Taxis vs Grab: Taxi association takes complaints about ride-hailing apps to parliament

[webfact]

Picture: Daily News

 

The chief of the taxi association of Suvarnabhumi airport submitted a letter to senior transport officials in parliament yesterday complaining about unfair competition, reported Daily News.

 

Decho Lamcheerangkoon said that his members were struggling to compete with online ride hailing apps. 

 

The playing field was unfair to his members who were disadvantaged.

 

He said that he had raised this state of affairs - particularly about fares, regulations and vehicle sizes - with the Department of Land Transport on repeated occasions but nothing had come of it. 

 

He was now going above the DLT's heads directly to the House of Representatives so that taxi drivers' grievances might be properly heard.

 

All this relates to what taxi drivers feel is unfair rules when it comes to competing with firms like Grab, notes Thaivisa. 

 

Decho noted that choice was a good thing for the public but the rules needed to be fair for all taxi drivers. 

 

Yortyuth Bunyathikan received the letter along with other officials promising to look into the matter. 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-06-08

 

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[Rampant Rabbit]

11 minutes ago, webfact said:

his members were struggling to compete with online ride hailing apps. 

Yes they sure do love their  little  monopolies and cartels using violence when required to maintain their stranglehold. Welcome to the real world taxi  boys and get stuffed!

[Geoffggi]

32 minutes ago, webfact said:

Decho noted that choice was a good thing for the public but the rules needed to be fair for all taxi drivers. 

Ha Ha Ha!!! This is a beauty, I do not believe fairness comes into it (More like Fare-ness) they would feel nothing of taking another's ride .................LOL

[VillageIdiot]

The title should be... "Taxi Mafia takes takes complaints about ride-hailing apps to parliment."

[MasterBaker]

never used taxi since Grab was introduced, just hope they ban taxi driver's double dipping in the ride sharing applications or at least Grab give me a choice not to hire taxi drivers through the app.

[kotsak]

The irony is that taxi drivers themselves get customers via Grab ????

[colinneil]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

 

The playing field was unfair to his members who were disadvantaged.

Oh dear the taxi mafia aint happy, they got some competition, and they dont like it.

They are not happy that their strangle hold on the public is being curtailed.

The poor dears.????????????????????????

[timendres]

Unfair competition? Every time I have used Grab, it cost more than hailing a taxi. How is that "unfair competition"?!

[tomyami]

Lots of older taxi guys have the rip off mafia mindset and there cabs stink they are heavy drinkers and unhealthy looking I use bolt taxi in pattaya they are brilliant young drivers with new cars good attiudes, traceable and cheaper too

[Destiny1990]

Why in Europe  taxi drivers are Africans, turky, afghani and Asian people and here all cab drivers are Thais?

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Decho Lamcheerangkoon said that his members were struggling to compete with online ride hailing apps. 

 

The playing field was unfair to his members who were disadvantaged.

They don't like competition... full stop.

 

[hotchilli]

39 minutes ago, timendres said:

Unfair competition? Every time I have used Grab, it cost more than hailing a taxi. How is that "unfair competition"?!

The exist?

[DLock]

They state unfair competition and being disadvantaged, but what do they mean?

 

The taxis were the incumbent. They had the entire market to themselves. 

 

By disadvantaged, do they mean that they are stupid, for watching someone smarter come in, develop excellent technology and provide a better service and disrupt an entire industry?

 

Why don't they just became Grab Drivers if they feel so unhappy? 

 

I really could care less.

[sanuk711]

30 minutes ago, tomyami said:

I use bolt taxi in pattaya they are brilliant young drivers with new cars good attiudes, traceable and cheaper too

Is Mr T still around ?..... been some years since I used them, but last time in Pattaya (2 years ago)  I flew in & out of U-TAPAO same day return, when I wanted to leave Pattaya  phone them to be told--no we don't service that airport... Couldn't (wouldn't) give a reason.

[overt2016]

Perhaps they should look at the rip-offs going around Sukimvit

[herfiehandbag]

1 hour ago, kotsak said:

The irony is that taxi drivers themselves get customers via Grab ????

Yes, but they would like the number of available cars to be reduced to increase the number of jobs they can get. If it were only licenced taxis that would reduce the pool of available cars by a lot.

[herfiehandbag]

I understand that Mr Lamcheerangkoon was 15 minutes late arriving at the parliament building. Of the 17 cabs he hailed, 4 didn't stop, 6 said no and drove off, and 7 quoted a silly price and said their meters were broken.

 

He had to get a ride from "Grab" in the end...

[richard_smith237]

2 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:

Yes, but they would like the number of available cars to be reduced to increase the number of jobs they can get. If it were only licenced taxis that would reduce the pool of available cars by a lot.

 

The reason I prefer Grab-Car is so that I can avoid the Taxi’s.... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[WineOh]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Decho Lamcheerangkoon said that his members were struggling to compete with online ride hailing apps. 

Suck it up, buttercups. 

Edited June 8, 2021 by WineOh

[herfiehandbag]

3 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

The reason I prefer Grab-Car is so that I can avoid the Taxi’s.... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes. It is disappointing when you order a "Grab" and a Green and Yellow Toyota, with a <deleted> stained interior, clunking rear suspension and clicking ball joints poles up!

