Well I don't know if my comment is exactly germane but... I have just spent a few weeks in Delhi and I first thought I was misreading the fares -- on Uber/Ola (both of which are more or less accepted now as part of the scenery, they even have a designated pickup spot at the DEL airport!) my fares were $1.97, $1.11, $1.55, $1.57... -- for an approximately 25 min ride from my hotel (where they picked me up at the front portico) to the office each day.

I found Indian taxi fares astonishingly low even compared to the taxi-meter fares in Bangkok much less the ridiculous stupidity of the taxi-no-meter fares in Pattaya, and even in comparison to Uber/Grab fares in Pattaya.

18 hours ago, canopus1969 said:

Why not, they rip off everyone else

Exactly, why on Earth should these visitors expect any different.

We seem to be entering an arena whereby we accept taxis can rip-off tourists but please do it selectively!

If they can't be controlled try pleading!

I wondered why I saw so many taxis last night.  Many, many, many on Sukhumvit last night.

23 hours ago, Rimmer said:

Pattaya officials pleaded with city taxi drivers and tourism companies

x a billion.

 

Having done nothing in the past 3 decades to change it, they are now reduced to begging that certain disreputable persons will not continue to be bad people, but only while the boat show is on. After that it's presumably OK to go back to normal bad behaviour.

22 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

'Pissing in the wind' comes to mind !

 

20 hours ago, Basil B said:

A very nautical term... 

 

Noooo!  Actually, it's that warm fuzzy feeling you get as your shoes begin time fill up.

On 11/17/2017 at 5:31 PM, SidJames said:

I remember when the US fleets used to come to town with big numbers in the years before all the jihadi <deleted> & all the old timers would get out of town for those few days moaning as the price of just about everything went up from girls to bahtbuses

Remember a few years back when had that roadblock in Phuket protesting US navy hiring  buses to take sailors to town. "How can we rip them off if they do that!". Compromise (I think) was officers got arranged rides into town, sailors taken to cleaners

And what about "restaurants" ? 

Prices are "hiked". 

 

The scourge of meterless taxis can be cured within a week: a series of passengers from  the police station not in uniform.  A severe fine/confiscation of taxi.  Problem is the bogus passengers are raking it in monthly by staying away from taxis.

On ‎11‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 8:52 PM, canopus1969 said:

Why not, they rip off everyone else

Right on...... and not only Pattaya area, but anywhere there is a large amount of a foreign tourists the ripping goes on....  

On 11/19/2017 at 4:08 PM, mikebell said:

The scourge of meterless taxis can be cured within a week: a series of passengers from  the police station not in uniform.  A severe fine/confiscation of taxi.  Problem is the bogus passengers are raking it in monthly by staying away from taxis.

Great post Mike. Thank you for succinctly highlighting the problems Re: Taxi fares - that are sadly endemic here. 

Did the taxi's start using meters like they were told to do when they complained about Uber ? If not I will still use Uber and be very grateful this service came to this area [emoji120]


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