Taxi fun

[johnmell]

Just had a taxi from my hotel on Suk 31 to the Pretium building. About half way the driver started asking me which way, left or right.

Had to get my tablet out and get on google maps to show him the way.Actually he was a really nice guy and we got there in the end so i dont want to slag him off.Just wondered why taxis have not got this technology.

[mosan]

Everyone has a cellphone - the real question is how much intelligence is required to use the technology. 

Edited September 8, 2020 by mosan
Clarity

[Puchaiyank]

Disappointed!  Expecting one of those taxi rides from hell...overcharges...and brief scuffle!  ????

[AustrianFriend]

Most Thais cannot read a map as this is not part of basic education.

[Lacessit]

5 minutes ago, AustrianFriend said:

Most Thais cannot read a map as this is not part of basic education.

Have you ever thought why the Thai education system would omit that skill from the curriculum?

[moontang]

I had to taxi home from KSR last month, because the busses altered their routes to the protests.  It should have been an easy straight shot on one road...the clown attempted to turn 90 degrees right..would have doubled the card.  He made some lame excuse about taxis not allowed on that rd., I called BS...I give them a chance every six months or so..they usually blow it..don't really want to give them money to breed.

[Hi Tea]

18 hours ago, AustrianFriend said:

Most Thais cannot read a map as this is not part of basic education.

Most countries' basic education system does not include map reading on the curriculum so, using your logic, most people in the world should not be able to read maps.

[robblok]

6 hours ago, Hi Tea said:

Most countries' basic education system does not include map reading on the curriculum so, using your logic, most people in the world should not be able to read maps.

Currently one does not really need to read maps anyway. With a smartphone one can do it all. But many of the older folks can't use a smart phone ????

[blackcab]

Another option is ordering a Grab. Every driver must have a smartphone and be able to use it, including the use of navigation software. The destination you have chosen is automatically routed into google maps by the Grab software, so the driver will always take you to the destination you have chosen.

 

I know that doesn't help in this case, but it's a thought for the future.

[smutcakes]

11 hours ago, blackcab said:

Another option is ordering a Grab. Every driver must have a smartphone and be able to use it, including the use of navigation software. The destination you have chosen is automatically routed into google maps by the Grab software, so the driver will always take you to the destination you have chosen.

 

I know that doesn't help in this case, but it's a thought for the future.

Umm, i have had Grab Taxi's looking at phones upside down, turning wrong way etc. Having navigation software is one thing, having the ability to decipher it and follow the instructions is quite another. Just as much chance of getting lost in an inexperienced Grab cab as an inexperienced regular cab.

 

To be fair on most occasions i have problems its down to my poor pronunciation of the location rather than them not knowing it.

 

[Yellowtail]

I'm generally pretty lucky with taxies I guess, I think they're great.

 

I drive in Bangkok as well, and GPS is often not that great. 

 

I have noticed lately that taxies seem to not be turning down fares as much as they used to, perhaps business is bad due to covid or whatnot.

[robblok]

On 9/10/2020 at 7:02 AM, smutcakes said:

Umm, i have had Grab Taxi's looking at phones upside down, turning wrong way etc. Having navigation software is one thing, having the ability to decipher it and follow the instructions is quite another. Just as much chance of getting lost in an inexperienced Grab cab as an inexperienced regular cab.

 

To be fair on most occasions i have problems its down to my poor pronunciation of the location rather than them not knowing it.

 

You probably used grab more then I have, but I have never encountered this. 

 

I did encounter grab food delivery guys calling about the address and going wrong. My address was right on the map and the written address was correct too. Some people are just not bright at all. 

[FritsSikkink]

On ‎9‎/‎8‎/‎2020 at 5:20 PM, AustrianFriend said:

Most Thais cannot read a map as this is not part of basic education.

You don't need to be able to read a map if you use an App on your phone, it tells you where to go.

[Nout]

21 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

I'm generally pretty lucky with taxies I guess, I think they're great.

 

I drive in Bangkok as well, and GPS is often not that great. 

 

I have noticed lately that taxies seem to not be turning down fares as much as they used to, perhaps business is bad due to covid or whatnot.

I have been using taxis in BKK for years. Usually an excellent service.

[Laughing Gravy]

On 9/9/2020 at 1:12 PM, Hi Tea said:

Most countries' basic education system does not include map reading on the curriculum so, using your logic, most people in the world should not be able to read maps.

Using technology is on the curriculum. I imagine if there was an app on Facebook that showed how to use a function to Google maps or Garmin with likes added then Thais would no much more. I have had this many times over the last few years.

 

At least he asked you he way normally the driver would not ask, in case of losing face, carry on and get lost. You were lucky.????

 

[Hi Tea]

7 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

On 9/9/2020 at 12:12 PM, Hi Tea said:

Most countries' basic education system does not include map reading on the curriculum so, using your logic, most people in the world should not be able to read maps.

Using technology is on the curriculum. I imagine if there was an app on Facebook that showed how to use a function to Google maps or Garmin with likes added then Thais would no much more. I have had this many times over the last few years.

 

At least he asked you he way normally the driver would not ask, in case of losing face, carry on and get lost. You were lucky.

No, I wasn't, I commented on someone else's experience.

 

"...normally the driver would not ask, in case of losing face, carry on and get lost..."

Normally?  Nonsense, my experience is that it's very unusual for a taxi driver to not know which way to go.

[DaLa]

On 9/8/2020 at 5:17 PM, Puchaiyank said:

Disappointed!  Expecting one of those taxi rides from hell...overcharges...and brief scuffle!  ????

Dissapointed! Blatant mis-selling. I opened this thinking it would involve sharing a taxi home with 2 lovelies from Soi Cowboy.

