Samui taxi drivers demand fare hike after overcharging tourists

[webfact]

Samui taxi drivers demand fare hike after overcharging tourists

By The Nation

 

Tourist police on Tuesday agreed to support a call by taxi drivers on Koh Samui for fare hikes, although they are notorious for refusing to use their meters and overcharging passengers.

The consent was given by Pol Lt-Colonel Piyaphan Wana-ukirt, a Samui tourist police inspector, after a public hearing with taxi drivers was held at a Koh Samui police station on Tuesday morning.

 

The meeting was joined by academics from the Surat Thani Transport office and police officers from Koh Samui and Bophut police stations.

 

Piyaphan held the hearing following complaints by foreign tourists that drivers on the tiny tourist destination were refusing to use their meters and overcharging them. Piyaphan was assigned to tackle the problem.

 

But during the meeting, taxi drivers said Samui was a special area and they would accrue losses if they used their meters because petrol prices on the island were higher than mainland prices by Bt2 to Bt3 per litre.

 

During the meeting, taxi drivers proposed raising the metered fare to start at Bt100 for the first two kilometres and Bt20 per kilometre thereafter. If taxis are caught in traffic, meters should charge Bt5 per minute, the drivers said.

 

If the proposal is approved by the Transport Ministry, the Samui Taxi Driers Club promised to change the meters by November 23, after which all drivers are supposed to start using them.

 

Piyahan said taxi drivers would be arrested and face severe legal action if they still refuse to comply with the new measure if the proposal is approved.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30331025

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-11-07

[Samui Bodoh]

5 minutes ago, webfact said:

But during the meeting, taxi drivers said Samui was a special area and they would accrue losses if they used their meters because petrol prices on the island were higher than mainland prices by Bt2 to Bt3 per litre.

Fine. How about raising the fares by 5 Baht upon entry to the taxi? Nowhere on the island needs more than 2 litres of fuel to get there. Make it 10 Baht as that would cover literally anywhere.

 

I have read about numerous policy changes for taxi drivers over the years, but nothing ever changes. No meter, over-priced. and a black eye to Koh Samui's reputation.

 

Koh Samui taxi drivers are why I (and I am sure many others) have a bike.

 

[orchis]

Luckily Grab has arrived in Samui and Suratthani 
Promocode HISAMUI and HISURAT.

[Bob12345]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

During the meeting, taxi drivers proposed raising the metered fare to start at Bt100 for the first two kilometres and Bt20 per kilometre thereafter. If taxis are caught in traffic, meters should charge Bt5 per minute, the drivers said

That is a very modest proposal, but the good boys probably didn't realize how long it will take to become a millionair with prices like these.

 

I therefore propose to start the fare at 500 baht and do about 200 baht for every km after the first 2.

 

And thats just for this and coming year, after which the prices need to be adjusted for inflation to about 600 baht and 300 baht respectively.

[Deli]

Taxi drivers in Thailand: A very sad story.

Have a look across the border into Myanmar and you see that it can work the opposite way. Without greed but with a genuine smile and fair fares.

[Scouse123]

Thailand succumbed to greed many years ago and is past the point of no return.

 

The hawkers, taxis, beach vendors complain when the tourists don't come and do not realize, (because they refuse to accept the fact,it can never be their fault) that they are a big part of the problem.

 

A great many tourists have wised up and arrange transport in advance on the islands and started to regularly use alternative forms of transport in the cities with the dawn of BTS and MRT. Even my other half pushes these forms of transport as she does not like the attitude and how many of the drivers speak.

 

The problem won't go away. The clowns will probably get their fare hike, still refuse to use meters and then resort to threats of violence like they do in Phuket when business is down.

[observer90210]

Another answer on the global consumer sucess of Uber and similar...

[lvr181]

If the taxi drivers had obeyed current regulations (and Police enforced the regulations) then and only then, there maybe some sympathy for asking about a higher fair structure.

[notmyself]

They already get a 50 Baht surcharge which I thought was reasonable at the time because as another member pointed out.... nothing is very far away on Samui so no driver ever gets a long trip which is where the real money is made.

 

 

Some years back just after Yingluck was ousted, all taxis were told that they must have meters and from what I have seen they now all do..... but that is not the problem is it. The problem is that they (and by they I mean all) flatly refuse to use them and this is not just a local knowledge thing because I have been here a long time. It's very well known and brazen to say the least. For example... outside the main entrance of Tesco Lamai where the taxis park is a board listing the set prices to go to various places on the island! This whole issue is not something that exists in the shadows but out in the open, if your face at it were. Pleading ignorance, I have to admit, can at times be a reasonable defence but this takes the biscuit because you cannot not know these things are happening and to suggest such a thing is dishonest.

