Thai taxi drivers are the worst! No hating. Real life experience

[lopburi3]

4 minutes ago, Hiro357 said:

I see. Could anyone tell me about how the house numbers work? They are usually two numbers like 234/51...What does it mean and why?

Land is by number plot in each district (first number) and as divided for housing the second numbers are added as needed and often do not correspond to streets.  There has been an attempt to assign numbers by streets here in Bangkok but post office does not like and most people refuse to use.

[Hiro357]

23 minutes ago, Thian said:

I love your story, always wondered what the japanese would think of the Thai....Thailand is totally the opposit of Japan, never forget that.

 

At the airport you pay 50 baht for getting the taxi, if they use tollway you pay extra for that in advance while driving...at the destination they never lift your luggage unless they expect a good tip...(not in your case because you made problems about the tollway-fare already).

And you have to learn to pay with big money in official shops, always make sure you can pay taxi's or markets in the exact amount so you won't need any change.

 

Your english is very good for a japanese though, don't expect any Thai to speak/write english at your level..

 

Just take it easy in Thailand, sure not all are trying to scam you but always be aware of it..they are just slow, can't count, don't give a poop, and can't be bothered for anything. The price is better than in japan isn't it? I prefer to pay the japanese price though if i get the same high quality service .

 

So you have seen BKK a bit now, go upcountry to some village/city and you won't believe what you'll see there...don't forget to make pictures/movies to show us! 

 

 

Actually I didn't even  hesitate giving him the toll fees beforehand. And I honestly didn't bother asking about the surplus beyond 2 or 3 sentences because I was too tired and just wanted to rest. But him started saying I was Chinese was just absurd as if it's something to be ashamed of. ( Could anyone tell me why the Chinese are so poorly perceived in Thailand plz? Actually I had very pleasant experiences with cab drivers the last time I was in China too.)

 

I grew up in several western countries so I guess my English is somewhat decent. 

The Japanese girl I know in BKK has been quite traumatized by her experience with the cabs here too. Once her driver got stopped by the police. They exchanged a short convo and the driver was let go. After that he kept yelling at the girl asking her for compensation because he was gonna lose his license for making a U-turn at the wrong place(according to him), which was not even her fault. She had to endure him cursing all the way back. I just don't get the rudeness in people. 

Edited October 22, 2017 by Hiro357

[Hiro357]

9 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

Maybe that is because they don't understand how you speak, you need to be able to tell them your destination clearly, if you can't do that, it's your problem.

I pronounced the address in Thai, showed them the hotel address, GPS location..........

Edited October 22, 2017 by Hiro357

[Just Weird]

3 hours ago, yimlitnoy said:

I had to go twice a week from Sathorn Road to Rama 6 Ramathibodi hospital for 6 months, I can say that 80% of the time, the taxi drivers tried to cheat me by going through their way instead of my way which is faster, they act in a threatening way, they have no change when at destination, they let me on the road once because apparently not enough gasoline which was a lie, one fell asleep at traffic light, one was pulling his facial hairs at traffic lights with 2 baht coins, one tried to keep the change from 100 Baht at highway toll.  Come on Thailand, when will you have a school for taxi drivers like they have in most other countries?

 

The first impression of any tourists are when they board their first taxi from airport to hotel...

You got your tollway change back?  No problem there, then.

Plucking a hair, why is that an issue, it's none of your business, is it?  No problem there, either.

No change, the driver cannot be expected to keep enough change for every trip of his 12 hour shift so make sure you've got change before you get a taxi, that's reasonable and not difficult.  So no problem that can be attributed to the driver there, either.

 

One dumped you, that is a problem.  One dozed off, that would concern me, too.

 

So 52 journeys and you had 2 problems.  Could be a lot worse.

[chuang]

The taxi driver said you are from China and you get offended. 

[Thian]

7 minutes ago, Hiro357 said:

Actually I didn't even  hesitate giving him the toll fees beforehand. And I honestly didn't bother asking about the surplus beyond 2 or 3 sentences because I was too tired and just wanted to rest. But he started saying I was Chinese was just absurd as if it's something to be ashamed of. ( Could anyone tell me why the Chinese are so poorly perceived in Thailand plz? Actually I had very pleasant experiences with cab drivers the last time I was in China too.)

 

I grew up in several western countries so I guess my English is somewhat decent. 

