurant from the Night Bazaar area last week. The cost was 45 THB.... Took at tuktuk back to the exact same location I was at previously and the tuktuk cost was 120 THB.

 

The Uber had AC, drove properly, and I didn't have to inhale the nasty exhaust fumes from traffic.

[jonwilly]

I used Uber for say half a dozen rides.

Good, Air Con, New saloon, polite drives and cheap.

I then ordered a car and cancelled due to time they quoted.

They would not accept the cancellation and kept chasing me on my phone.

Finally when I was back in my place the Uber Driver phoned me and asked if I still wanted the ride. I told him No as I had cancelled when they gave their estimate of time.

It is pointless trying to 'Talk' to Uber as all you get is a computer.

So no more Uber for me.

 

john

[amexpat]

1 hour ago, jonwilly said:

Good, Air Con, New saloon, polite drives and cheap.

 

So no more Uber for me.

 

 

[jonwilly]

I see you have no experience of Uber and their problems.

They still request you to pay for the journey you cancelled.

 

john

And you can't reason with a computer.