 

Another example or maybe more of a reflection. Say I want to go watch a movie at wherever the cinema is now or to go Big C or some such. It's going to cost me 500 Baht to get there and then another 500 baht to get back. Or I could just rent an old Suzuki jeep or some such for 600 Baht and throw in 200 Baht of gas and have a car for the day. When it is cheaper to rent a vehicle for the day than it is to take a 18km round trip in a taxi you know something is wrong. Sure..... maybe you are really stupid and don't know what the problem is or how to solve it but you know, as sure as the day is light, that something is wrong.

 

Y'know, there is a reason for needing to charge a shedload beside out and out greed and that is because the driver may only get 1-2 trips the entire day but then you are shooting yourself in the foot as people will stop using the service which is what we actually see. There was talk on a thread some time back that Samui has some 500 odd taxis on it though the number as an absolute is irrelevant... imagine the number of taxis were suddenly reduced by half, would there be a shortage? Answer that and you have both the cause and the solution.

 

 

[notmyself]

7 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

A great many tourists have wised up and arrange transport in advance on the islands

 

Not quoted in full but will not change context I promise.

 

A lot of hotels and resorts offer free transfers to and from the airport and when the vehicle is available they will take you anywhere you wish to go and likely pick you up when needed and this is a free service.

[longtom]

Stop that farce already!

 

Samui taxis will never use a meter, no matter how much the surcharge. 

 

Thank you all the Thai authorities for never doing anything about that.

 

[baansgr]

Just one of the many reasons I will never spend another centavo on samui

[Bob12345]

14 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

The hawkers, taxis, beach vendors complain when the tourists don't come and do not realize, (because they refuse to accept the fact,it can never be their fault) that they are a big part of the problem.

Classical prisoners dilemma. 

 

If you are the only one cheating and overcharging you can maximize your profits with little effort or risk of damaging the tourist industry. But everyone has that same incentive so they all cheat which results in lower profits and less tourists.

 

As a single operator you can become honest but you will only hurt yourself. The optimal point where nobody cheats and all maximize profitscan only be reached with an coordinated action.

 

In normal countries the government would do that coordination by using the police. In thailand...  hmmm... there is no working police force nor a government looking at the long term.

[isaanpaul]

Taxi's in Samui fill the tank up with NLG and that is way cheaper than petrol.Who is fooling who??

isaan paul

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30331025

[cracker1]

On 11/8/2017 at 11:44 PM, orchis said:

Luckily Grab has arrived in Samui and Suratthani 
Promocode HISAMUI and HISURAT.

Is this true ? I am a great supporter of Grab in Bangkok.

[MichaelJohn]

As someone has already said .......Samui taxis NEVER use a meter. What's the point in agreeing a starting point and a B per Km when they NEVER use meters.

Last time I was in Samui the starting point to go anywhere was B400.

The worst thing is, like so many things in the country, everyone knows about this corruption yet nothing is every said or done about it. As far as the authorities are concerned, tourist are fair game; likely they'll never come back so what does it matter?

[brd]

Totally crooked this taxi no meter business in Samui ( not much better in Pattaya ) since day 1.

However many alternatives are under offer in Samui like renting local transportation enabling us to avoid any taxi no meter...

No excuses taxis have meters use them or no customers.

Drivers keep themselves busy with illegal alternate activities...

At least is Pattaya Grab and Uber are highly helpful..

Same in Chiang Mai use Uber and or Grab to avoid at all costs no meters taxis mafia to be eradicated.

Some astute tourists rent a car in Surat Thani to cross by ferry and to enjoy freedom during their stays.

However the islanders selfish gambling with life relying only on karma driving plus the all nationalities drunk drivers are the real DANGER.

 

[carmine]

On 11/9/2017 at 6:38 PM, MichaelJohn said:

As someone has already said .......Samui taxis NEVER use a meter. What's the point in agreeing a starting point and a B per Km when they NEVER use meters.

Last time I was in Samui the starting point to go anywhere was B400.

The worst thing is, like so many things in the country, everyone knows about this corruption yet nothing is every said or done about it. As far as the authorities are concerned, tourist are fair game; likely they'll never come back so what does it matter?

