Chiang Mai’s red cars boiling mad at Grab

[dave moir]

You never see a red taxi around Chiang Mai after 22-00 so how you supposed to get around? Drunken tuk tuk drivers or grab??? I know which I would prefer.

[tabarin]

Illegal? It is our means of transport with the baby by choice, as we only use it once a week and otherwise just the motorbike on our own. 
Compared to maintaining a car etc. this is far better for us now, as we are not sure to stay here long term anymore (and awaiting pollution extreme round 2).

Anyway, I noticed Grab being more expensive lately so thought that was the result of a deal between Grab and Red Trucks.
Red Trucks can earn good money trough it but when I finally wanted to book it from HomePro, I could not get any for 2 hours. 

Even if they manage to get Grab gone, I will get a car, and refuse to ever use a red truck again.

Edited August 23, 2019 by tabarin

[tabarin]

1 hour ago, dave moir said:

You never see a red taxi around Chiang Mai after 22-00 so how you supposed to get around? Drunken tuk tuk drivers or grab??? I know which I would prefer.

Yes or even more important: How you get to the city from your house in Sansai, Doi Saket, Hang Dong or whatever in the first place. 
That is what makes Grab the most excellent, aside of a safe return of course. Before grab I used to drive drunk, no choice (so do Thais).

In terms of road safety the decision to keep Grab should weigh a lot. It should even remain cheap and attractive for Thais to use too.
But I was not born yesterday, this is Thailand.... 

Edited August 23, 2019 by tabarin

[elgenon]

22 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Red cars charge 200 to the airport from my hotel.

I guess they figure they can ask what the taxis do. 

 

A friend said he paid 150 for red last year.

[Michelle2019]

I'm sorry but as a female, I have been subjected to overpricing and threatening behavior from red cars. Not only that, I speak very good Thai, and the way I have been talked about while taking one of these rides is atrocious. 

 

Many of the drivers do not know how to give a good service, and I am sure they do not really care.

 

Admittedly, there are some nice ones, but not on the same level as Grab who make traveling safe, affordable, and relaxing for female passengers. Ultimately, With a complete review system built into Grab, you can feel reasonably safe too. At least I have never felt unsafe at any time using Grab, which I am afraid I cannot say the same about red cars. 

 

Red Car drivers should think about how their own fellow colleagues behave, the way they drive, how they maintain their vehicles, safety, and how to ensure passenger comfort before complaining about Grab or trying to deny people like me the option to use a better service.

 

At the end of the day, Grab still gives back to Thai people too.

Edited August 24, 2019 by Michelle2019

[jackdd]

On 8/23/2019 at 8:50 PM, kaneko86 said:

If you ask the fare in advance and agree or use meter than where is the rip off? 

Did you ever see a "red car" with a taxi meter?

If a tourist wants to go somewhere 5 kms away and has the choice to either pay a few hundred baht or to walk, then this is still a ripoff, even if he knows the price beforehand.

[JeffreyO]

This is why most nations have laws about monopolies.

[Steve Mepham]

On 8/23/2019 at 3:18 PM, ThomasThBKK said:

Why would they, in the real world it works like this:

 

You get your personal transport license, passing a test at a government facility, takes no more than a day

You get your business vehicle insurance, like every other limousine driver - AOT comes to mind

 

Now you are allowed to transport people from A to B - every chauffeur has to do this, best example an AOT driver or one of the other 1000 minivan companies.

 

Grab and co can easily check this paperwork, it's a non issue in a functioning country.

 

You miss my point ALL of the people who picked us up confirmed they were not licensed. Therefore logically they are uninsured. As for the bright idea tell them the Driver is your friend. Good luck with that with the insurance investigators trying to avoid a very large settlement. 

 

[jackdd]

2 hours ago, Steve Mepham said:

Therefore logically they are uninsured.

https://www.grab.com/th/en/press/others/english-grab-provides-free-personal-accident-insurance-for-passengers-and-drivers/

[rohitsuk]

On 8/23/2019 at 3:50 AM, millymoopoo said:

The range of comments are  quite interesting.

In my 7 years experience of visiting Chiang mai (twice a year) I've never been ripped off by a red bus, I just hand them a 20thb note and walk off.
At the airport they always try it on, but I just say 100thb and walk off to the next songthaew, inevitably the first driver usually says OK.
I have no doubt they would try it on for rides to places like tiger kingdom or the night safari for tourists.
And if we are going somewhere the driver thinks he/she can gouge the price on my Thai partner just harangues them to charge the correct price, insisting on honesty.

And other commentators are right, the songthaews aren't always there, especially in quiet places, it's a gap grab fills well.

It's a common human ailment, when they see a possible threat to their income they complain first before examining the possibility of working together harmoniously.

All the drivers have phones, perhaps the association could create a 'grab a red bus' app.!

It could even be made prepaid, just like UBER, that then eliminates the 'rip off'.!

Now that is a really good and reasonably simple idea which might actually work well for everybody.

[cmsally]

Essentially GRAB is setting itself up / on the way to being a monopolistic controller of non mass transport in Thailand.

History tells us that monopolies are not a good thing and ironically some people are complaining that the red buses are a monopoly! You ain't seen nothing yet!

 

Their association with Kasikorn banking makes interesting reading. If you can filter out the junk about " Digital Lifestyle Ecosystem " , the interesting parts start to jump out, such as " including KBank loans to help Grab’s drivers access funds ".

Those of us that had frugal families with cash in the bank should know better than to demand sparkling new vehicles at a cheap , cheap price for your local journeys. It is the same as saying , there is nothing wrong with wanting 1GBP T shirt from Primark.

The worldwide monopolies are simply playing off the consumer and the producer. They intend to win.

[Hanuman2547]

I was in Chiang Mai last December.  I used GRAB taxi about 90% of the time.  It is so much better and much quicker than the "red" songthaews.  Time for Chiang Mai to enter the 21st century!

[Galactus]

On 8/23/2019 at 12:12 PM, ThomasThBKK said:

 

LOL.

 

Boycot the foreigners or what? Like boycotting the jews in 1940?

 

Stop driving any car here then, they are all from foreign companies. And stop using the internet.

Why would i give a shat if a company is owned by a foreigner or a thai, what a load of <deleted>.

Stop supporting capitalist companies?

What are we in communism here, i might have missed that briefing... 

 

dont speak <deleted> and distort the facts.

i am talking about companies like grab offering illegal services and damaging the livelihood of locals.

Not about the foreign companies that actually contribute here by offering legal services, good, products etc and pay tax.

driving here any car?? i really dont get it ???? what is the relation?

 

Basically grab car is illegal and you as a farang, you are also doing something illegal and supporting something illegal. just admit this simple fact.

your support also damages the lives of locals.

 

Thing is, you sounds so shallow to talk and discuss over the terms like capitalism or communism etc so i can just say; you have no idea.

you continue to sleep and in the future be prepared to get sc   rewed by companies like Grab offering illegal services.

 

[ThomasThBKK]

Sure bud, bunch of thais earning money driving a car they bought in thailand from passengers in thailand, major financial loss for thailand - for sure.
If you have any proof that grab thailand isn't paying their taxes you should report it to the revenue department.

Thai logic much.


You can't stop disruptive technology, adapt or die.

You can't stop rideshares, homeshares, p2p finance, vaping and co.
Get over it, times are changing so make the most of it.

They could have put out their own taxi app years ago like germany did with mytaxi where every german taxi is registered. But they decided to do absolutely nothing, now they are rekt. Ohh in fact they did, it's called taxi ok and doesn't work. Mediocrity will always be beaten by something better.


Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk

[ThomasThBKK]

Puuh good for ya thailand you've shown grab, now vietnam has to do deal with their pesky half a billion us investment 

[Trujillo]

Would an illegal company be able to advertise like this at an entrance to Central Festival Mall? 

 

[jackdd]

On 8/29/2019 at 8:45 AM, Trujillo said:

Would an illegal company be able to advertise like this at an entrance to Central Festival Mall? 

Grab is as illegal as Airbnb. Both are legal companies, but persons offering their services without a license are breaking the law

Edited August 30, 2019 by jackdd

[ricklev]

Illegal shmalegal!  Who cares?  I live mostly in Bangkok and Grab has the most annoying app I've ever used and I have to use it now that Uber is gone and Grab is  the only game in town.  

 

I 

[daoyai]

On 8/23/2019 at 9:21 AM, PerkinsCuthbert said:

Who thought up this bizarre name, "red cars"? It's a poor description and anyway what's wrong with "songthaew", or if you must, the Pattaya name, "Baht Bus"?

Thai people thought it up... maybe cuz they are all red? ... they often call it "rot dang". ...red car.

[Vacuum]

On 8/24/2019 at 10:02 AM, Michelle2019 said:

I'm sorry but as a female, I have been subjected to overpricing and threatening behavior from red cars. Not only that, I speak very good Thai, and the way I have been talked about while taking one of these rides is atrocious.

My Thai sucks, but I can tell them my destination and have never ever paid more than the locals.