Baht Bus drivers - not the world's best businessmen... not that we are surprised

[AlexCanada]

Here are 2 incidents this week that boggles the mind.

 

1.  We're at South Pattaya Road and Soi Buakhao, my Thai girlfriend asks a baht bus driver to take us to Tesco Lotus South which is about 10 minutes away.  We agree to the standard 200 baht.  We get in and the driver drives about 2 minutes on South Pattaya Road.  Then he stops the baht bus and says we're going to Tesco Lotus North, right?  My girlfriend says no, we're going to the closer Tescp South.  The baht bus driver says that's 300 baht.  My girlfriend gives him an earful and gives him 20 baht and we hop off.  Grab a taxi coming by and he takes us there in about 7 minutes for 200 baht.  Pretty sure that baht bus driver didn't make 180 baht within the next 10 minutes.

 

2.  Central Road and 2nd Road where the baht buses stop to take people towards Sukhumvit.  We were on the way to Index.  The baht bus was empty.  It was hot and we were on a bit of a time constraint so I told my girlfriend anything less than 150 baht and we'll take the baht bus as a taxi.  My girlfriend offers the driver 150 baht.  He says 250 then lowers the rate to 200 baht.  My girlfriend and I sit in the baht bus.  Took about 10 minutes for the baht bus to semi fill up.  Total including us was 7 people on the baht bus.  He did not pick up any other passengers on the way.  Driver drove us within 1 long block of Index.  He made 70 baht vs.150 baht and it took 10 minutes more of his time.  

[TaaSaparot]

IMO the baht bus system is a cheap public transport system where you can hop on and off paying 10 baht each time.

 

End of.

 

 

[petermik]

You are wasting your time here by trying to apply any logic/common sense....give it up 

[balo]

He probably was on his normal route , and sometimes they accept private rides if it's quite. But maybe he misunderstood where you wanted to go or he was picking someone else up closer to the other Tesco. Use Grab if you need a car, safer and probably cheaper.

[Chivas]

What is pure comedy platinum is the refusal to stop or the more dangerous practice of slowing down and then pulling away when its clear you're a hop on hop off passenger.  No surprise you might say they're looking for someone to shaft with a group fare.

 

However why on earth do it on the main one way systems that we all use. Accept the 10 baht after 10 baht fare and if flagged down by a group politely ask existing passengers to get off FOC....Win win for the taxi driver but god forbid you try to explain the logic behind it that a 6 year old could grasp

[DrTuner]

bahtbuses are for baht bus routes. Grab or your own car for custom trips.