Judging by the state of tourism these past twelve months thats exactly whats happening....they're not coming back.  Still we do have our hoards of Chinese that don't spend anything!

[huberthammer]

On 09/11/2017 at 7:42 AM, cracker1 said:

Is this true ? I am a great supporter of Grab in Bangkok.

Thanks to the heads up for Orchis, they are now indeed here. However, will probably take a bit of time, right now I see one car only on the app. For near future Navigo probably is the only real alternative and at least that service works very well and prices are justifiable.

[huberthammer]

On 09/11/2017 at 6:38 PM, MichaelJohn said:

As someone has already said .......Samui taxis NEVER use a meter. What's the point in agreeing a starting point and a B per Km when they NEVER use meters.

Last time I was in Samui the starting point to go anywhere was B400.

The worst thing is, like so many things in the country, everyone knows about this corruption yet nothing is every said or done about it. As far as the authorities are concerned, tourist are fair game; likely they'll never come back so what does it matter?

if you read the article properly you can see that the entire discussion about fares is because of the police cracking down on the driving without meter

 

 

"Piyahan said taxi drivers would be arrested and face severe legal action if they still refuse to comply with the new measure if the proposal is approved."

[mikebell]

On 08/11/2017 at 1:43 PM, baansgr said:

Just one of the many reasons I will never spend another centavo on samui

Ditto Phuket.  Taxi driver female at the airport refused my Tripadvisor map (in Thai) - drove about till she racked up 200 baht.  Next day our hotelier took us back to the airport - it took 63 seconds!

[carmine]

On 11/14/2017 at 3:19 PM, huberthammer said:

if you read the article properly you can see that the entire discussion about fares is because of the police cracking down on the driving without meter

 

 

"Piyahan said taxi drivers would be arrested and face severe legal action if they still refuse to comply with the new measure if the proposal is approved."

I won't lose sleep waiting for this to happen.......

[tonray]

On 11/7/2017 at 6:44 PM, orchis said:

Luckily Grab has arrived in Samui and Suratthani 
Promocode HISAMUI and HISURAT.

In Surat, the SongTaews are widely available and I have never been overcharged...so maybe a solution to a problem that does not exist ?

[Basil B]

I have only ever used a taxi once on the Island, did not know the way back to my hotel, turned out to be only 400 meters, cost 200B.

 

I would suggest the meter rate should be no more the 125% of Bangkok meter prices, if they refuse to use the meters impound the taxis for a few weeks.

[notmyself]

23 hours ago, Basil B said:

I have only ever used a taxi once on the Island, did not know the way back to my hotel, turned out to be only 400 meters, cost 200B.

 

I would suggest the meter rate should be no more the 125% of Bangkok meter prices, if they refuse to use the meters impound the taxis for a few weeks.

 

lol You were lucky to get it for 200 as it's generally 300 minimum charge.

 

I actually switched to this forum just now because I watched a new item on Uber and their business model. Interesting.

 

 

It's Christmas so lets talk about taxis while I sip on a Sam Song Coke zero with ice. It's quite easy really because it's all down to over supply. There is not enough (nowhere near enough really)  demand so the drivers have no choice other than to not use the meters and even then they are barely breaking even. Too many people sipping from the water bottle so everyone is thirsty. I imagine people have heard of 'papering over the cracks' and this is an example. Until the over supply is addressed, every action taken is doing just that. So why are steps not taken to solve it? If you force the taxis to use the meter then the drivers would not have enough to live on and politically that would not go down well. Well that's one answer but another is that the powers that be may be generating income by way of kickbacks so you would be shooting yourself in the foot by taking action. It's quite funny actually because that IS exactly what is needed. You would achieve equilibrium by way of attrition. Good luck on that one.

 

I'll carry on for the same reason as before. Taxi business model lol .. I've never worked in Thailand and I certainly wouldn't want to as the most of the entities I'd have to deal with are corrupt and dishonourable.... to be fair... I'm from London so I can live with that but they are also hopeless or inept, take your pick. I couldn't be doing with that. Hard enough going to immigration (I hate that trip) where you have to talk to some gormless Gollumesque character dressed in a uniform that always seems a little small. It's like having to go visit Medusa... don't look into their eyes mate. 

 

 

 

 

[Rhys]

Uber vs the Ultra Taxi Drivers. coming soon to a street near you...

[Mickmouse1]

Why tourists or foreign residents were not invited to the meeting

[metisdead]

19 month old topic, old news: