Covid-19 in Chiang Mai: Nearly 100 taxis returned to finance company as drivers can't meet repayments

 

 

Thai media reported that these virus hit times are so bad in Chiang Mai that taxi drivers have been forced to return almost 100 cabs to a finance company.

 

After seeing their income drop from 1,000 baht a day to just 500 baht they can't meet the repayments on their vehicles. 

 

Bunniam Buntha the chairman of Sahakorn Nakhon Lanna Dern Rot said that Chinese customers had all but disappeared from the scene. These were always the mainstay of the drivers.

 

It has all come at once - the company would like to help its members but is overwhelmed, he said. He spoke of dozens of drivers returning their vehicles among the company's 368 taxis. 

 

77kaoded confirmed this with a finance company who had nearly 100 taxis returned, they said. 

 

Source: 77kaoded

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-03-03

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I showed this to my Thai wife,  She had NO sympathy for them.

... either that, or the drivers are all sick?

 - no one to drive them

13 minutes ago, Just1Voice said:

I showed this to my Thai wife,  She had NO sympathy for them.

Why? What was her reasoning?

500 Baht a day is better than nothing which is exactly what they will get now it's the same in Phuket if they dropped their prices Im sure people would use them it's the biggest complaint we get about the price of taxi's

It seems like every business goes under if they have a few bad months.  

 

hey, I have 20,000 baht and it's 19,999 to open my coffee shop next to starbucks.   ok...   

 

i wish they included pollution in the article....but oh no...  

 

tuk tuk's drive me crazy......it's never the money, just the principle.  they complain it's too far, can't read a map, and try to charge 200 baht.  after using your brain, you realize you can get there on 30 baht, or walk.  lol

This is only the start unless something changes fast . So far only a month of exodus and some managed to get by, after 2-3 months there will be a lot more to follow , not only taxis.

 

Government plan to offer cheap loans is silly and can not help small business or individual operators , if no business they can not repay the loan , hardly a solution.

9 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

I showed this to my Thai wife,  She had NO sympathy for them.

I understand how she feels. It would be almost as easy to drum up sympathy for Vlad the Impaler, a man with a similar level of compassion and humanity as many of the taxi drivers.

4 minutes ago, BestB said:

his is only the start unless something changes fast . So far only a month of exodus and some managed to get by, after 2-3 months there will be a lot more to follow , not only taxis.

I absolutely agree. In the last week three of the places I eat at in Pattaya have gone under and that is only going to be the tip of the iceberg. Very tough times coming for many businesses across the country. I can sympathise with many, though those like taxi drivers and other price gougers who have ripped their customers off as hard as they could for years rank right down near the bottom of the list.

So they can just hand back their taxis to the finance company? They are not liable to pay the outstanding balance of the lease agreement?  

12 minutes ago, simon43 said:

So they can just hand back their taxis to the finance company? They are not liable to pay the outstanding balance of the lease agreement?  

As a practical matter, they have no money to pay anything so any possible liability is meaningless.

15 minutes ago, simon43 said:

So they can just hand back their taxis to the finance company? They are not liable to pay the outstanding balance of the lease agreement?  

Would be in the UK

This scenario is somewhat inevitable but has been accelerated by the virus. Years of too much competition, pushing down of prices, rising costs, less tourists leads to lower margins.

For the taxis they are all "yellow plate" which is way more expensive to extend the tax/license.

Getting out of the yellow plate is almost impossible and incurs large fees even if they can.

1 hour ago, El Guapo said:

Why? What was her reasoning?

Drivers are rude, try to rip you off with overcharging. 

No sympathy for those who have constantly ripped of visitors.

But for those who are trying to earn an honest living, and there are many, it is a great shame.

Troll post and off topic reply removed

14 minutes ago, Rimmer said:

roll post and off topic reply removed

My heart goes out to them so sad to heard the good news could not happen to nicer people

That's why most normal people keep an apple for a rainy day.

4 hours ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

I understand how she feels. It would be almost as easy to drum up sympathy for Vlad the Impaler, a man with a similar level of compassion and humanity as the taxi drivers.

At least Vlad was known for his honesty,something that does not apply to the taxi drivers.

Well, karma sucks huh.

Perhaps the government liberalizes this work for the farangs.
I PROMISE TO BE ALWAYS KIND WITH THAI, ALWAYS USE THE TAXIMETER, ALWAYS DRIVE SOOB (NO ALKHOL OR DRUGS) AND ALWAYS COMPLY WITH THE LAW !!!????

Pity it is only 100 not 1000 taxis. Next lets eradicate 10,000 baht buses the worst drivers in CNX.

5 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

Drivers are rude, try to rip you off with overcharging. 

All of them?

5 hours ago, simon43 said:

So they can just hand back their taxis to the finance company? They are not liable to pay the outstanding balance of the lease agreement?  

You can't get blood from a stone. 

The real kicker here is going to be the taxi drivers banding together even more so and kicking the hell out of the grab drivers. 

 

They won't have anything else to do with their time now 

7 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

I showed this to my Thai wife,  She had NO sympathy for them.

Yeah those vehicles on the photo look like scrap metal already

7 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

I showed this to my Thai wife,  She had NO sympathy for them.

agree karma sucks pay back time

44 minutes ago, tf6122 said:

All of them?

99.999999999%

16 minutes ago, Mitkof Island said:

99.999999999%

I don't think they will get any sympathy. Especially from foreigners as we have been their target ripoff audience for decades now. 

 

Karma is a fickle thing sometimes 

Chinese taxi cars, return to sender.