The Japanese girl I know in BKK has been quite traumatized by her experience with the cabs here too. Once her driver got stopped by the police. They exchanged a short convo and the driver was let go. After that he kept yelling at the girl asking her for compensation because he was gonna lose his license for making a U-turn at the wrong place, which was not even her fault. She had to endure him cursing all the way back. I just don't get the rudeness in people. 

Taxidrivers are like soidogs, if they feel you are not familiar with the area or with them they will try you out....Best is to show them your stick, speak some thai words to them like sawasdee krab or ask them in thai if they can speak english...(phut pasaa inlit mai?) That way they know you're not here for the first time and will treat you better. Also dressing well helps a lot in Thailand to get respect.

 

What happened to the girl is also normal for them, they will stop anywhere to get a customer (even at very dangerous spots) but if they get caught for it they'll blame the customer and expect them to pay the bills.

 

It's all not as bad as you might think now but for sure it's far from the Western or Japanese servicelevel.

If you want to be among other japanese you go to soi Thaniya at Sala Daeng bts. There's the japanese street where white guys like me (or us) are not allowed into the venues (because we don't understand the japanese ways of doing things).

 

You still got the best treatment thailand has to offer, go out of BKK and it will get worse...

[Hiro357]

2 minutes ago, chuang said:

The taxi driver said you are from China and you get offended. 

I wasn't at all. Just confused as to why he considered it a proper insult. My trip in China actually was surprisingly pleasant the last time. The fact that every service would be rated afterwards guarantees decency.

[chuang]

14 minutes ago, Hiro357 said:

I pronounced the address in Thai, showed them the hotel address, GPS location..........

Are you sure your thai pronunciation sound Thai. 

[dictater]

I have mostly found taxi drivers in BKK to be good. Change for big bills is always a problem, but that stands true for any small business in Thailand. In central BKK you have to vet the good from the bad before you get in. I often check out the car, if it's full of cheap mods, if the driver is young, or just generally looks like a prick I wave them on. Still compared to my hometown of New York the cabs are cheap, clean and the drivers pretty damn friendly considering the conditions. I also know that Asians can have a harder time (esp. if they are not Thai, a lot of anti-Chinese sentiment going on right now) then westerners. Some single female friends of mine will not take a cab alone day or night because of harassment and the possibility of actual assault and even abduction. 

[chuang]

2 minutes ago, Hiro357 said:

I wasn't at all. Just confused as to why he considered it a proper insult. My trip in China actually was surprisingly pleasant the last time. The fact that every service would be rated afterwards guarantees decency.

So mistaken you from China is an insult. What an insult to RPC. 

[Hiro357]

8 minutes ago, dictater said:

I have mostly found taxi drivers in BKK to be good. Change for big bills is always a problem, but that stands true for any small business in Thailand. In central BKK you have to vet the good from the bad before you get in. I often check out the car, if it's full of cheap mods, if the driver is young, or just generally looks like a prick I wave them on. Still compared to my hometown of New York the cabs are cheap, clean and the drivers pretty damn friendly considering the conditions. I also know that Asians can have a harder time (esp. if they are not Thai, a lot of anti-Chinese sentiment going on right now) then westerners. Some single female friends of mine will not take a cab alone day or night because of harassment and the possibility of actual assault and even abduction. 

I suppose growing up in Japan and England etc makes it harder for me to accept rudeness. 

So many replies have mentioned this ongoing almost "hatred" Thais have for the Chinese....What's the deal with that? I'm so confused. 

 

And for those who have poor reading comprehension skills, I wasn't the least bit insulted when the driver called me Chinese. Sheesh why people always try to stir shit up when it comes to the Japanese and Chinese? I have many Chinese friends. I never stereotype them because I don't judge them by races. I just don't get the hate towards them in BKK.

Edited October 22, 2017 by Hiro357

[Just Weird]

3 hours ago, luk AJ said:

I Iive in Bangkok for over 20y and I take several taxis per week often to Don Mueang. I can tell you that most of the taxi drivers are driving very dangerously with cars that are very poorly maintained.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

How do you know that the "taxis are very poorly maintained", do you check their service history? 

 

Maybe you're just referring to some of the older taxis that are around and the answer to that is to not hail them, wait for a newer one to come,.  It's you decision to get into any taxi, there's another 80,000 of them on the road to choose from.

Edited October 22, 2017 by Just Weird

[Jimbo in Thailand]

IMHO the OP must be doing something disrespectful... or simply just being a disagreeable a$$.  During my 12+ years living here I can honestly say that the majority of the Thai taxi drivers are courteous, pleasant, and do a fantastic job, especially considering the horrendous conditions they have to deal with daily.  Yeah, I've run across a few bad apples out there over the years but not many, thank God and/or Buddha.  And these crafty drivers don't need no stinking GPS as they already know the best traffic-avoiding routes to get you to your destination as quickly as possible.  After all, the sooner they get you dropped off the quicker they can pick up their next fair. 

