Tourists in Chiang Mai: We'd rather use Grab or Uber than rip off Red Buses

[VocalNeal]

3 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

In later years they have introduced the new 4 stroke tuk tuks (the red ones), which run on gasohol.

The LPG two-strokes will be more environmentally friendly as LPG is better than gasoline/petrol 

[mania]

1 hour ago, Vacuum said:

Mmmm, most of the tuk tuks are in fact two strokes, and they do run on LPG. The two stroke oil injected to the engine, doesn't produce black smoke, more like gray/blue (ish).

 

In later years they have introduced the new 4 stroke tuk tuks (the red ones), which run on gasohol.

Really? I did not know 2 strokes could run on LP

 

The two strokes I have been behind were definitely burning 2 stroke oil as I raced MX all thru my younger years & know the scent well ????

 

Yes I know about the lager/newer 4 stroke Tuks

 

[Vacuum]

6 minutes ago, mania said:

Really? I did not know 2 strokes could run on LP

They do run on LPG. You can see the LPG tank under the rear seat.

[Vacuum]

On 2/5/2019 at 11:58 AM, scorecard said:

a very large percentage of local thai folks and resident foreigners would love to see big changes and a much better organized / much more modern and economical public transport system, free of rip offs.

I've never heard from locals or "resident foreigners" that they got riped off by rot daeng drivers.

[FolkGuitar]

8 hours ago, Mitkof Island said:

Because if you don,t do anything they continue harming others. I guess that is ok with you?

 

Precisely what are YOU going to do to change the system?  Besides complaining here, of course.

Frankly, I don't see 10 baht harming anyone. And if 10 baht IS a problem for you, perhaps you need to re-evaluate your finances for living in a foreign country.

[Nowisee]

RTC Blue Bus and Grab is my main method of transport if not using motorbike.  

 

Never used a tuk tuk and red truck about a dozen times in several years.  Both are an environmental and traffic disaster.  

 

Just like a lot businesses and mentality here, ripping people off while providing poor service and then whinging when smart people chose a much better option.  

 

 

[jaffas21]

yeah speaking as someone who has been on a lot of songthaews in chiangmai and mercifully a few tuk tuks .... the problem as someone said isnt with the songthaews .. sometimes they wont go where you want thats for sure, but generally its a cheap way to get around. The tuk tuk drivers like the majority of them sadly everywhere are  a different kettle of fish. I was in bangkok in 2017. i met this american couple who had been given a tuk tuk driver by a police offier .. apparently he was only by law able to charge 50 baht per hour according to him. The tourists gave him 1000 a day anyway ,, but in chiangmai ... the only fee they understand is "150 baht" for any distance and dont get on one near the tha pae gate or it will be worse

[Vacuum]

On 6/12/2019 at 11:25 PM, jaffas21 said:

dont get on one near the tha pae gate

...or the ones waiting outside Central and the like. They're tourist traps, and this also goes for the songthaews.

[masuk]

On 2/5/2019 at 8:14 PM, cnx355 said:

The older tuk tuk emit blue smoke form the combustion of their 2 cycle engine. Not much better.

You can see and smell if you follow one.  The newer tuk tuk have more efficient 4 cycle engine

A few months ago, I saw a bright green tuk-tuk whisper past me, and realised that I was seeing my first all-electric  model.   Let's hope there's more of them. 

However, a taxi outrates the tuk-tuk every time, especially on those cooler or wet days when  you're heading to the airport, and don't want the rain or dust from the roads over your nice clean travelling kit.  A taxi is also cheaper. 

[mommysboy]

On 2/5/2019 at 3:30 PM, SammyT said:

Jumped in a cab the other day from Suvarnabhumi and cabbie refused to take me on the motorway into town, despite me telling him in Thai which way I wanted to go. He then proceeded to drive me round in an enormous loop for the next 100 minutes to get me to my destination, despite me showing him that I had my google maps open and telling him I knew we were going the wrong way. 

 

If taxis, songthaews etc wonder why people would rather use grab - this is a good example of why. Way more accountability, cars that have seatbelts and don't smell of stale cigarettes, cars that actually have boot space so you don't have to sit with your luggage piled on your knees. 

Cabbies don't get paid much truth be told, and that's working most of the month on long shifts.  That being said, I partly agree with your posting.  Sure, when Uber/Grab get in on the act you'll be getting around town cheaper, but the poor soul driving you will be earning next to nothing.

 

I'm not disagreeing with your posting as such, but I am saying they are doing it just to survive, and sheer incompetence may also be a factor.

[jackdd]

2 hours ago, mommysboy said:

Cabbies don't get paid much truth be told, and that's working most of the month on long shifts.  That being said, I partly agree with your posting.  Sure, when Uber/Grab get in on the act you'll be getting around town cheaper, but the poor soul driving you will be earning next to nothing.

 

I'm not disagreeing with your posting as such, but I am saying they are doing it just to survive, and sheer incompetence may also be a factor.

Being a taxi driver doesn't require more qualification than to work in a 7/11. These people get paid about 40 THB per hour.

When taxi drivers fall below this treshold they will stop being taxi drivers and work something else instead. Fewer taxi drivers means more customers and thus more income for the remaining taxis. So the one way or another the income of taxi drivers will not go below about 40 THB per hour.

[mike787]

On 2/5/2019 at 12:35 PM, mok199 said:

Romance , dishonesty , corruption and road carnage ,all wrapped up in a thick dark smoggy haze....Thailand has it all...

One of the most insightful dam honest statements on TVF by mok199.  CM, including many parts of Thailand, in my opinion can be described by the same sentence. 

[onera1961]

On 2/4/2019 at 10:35 PM, mok199 said:

Romance , dishonesty , corruption and road carnage ,all wrapped up in a thick dark smoggy haze....Thailand has it all...

All still farangs want to flock to this country and some even subject themselves to humiliation and inconveniences for the lure of its brothels (aka bars) and for pimping business of owning a brothel (aka bars)

[Mitkof Island]

On 6/12/2019 at 4:25 PM, jaffas21 said:

yeah speaking as someone who has been on a lot of songthaews in chiangmai and mercifully a few tuk tuks .... the problem as someone said isnt with the songthaews .. sometimes they wont go where you want thats for sure, but generally its a cheap way to get around. The tuk tuk drivers like the majority of them sadly everywhere are  a different kettle of fish. I was in bangkok in 2017. i met this american couple who had been given a tuk tuk driver by a police offier .. apparently he was only by law able to charge 50 baht per hour according to him. The tourists gave him 1000 a day anyway ,, but in chiangmai ... the only fee they understand is "150 baht" for any distance and dont get on one near the tha pae gate or it will be worse

The songthaews in Chiang Mai CAN be a rip off but that is true in any of the tourists slums. Every Thai city has set prices for the songthaews often listed in the back. Never had a problem with them because i always just hand them the money and walk away. If i do i mention to them in Thai about the price listed. The Tuk Tuks are always the worst and in some cities like Nong Kai there are no songthaews and my hunch is the tuk tuk mafia in those locations makes sure city hall keeps them off the streets. The best way to deal with them is ask the locals the going rate. If they want to charge more walk away and the price drops like a rock. Problem is they are spoiled by too many stupid foreigners giving them whatever they ask and then i come along and have to deal with it because of stupid before me.

[Mitkof Island]

17 minutes ago, onera1961 said:

All still farangs want to flock to this country and some even subject themselves to humiliation and inconveniences for the lure of its brothels (aka bars) and for pimping business of owning a brothel (aka bars)

And these tend to be the alcoholic idiots that drive the costs up on everything.