Pattaya: Motorcycle taxi rider relied on foreign tourists - now he has nothing

 

Picture: Sophon Cable TV

 

Sophon Cable TV went to a motorcycle taxi rank in front of Big C extra in Central Pattaya where they interviewed "win" rider Jamcharoen Bunleu, 52. 

 

Even though the first wave of the pandemic may be over, times are still desperate for him.

 

He used to earn 400-500 baht a day. Now he is lucky to get 50-60 baht. 

 

Some days he gets nothing even though he is present at the rank from 8 am to 5 pm. 

 

He said he used to rely on foreign tourists - now there are none. 

 

He needs to support seven family members so recently he has been forced to try construction jobs at 500-600 baht a day when he can get them. Even then he is unable to make ends meet. 

 

Now with the price of gold being high he has sold his jewelry nest egg. He's got nothing left to fall back on now. 

 

His family is subsisting on basic foods like fermented fish sauce just to stay alive. 

 

Sophon said the job of "win" or motorcycle taxi rider is just one of many at the resort suffering greatly. 

 

Source: Sophon Cable TV

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-08-12

 

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Motorcycle taxi rider scammed foreign tourists - now he has nothing, fixed it for him

not sure how's this guy story is any different from millions others who are in the same situation and even worse, i trust that this guy and others will somehow manage to ride out (no pun intended) the bad times as i'm sure that those days of him taking the mickey out of farangs will surely return... 

Maybe he can join the Grab ranks? 

 

High season is going to be very "low" this year.

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

He needs to support seven family members

And all the others can't work?

500-600 baht a day working in construction. Yeah, right. Probably no skills at all in this business.

I am sure Cambodians, Burmese etc don't get much more than 300baht a day.

 

29 minutes ago, ezzra said:

not sure how's this guy story is any different from millions others who are in the same situation and even worse,

Sometimes we select one, or a group, as representative of others as well. We don't really have space to tell all the stories of millions of others. Yet sitting out all day in the same spot, barely shaded from the heat, hoping for a fare seems its own special torture. But it's easily dismissed by old fart farang retirees sitting comfortably at their keyboards of course.

 

To me this says try to tip more generously than you did pre-COVID. Hard times for these people.

 

29 minutes ago, ezzra said:

i trust that this guy and others will somehow manage to ride out (no pun intended) the bad times as i'm sure that those days of him taking the mickey out of farangs will surely return... 

The question is, how difficult will that be? Not for you, of course. Heh.

 

I've known some funny and quite honest motorcy taxi drivers, joked around many times with them and at times had a regular driver. Sometimes I have a trusted driver go down to Immigration and do my 90-day report for a couple hundred baht. Yeah, many of us, I think, are glad to have these guys around when needed. One of the conveniences and part of the character of Thailand.

 

Edited August 12, 20205 yr by BigStar

Not all bad news around here. And better w/o them and their blocked corners, dogs, trash smoking , riding on sidewalks, hostile attitudes. Schandenfreude

"His family is subsisting on basic foods like fermented fish sauce just to stay alive"

 

Nonsense, you can't survive by drinking bottles of Nam Plaa.

Just now, saakura said:

"His family is subsisting on basic foods like fermented fish sauce just to stay alive"

 

Nonsense, you can't survive by drinking bottles of Nam Plaa.

Well mate, i have seen a few very poor families living off rice and nam pla.

It does happen unfortunately.

8 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Well mate, i have seen a few very poor families living off rice and nam pla.

It does happen unfortunately.

Exactly right. The rice is the sustenance, the nam bpla is just to add some flavor.

12 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Well mate, i have seen a few very poor families living off rice and nam pla.

It does happen unfortunately.

Yes.  And grab some wild herbs and ants, moths or bugs for protein. More common then people think.

26 minutes ago, saakura said:

"His family is subsisting on basic foods like fermented fish sauce just to stay alive"

 

Nonsense, you can't survive by drinking bottles of Nam Plaa.

YOUR nonsense, as two posters have pointed out. It would also help if you could learn basic reading before wasting our time. It says LIKE. Basic FOODS (S) LIKE. There's no implication whatsoever here that fish sauce is ALL his family eats.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

He used to earn 400-500 baht a day. Now he is lucky to get 50-60 baht. 

 

should have asked him "from how many trips?"

 

don't forget the extra 500 THB for reporting a targetted individual.

 

go and sell some dim sums or something

Some of these guys are decent and honest enough to put in long hrs to make a crust but now who knows when the good times may return and not just for them but a lot of others who rely on the return of visitors in big numbers for a living .. 

Edited August 12, 20205 yr by Justgrazing
Sp

Ahhh I remember well last year wanted to go from central to soi buhakow maybe 2km. He wanted 200 baht day before new year's eve

How the mighty have fallen.. 

I am fortunate enough to be able to help the less fortunate, and I am old enough to know that if I look down on someone I may see myself there as well. There are good and bad in every profession and that includes those tapping on keyboards.

A great example of evolution. Here is a motorcycle man living life to full on farangs who use him and like an animal's prey keeps him alive. Now coronavirus has altered his environment and habitat and the faring that was his 'prey' and kept him alive has disappeared suddenly. He has to change or evolve or die off. So he can move (probably not feasible), change to driving a taxi perhaps or get a job driving a bus or truck (if he has the right licences) or move into another field that doesn't require farangs like temple building.

Think of all the petrol money he is saving

11 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

A great example of evolution. . . . Now coronavirus has altered his environment and habitat and the faring that was his 'prey' and kept him alive has disappeared suddenly.

And so coronavirus altered the environment and habitat of TVF posters. As they were forced to stay inside more often, they needed to exercise their fingers more to keep active, lest the ol' ticker give out. So they now found him to prey upon. Now they're able to get in the needed time pecking at their keyboards until sated with condescension.

16 minutes ago, BigStar said:

And so coronavirus altered the environment and habitat of TVF posters. As they were forced to stay inside more often, they needed to exercise their fingers more to keep active, lest the ol' ticker give out. So they now found him to prey upon. Now they're able to get in the needed time pecking at their keyboards until sated with condescension.

'Pack where you been man .. you ain't as prolific lately .. what's occurring with the name change as well ..  

4 hours ago, rasmus5150 said:

High season is going to be very "low" this year.

and next year and the years after that till hell freezes over

... taking a swig each out of that same one bottle of Pla Ra sauce - will easily take anybody's mind off the problems around you!  

 

even cheaper, to simply cut out the middleman! 

 

a Lake Srindorn Live pickled shrimp - fresh and wriggly, out of the riskiest waters in the area!  

4 hours ago, webfact said:

He used to earn 400-500 baht a day.

Shouldn't that be per customer?

400-500 baht in Pattaya per day is a joke.

The usual empathy from a few of the posters, my question is how do you know he ever ripped anyone off. By the way to the OP really you needed to lower the thread by calling people old fat fart farangs, maybe they are but you also showed yourself out. Comeon boys, some of ourThai neighbors are in trouble, I donot suggest you have to give them help but abit more understanding and empathy for their plight may go a long way. It could actually make you a better human being

3 hours ago, saakura said:

"His family is subsisting on basic foods like fermented fish sauce just to stay alive"

 

Nonsense, you can't survive by drinking bottles of Nam Plaa.

they eat it together with rice

It would be interesting to know how people in Pattaya are managing to pay the school fees as many people were employed not only with Tourism but also businesses associated with Tourism.