 

Yep, something definitely wrong with the OP's attitude and/or communication skills while interacting with these fine drivers.

[Just Weird]

 

2 hours ago, tpkhk said:

To the OP - my experience has been similar.....seems to be getting worse over the years.  Nowadays 30-40% chance of a bad experience.

 

"Nowadays 30-40% chance of a bad experience.

Garbage.

[Hiro357]

3 minutes ago, Jimbo in Thailand said:

IMHO the OP must be doing something disrespectful... or simply just being a disagreeable a$$.  During my 12+ years living here I can honestly say that the majority of the Thai taxi drivers are courteous, pleasant, and do a fantastic job, especially considering the horrendous conditions they have to deal with daily.  Yeah, I've run across a few bad apples out there over the years but not many, thank God and/or Buddha.  And these crafty drivers don't need no stinking GPS as they already know the best traffic-avoiding routes to get you to your destination as quickly as possible.  After all, the sooner they get you dropped off the quicker they can pick up their next fair. 

 

Yep, something definitely wrong with the OP's attitude and/or communication skills while interacting with these fine drivers.

Both me and my Japanese gal pal were taught to treat people with respect and kindness. For that same reason I won't waste more time with you.

[Just Weird]

2 hours ago, InMyShadow said:

No mandatory meter turn on. Why would they spend money on a GPS? They don't care if they they go around in circles, they in the cab the whole day anyway.

Japanese love to splash cash around so they are target number 1

Indians are at the opposite end of the scale but both have created drama for themselves and how they are perceived by their own doing.

"No mandatory meter turn on."

Yes, there is.

[alien365]

Taxis here are dangerous, especially for women. Every Thai woman I know sends a pic of the taxi ID to a friend if they are taking a journey home at night. Some will try to rip you off,  drive dangerously, be rude, be on drugs etc. Yes they are cheap in relation to other countries but you take a risk each time you get in one. 

 

I now prefer to drive in bkk myself. I find driving in bkk traffic less hassle than taking a lucky dip with the taxi's here.

[Jimbo in Thailand]

2 minutes ago, Hiro357 said:

Both me and my Japanese gal pal were taught to treat people with respect and kindness. For that same reason I won't waste more time with you.

Thank you Hiro357!  You've just proven my point.  Have a nice day! 

[InMyShadow]

"No mandatory meter turn on."
Yes, there is.

It's only mandatory if the taxi actually turns it on. Bit like it's mandatory to not run red lights or Mototaxis cruising foot paths

TIT

[Hiro357]

3 minutes ago, Jimbo in Thailand said:

Thank you Hiro357!  You've just proven my point.  Have a nice day! 

No thank you for making baseless assumptions about me in your original post. Then calling me an ass by acting like one yourself. Nothing you have said has any logic to it. Just assume if I/the girl was treated badly, it has to be something wrong with us.

Edited October 22, 2017 by Hiro357

[alien365]

8 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

 

"Nowadays 30-40% chance of a bad experience.

Garbage.

Considering you seem to be arguing with so many posters on this thread have you actually thought that there is some truth in what they are saying? A lot of people have regular bad experiences with taxi's. You can't call others experiences rubbish if that has been their experience.

[Just Weird]

1 hour ago, Hiro357 said:

Thank you. However the poor attitude I received such as having my luggages thrown off the cab for no reason(I'm always extremely courteous) is just too ugly. 

Very unusual for a taxi driver to handle luggage when a passenger is getting out, how did that happen?... perhaps you asked him to do that and he didn't like being your bell boy?  Maybe you pissed him off so much with your "extreme courtesy" and he wanted you out of his taxi.

[Hiro357]

I think the basic defense for the drivers here is that they are paid poorly. What ever happens to human decency? Treating others kindly not because of money? It's indeed sad when we accept being treated like walking piggy banks in countries like Thailand, when human interactions are purely based on how much you would pay someone to be kind. 

[Thian]

Look, there are 2 kinds of chinese in Thailand, well 3 actually since the third are the chinese-thai.

 

1= the chinese expats who speak good english, have very good manners and are just normal.

 

2= the chinese grouptours who can't speak english and are very rude and impolite. They are very selfish and don't care for anything at all. They'll push you of the sidewalk, jump qeueu's, run into you, spit on the floor or in the bus and will always stay in their group.

