Songtaew Drivers Surround Grab Car, Demand Laws Enforced

by CityNews

 

 

CityNews – A gang of songtaew drivers surrounded a Grab Car driver with their passenger inside, angered by the car sharing service stealing their jobs.

 

After the incident was defused at the Arcade Bus Station, the group of irate drivers gathered at the 33rd Military Circle Kawila Camp to file a complaint against Grab, claiming the service is illegal in Thailand, citing the Road Traffic Act, Vehicle Act and Land Transport Act.

 

Full Story: http://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/news/songtaew-drivers-surround-grab-car-demand-laws-enforced/

 

-- © Copyright Chiang City News 2018-7-2

how can one human complain about another human;

 who wants to sit in a vehicle that has got seat belts?

ever heard about competition ? Just get better. Grab service is much better than yours. On the other hand their will always be customers who find it convenient to get a ride within short time without having to call and wait for somebody.

Next time Ill get ten friends to surround a taxi that wont  take me where I ask and demand the law is enforced.........Im sure thatll do it.

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

A gang of songtaew drivers

 

The picture is not very clear. Are they wearing police uniforms?

 

Driving taxi without meter is also illegal in Thailand, they all do it in Pattaya though.

A gaggle of songteaw drivers want laws obeyed...that's redicurous

Which laws would those be? I'm sure the Songtaew experts could enlighten us as to which laws are being broken. After all, they're extremely knowledgeable in that area.

So they want the laws enforced except when those laws apply to them. 

Must be against the law to act in a threatening way to a passenger

IF they had a understandable service route, honest and fair rate system, and safe/clean vehicles, Grab would not even be a threat.
BUT THEY DON'T.
They should go back to the drawing board and come up with a better business model.  
Why do they think WE (me) the public want to be forced to continue to use their crap?  That is greedy arrogance.
Either co-exist or change.  
Wake up CM to the existence of innovation and change.  Get this blue bus system in high gear.

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Songtaew Drivers Surround Grab Car

next:

Budget Airline pilots surround Helicopter

They have families, bills, responsibilities and their ability to cope is now threatened. What they are doing is a normal human reaction.

Grab is one of the looming threats to the SongThaew Community.  I have taken the Blue Bus from the KSK many times in the last month to Airport Plaza, Central Festival, Airport and the Old City.  As many know the cost is 20 baht, the buses have AC, are rarely crowded, and the longest I have had to wait was 20 minutes.  What next?  Are they going to block a blue bus?  They are being challenged by better and cheaper travel options.  

So what about all the tout Thai private vehicle owners who park outside hotels waiting to get a passengers down on Loy Kroh near night Bazzar? That is 1000% illegal too but no hissy fits and anger about that! 

16 hours ago, Darcula said:

 

The picture is not very clear. Are they wearing police uniforms?

 

No, but in normal Thai style they're 8 against 1, which shuould get their message through....

hmmm.could it be the ripoff prices that the songtaew drivers and tuktuks demand from farang at the bus station? why not post prices for tuktuks and songtaews? if you're livelihood depends upon cheating people, then better to find another livelihood. hiding behind government regulations doesn't justify ripping off.

Pot calling the kettle, etc.....

 

The irony.... entitlement in all its glory....

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On 7/3/2018 at 10:07 AM, sqwakvfr said:

Grab is one of the looming threats to the SongThaew Community.  I have taken the Blue Bus from the KSK many times in the last month to Airport Plaza, Central Festival, Airport and the Old City.  As many know the cost is 20 baht, the buses have AC, are rarely crowded, and the longest I have had to wait was 20 minutes.  What next?  Are they going to block a blue bus?  They are being challenged by better and cheaper travel options.  

Interested to see you say "rarely crowded".  I have made it a point to note the number of passengers using this potentially excellent service when I see a bus and have never seen one carrying more than 6 people.  I would love to see this trial work since CM urgently needs a viable public transport system but the prospects look gloomy to me.  Not only are the vehicles themselves too big, but I see cars parked in front of bus stops and in at least one case a nearby vendor using the seats to store his (or her) supplies in the shade.  The buses sometimes don't stop if they can't see a waiting passenger either.

 

Sadly, what this amounts to is the all too common lack of planning and support probably leading to a verdict of "discontinued due to lack of demand".

The fact that these red trucks are still around and are the most popular form of transport says a lot. It's unbelievable that haggling with a driver and then riding in the back of his pick-up truck is the mode of transport here. It is 2018 for heavens sake.

•  

Could it be that we one day look back in nostalgia, remembering the Songthaew of bygone days?

 

Nope, probably not.

 

Feel bad for the guys (drivers) buying into this retarded method of transport though. As others have mentioned, it would've been easy for Songthaews to stay somewhat relevant (emissions, smoke?), but they couldn't be bothered.

On 7/3/2018 at 11:52 PM, Greenside said:

Interested to see you say "rarely crowded".  I have made it a point to note the number of passengers using this potentially excellent service when I see a bus and have never seen one carrying more than 6 people.  I would love to see this trial work since CM urgently needs a viable public transport system but the prospects look gloomy to me.  Not only are the vehicles themselves too big, but I see cars parked in front of bus stops and in at least one case a nearby vendor using the seats to store his (or her) supplies in the shade.  The buses sometimes don't stop if they can't see a waiting passenger either.

 

Sadly, what this amounts to is the all too common lack of planning and support probably leading to a verdict of "discontinued due to lack of demand".

Is this the new blue bus service I think I read a thread about in CM?....20 bt for different routes around CM

 

Will be back in 6 weeks and would def like to check it out as I watch the BIB pull over Chinese mbike riders....

I thought Grab and the Songthaews had teamed up?

4 hours ago, naboo said:

I thought Grab and the Songthaews had teamed up?

 

 

Grab adding songthaews as a transport option in the app was purely symbolical. To shut them up, at least for a while. If you use the app you'll see that a red truck is more expensive than an airconditioned car!

 

Intended to buy some time and undoubtedly employ other tactics.

 

I tried the red truck app and tried to book a songthaew, just for shits and giggles. Couldn't make it work!

 

I was thinking why don't they all join grab/uber but looking at it they won't be able to rip anyone off and would soon break all the rules of these companies and be booted out.

5 hours ago, happy chappie said:

I was thinking why don't they all join grab/uber but looking at it they won't be able to rip anyone off and would soon break all the rules of these companies and be booted out.

 

I hope that doesn't occur to them. The last thing I want to see when I request a Grab and expect an air conditioned car with seatbelts is one of those smoke belching songthaews pull up. 

Why cant they just become Grab drivers , all of them ? They would earn more money for sure. Must be some mafia run operation this. If you leave the grooup you'll probably end up dead.

Ah the mafia transport psychos of CM!


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23 hours ago, happy chappie said:

I was thinking why don't they all join grab/uber but looking at it they won't be able to rip anyone off and would soon break all the rules of these companies and be booted out.

 

because Grab would rip us off instead of them, they can't have that!

 

Bang Kapi to Mochit Terminal (40m or so drive), friend suggests I use Grab, the car fare was 255 and the motorbike I think 160 or so.

I had a laugh, went out and took the first cab I saw (30 seconds) and made it to Mochit for 165 baht

 

If I had taken Grab I would have had to wait for the closest Grab which from the app seemed to be 5+ minutes away

and pay 90 baht more for what? it's not like its faster or more convenient