[richard_smith237]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Decho Lamcheerangkoon said that his members were struggling to compete with online ride hailing apps. 

 

Taxi’s themselves can be hailed by these ‘ride hailing’ apps too... there is no exclusion of the taxis.  

 

BUT... Taxi drivers who sit outside tourist hotspots trying to rip people, over-charge, clock the meter etc are of course going to struggle. 

 

 

A number of years ago (our car was in for service) so my Wife and I picked our son up from School in Taxi, or rather we tried. 

We got to my Sons School - the taxi driver refused to wait (standby) - no problem with that, its his choice. 

5 mins later we stood outside my Sons school at 2pm - a lot of Taxi’s drove past ignoring us (about 10). Those that did stop just said no. I forget how many taxi’s that said no, I think it was about 7.

 

From there on in we used the Grab App each and every time we needed a Taxi and instead chose Grab-Car. We can guarantee a car with seatbelts, thats clean, without multiple rejections and without a driver who is a complete A’hole (yes, my wife had a taxi driver swearing at other drivers while she was in the car with my Son - my wife subtly videoed the abusive driver).

 

I’ve had aggressive drivers in the past. I’ve had drivers who want to watch a movie on their phone while driving and have refused to turn off their phone. I just tell them to stop and get out... (paying the meter if we’ve travelled any distance). 

 

I long ago learned that a flag fall taxi from an a busy tourist area can turn out to be a headache and those standing around waiting are an outright nuisance !!!..... 

 

Grab has reduced all the potential hassle such that there is no hassle. 

 

As always on these threads people will of course argue that they have never had an issue with taxi’s... but even if its 1 out 5 journeys where the driver is anything other than pleasant its a journey I don’t want and Grab-Car removes any potential for hassle. 

 

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, herfiehandbag said:

14 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

The reason I prefer Grab-Car is so that I can avoid the Taxi’s.... 

 

 

 

Expand  

Yes. It is disappointing when you order a "Grab" and a Green and Yellow Toyota, with a <deleted> stained interior, clunking rear suspension and clicking ball joints poles up!

 

You can select ‘Grab-Car’ or ‘Grab-Premium’ instead of ‘Grab-Taxi’ or ‘Just-Grab’.... 

[herfiehandbag]

Just now, richard_smith237 said:

 

You can select ‘Grab-Car’ or ‘Grab-Premium’ instead of ‘Grab-Taxi’ or ‘Just-Grab’.... 

Right, OK. I am rarely in Bangkok, and have only used them a couple of times. I was impressed, although I did miss being driven by a sulky bloke from Buriram, wearing a week old shirt with the collar protected by a bit of paper held in place by a couple of paperclips!

[jonclark]

Note to all taxi drivers. If your consumers find grab better and Grabs market share increasing indicates they do. Maybe become grab drivers. Fares are pretty decent, no daily taxi rental (anywhere between 300 - 500 baht a day in Bangkok I think), and you get to be in charge of your own hours. Safer than picking up flag down fares as well at 3am 

 

The market has not changed, just consumer habits. Adapt or die out, that's the choice. You are not owed a living Mr. Taxi driver. 

Edited June 8, 2021 by jonclark

[jonclark]

Just now, jonclark said:

 

Double post

Edited June 8, 2021 by jonclark

[sweatalot]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Decho noted that choice was a good thing for the public but the rules needed to be fair for all taxi drivers. 

but fairer for the taxi drivers  ...

yeah ... when will they understand that times are changing?

[scorecard]

On 6/8/2021 at 6:24 PM, colinneil said:

Oh dear the taxi mafia aint happy, they got some competition, and they dont like it.

They are not happy that their strangle hold on the public is being curtailed.

The poor dears.????????????????????????

 

And meantime they do nothing to fix their negative image: Example; refuse to help with luggage, at time give no support whatever to customers in wheelchair, try to touch female passengers, claim payments which don't exist (e.g. 'Re the 50Baht airport surcharge, it's a printing error, the charge is actually 500Baht.' Again recently a visiting professor was asked by the driver (speaking limited English) when travelling from the airport to Bkk 'first time to Thailand?' Answer 'YES'.  'Do you want air-conditioning, extra 100Baht from airport?' Answer 'YES' and on arrival taxi driver quickly wrote on a scrap of paper:

- Meter XXX

- Bag    100

- Air      100

TOTAL  XXX.

[tonray]

If they're smart they'll sign on to GRAB. I live on a semi rural road and there are no taxi ranks within 2 Km of the MooBaan. I use Grab (JustGrab) and 75% of the time I get a taxi who is signed up to be a GRAB driver. On the way home since I am usually on a major road I take a taxi from the same rank every time, the  guys there are great and most know where I live since I use them so much, I don't even have to say a word, just hop in and get driven home. Everyone can survive if they just keep an open mind.

[Pravda]

My wife chaufffers me around. No need to take grab, taxi or bts for over a year. 

[mtls2005]

Thailand 4.0 limping along nicely, thank you.