 

They have never seen European Japanese here....to me they all look like i'm an escaped monkey from the zoo when they are new in BKK. Outside BKK they all think i'm a moviestar or soccerplayer and stare at me like i'm gonna eat them if they won't warn their friends for me first.

 

 

[Just Weird]

Just now, alien365 said:

Considering you seem to be arguing with so many posters on this thread have you actually thought that there is some truth in what they are saying? A lot of people have regular bad experiences with taxi's. You can't call others experiences rubbish if that has been their experience.

I'm not the only one disputing what is being claimed and I strongly dispute that 40% of taxis, as you claim, will be a problem.

 

Have you actually thought that what I, and others, are saying may be the truth and that many Thaivisa poster's sole purpose in life is to denigrate anything Thai, particularly taxis, and wildly exaggerate their problems to the point that they lose credibility?

[theguyfromanotherforum]

1 minute ago, Hiro357 said:

I think the basic defense for the drivers here is that they are paid poorly. What ever happens to human decency? Treating others kindly not because of money? It's indeed sad when we accept being treated like walking piggy banks in countries like Thailand, when human interactions are purely based on how much you would pay someone to be kind. 

 

Your opinion is based on taxis in tourist areas. Really not cool that you are judging the entire country based literally on 1-2% of taxi drivers who's only objective is to extract money from tourists.

[Hiro357]

9 minutes ago, Thian said:

Look, there are 2 kinds of chinese in Thailand, well 3 actually since the third are the chinese-thai.

 

1= the chinese expats who speak good english, have very good manners and are just normal.

 

2= the chinese grouptours who can't speak english and are very rude and impolite. They are very selfish and don't care for anything at all. They'll push you of the sidewalk, jump qeueu's, run into you, spit on the floor or in the bus and will always stay in their group.

 

They have never seen European Japanese here....to me they all look like i'm an escaped monkey from the zoo when they are new in BKK. Outside BKK they all think i'm a moviestar or soccerplayer and stare at me like i'm gonna eat them if they won't warn their friends for me first.

Thanks. I know these kind. 

My Eurasian gal pal constantly got asked if she was mixed here. Thais seem to be very obsessed over mixed people. 

 

But I noticed the hypocrisy in the Thais hatred in the Chinese tourists. They complain that the Chinese are loud and rude. But several times at the shopping mall a group of older Thai women would talk with an outdoor voice laughing out loud etc. They say Chinese throw trashes everywhere. But the Thais do the same. As a matter of fact most places have trash along the streets. I suppose the Chinese must have been busying spread their trash everywhere.....Basically the Thais accuse the Chinese of things they themselves do as well, maybe not as often. But still. I just wish people could stop discriminate one another. If they really hate the Chinese, stop taking them in as tourists.

Quote

 

 

 

Edited October 22, 2017 by Hiro357

[Hiro357]

3 minutes ago, theguyfromanotherforum said:

 

Your opinion is based on taxis in tourist areas. Really not cool that you are judging the entire country based literally on 1-2% of taxi drivers who's only objective is to extract money from tourists.

No. I'm not going to touristy places at all. Just one neighborhood to another. Which to be fair could make it difficult for the drivers to navigate.

[Just Weird]

52 minutes ago, Hiro357 said:

I pronounced the address in Thai, showed them the hotel address, GPS location..........

That could have been the problem, is your Thai as good as your English?  When you stop a taxi you tell him where you want to go, that's it. If he doesn't understand or if there's any hesitation or facial sign of not liking the destination, let him go and get the next one.  If you start discussing the destination you're asking for problems.

 

GPS location is of no use, nor interest, to taxis without GPS systems, that will confuse them even more.

[Just Weird]

33 minutes ago, Jimbo in Thailand said:

IMHO the OP must be doing something disrespectful... or simply just being a disagreeable a$$.  During my 12+ years living here I can honestly say that the majority of the Thai taxi drivers are courteous, pleasant, and do a fantastic job, especially considering the horrendous conditions they have to deal with daily.  Yeah, I've run across a few bad apples out there over the years but not many, thank God and/or Buddha.  And these crafty drivers don't need no stinking GPS as they already know the best traffic-avoiding routes to get you to your destination as quickly as possible.  After all, the sooner they get you dropped off the quicker they can pick up their next fair. 

 

Yep, something definitely wrong with the OP's attitude and/or communication skills while interacting with these fine drivers.

Spot on.