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, Nout said:

I have been using taxis in BKK for years. Usually an excellent service.

 Right about 20 years myself. A a lot of people (that don't drive) in Bangkok think they are getting the "scenic route" when they are likely going the shortest, fasted and or cheapest way there is. 

 

Also, greater Bangkok is a pretty large area, and drivers that can be real familiar with one are, can end up taking someone clear across town, and they have no real choice but to try to work their way back.

 

Some people just aren't happy until they're miserable....

[Laughing Gravy]

18 hours ago, Hi Tea said:

Nonsense, my experience is that it's very unusual for a taxi driver to not know which way to go.

We have very different experiences then as in Bangkok many drivers come down from the North east and hardly know the way around and I have to tell them which way to go at certain times of the day to avoid 'hot spots'.

 

Using google maps or a Tom Tom would help but I have rarely seen this.

[Yellowtail]

16 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

We have very different experiences then as in Bangkok many drivers come down from the North east and hardly know the way around and I have to tell them which way to go at certain times of the day to avoid 'hot spots'.

 

Using google maps or a Tom Tom would help but I have rarely seen this.

I think a lot of drivers automatically ask foreigners which way to go as they do not want to get in a big sh*t-storm when the foreigner claims the way he's getting is an attempt to rip him off.

 

I know guys that howl when it costs B120 to go and B200 to comeback, the it's half again as far and two more U-turns is beside the point.  

[Laughing Gravy]

4 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

I think a lot of drivers automatically ask foreigners which way to go as they do not want to get in a big sh*t-storm when the foreigner claims the way he's getting is an attempt to rip him off.

 

I know guys that howl when it costs B120 to go and B200 to comeback, the it's half again as far and two more U-turns is beside the point.  

I assume you speak pretty good Thai. In taxis when you speak effective Thai more often that not the Taxi driver will speak with you and tell his life story. I would say more than half are not from Bangkok and very often are just doing the job, to make some money to go back home with, especially the ones without formal licences, which are many.

 

For me it is not about the price it is the time as an example going down Petchaburi road onto Ramkamheng road after 3pm or wanting to use the tollway just because they don't know the way using the through roads.

[richard_smith237]

The spectrum of ‘taxi experience’ in Bangkok is vast. 

 

Sometimes taxi drivers are excellent, they’re polite and know the best route, other times they want to watch videos on their phone while driving and can be quite rude. 

 

I have found myself in situations where I have to tell the taxi driver I’ve been driving in Bangkok for over 20 years an the directions I am giving him are the fastest.

 

Sometimes the drivers are fresh in from outside of Thailand and really have no idea, sometimes they use a couple of years knowledge which does not stack up but they don’t like being told which way to go !... other times they are just lost, I’m quite happy when they ask. 

 

At busy times I always dig out my cell phone to find the route with least traffic, I do this while driving myself too (usually while the Wife driver).

 

 

Taking a taxi in Bangkok is a complete ’S#!t show’... you’ve no idea if you are going to have a trouble free easy journey or if you are going to get a guy who’s an absolute tool driving like an idiot. You can usually tell by the amount of junk thats in the taxi !!

 

 

 

 

[Yellowtail]

33 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

I assume you speak pretty good Thai. In taxis when you speak effective Thai more often that not the Taxi driver will speak with you and tell his life story. I would say more than half are not from Bangkok and very often are just doing the job, to make some money to go back home with, especially the ones without formal licences, which are many.

 

For me it is not about the price it is the time as an example going down Petchaburi road onto Ramkamheng road after 3pm or wanting to use the tollway just because they don't know the way using the through roads.

 

No, I'm the only guy on Thai Visa that does not speak fluent Thai, and I do not attempt to engage them in conversation. 

 

In any event, I was not talking about you, I was speaking generally.

 

Regardless of where they come from, most work a small area and can learn where most everything is relatively quickly. Aa I said previously, I think the problem often comes when they take someone way out of their area and have to work their way back. 

 

Again, I almost never have any issue with them, but then I almost never have any issue with anyone. I also and I think Bangkok taxies are a great service and value. 

 

 

[kekalot]

I have  been told that a lot more people than you'd think can't read English letters (like I can't read Thai) which explains the issues with local mail/package delivery they always call to ask me the exact information that is on the package.

when I show the GPS on my phone, the addresses are in English language.. most times they can't read it and ask me to search on theirs which show all the things in Thai

 

A week ago on the 4th (holiday), I went from Ikea Bang Na to Samyan Mitrtown with a taxi, he had a big tablet right in front of his meter, 22km and a free toll road later (because of holiday) ended up over 320 baht (had never seen anything over 250 before)

Two days ago, same trip, more traffic and no toll road.. was charged 145

 

sometimes I feel like reporting those who F with the meters but for that i'd have to take a picture of their number/meter/license and I'm sure they would get hostile quick.

 

 

 

 

 

[Yellowtail]

18 minutes ago, kekalot said:

I have  been told that a lot more people than you'd think can't read English letters (like I can't read Thai) which explains the issues with local mail/package delivery they always call to ask me the exact information that is on the package.

when I show the GPS on my phone, the addresses are in English language.. most times they can't read it and ask me to search on theirs which show all the things in Thai

 

A week ago on the 4th (holiday), I went from Ikea Bang Na to Samyan Mitrtown with a taxi, he had a big tablet right in front of his meter, 22km and a free toll road later (because of holiday) ended up over 320 baht (had never seen anything over 250 before)

Two days ago, same trip, more traffic and no toll road.. was charged 145

 

sometimes I feel like reporting those who F with the meters but for that i'd have to take a picture of their number/meter/license and I'm sure they would get hostile quick.

 

 

I always take a picture of the license when I get in and send to to my wife.