After Phuket debacle Samui leads way in "no tourist rip off" taxi and public transport scheme

[webfact]

Picture: Daily News

 

Officials in Koh Samui in the south of Thailand seem determined that there will be no repeat of damaging stories that came out of Phuket about taxi mafia rip offs in the sandbox scheme that started there last week.

 

Tourists had reported being charged over the odds perhaps by several hundred baht for one way journeys.

 

Koh Samui will be joining the reopening of Thailand in what has been called the "Samui Plus Model" from Thursday July 15th.

 

One of its features is an app called Samui Plus that they are using so that tourists are not overcharged for rides on taxis and other public transport. 

 

Taxi drivers have to register with the app and then scan the tourists' Samui Health Plus QR code for each journey. Each tourist will have such a code on arrival. 

 

This will ensure that the meter is on and everything is above board and fair. 

 

Daily News spoke to taxi driver Sakrin at the ferry terminal who said:

 

"I'll be turning on my meter every time. It's 100 baht for the first couple of kilometers and 20 baht for each subsequent kilometer. If I get stuck in traffic there's an additional 5 baht a minute".

 

He said this was all Department of Land Transport rates. 

 

ASEAN Now notes that this is considerably different to Bangkok where the flagfall is still 35 baht and where a ride of a couple of kilometers would cost about 50 baht.

 

Prajak, a motorcycle taxi rider, told the media that all their prices were on display and there was very few problems with customers. They could see clearly what they had to pay and were always impressed by that. 

 

Worakitti Chaichana of the Surat Thani transport authorities said that 80% of registered public transport on Samui had signed up to work with the new app to ensure fairness. 

 

They had received training in this regard, he said. 

 

Daily News published a picture of people being trained in front of a backdrop of road traffic signs. 

 

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[jacko45k]

There goes that flying pig again.....

[Cake Monster]

Having to make these very Public statements about Tourists not being Ripped off, and implementing all the measures to try and stop the rip offs, really says how bad the situation really is with the rip offs. Not just on Samui but in all of Thailand

[KhunBENQ]

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

"I'll be turning on my meter every time. It's 100 baht for the first couple of kilometers and 20 baht for each subsequent kilometer. If I get stuck in traffic there's an additional 5 baht a minute".

Samui airport to Maenam. Max 11 km, 100 + max 200 = 300.

(what are the "first couple"?)

Haha.

When I took a taxi (July 2020) there was no word of meter.

700 Baht flat.

[rupert the bear]

its just thai culture,greed and racism.look at the vaccs the govt has to educate the people that as they are foreign vaccs being given for free that the country that gives them can actually give their own people a shot.i guess thereyd be a race riot if the dears didnt have that explained to them.the racist pricing schemes is in a lot of things.but of course if you dont like it .....but theres not many of  us left now so gently on that one.im looking at myself in the mirror and saying ,is this the best you can do?i think not .as soon as we have some normality here and the real estate mkt recovers a little im off,ph,camb.viet,taiwan,spain port,greece and perhaps parts of latam .they all have a lot more to offer with less hassle,cheaper or equal prices a lot less racism and a smidgen of respect,ahh the roads and drivers too.after over 10 yrs here off and on im done.

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

ASEAN Now notes that this is considerably different to Bangkok where the flagfall is still 35 baht and where a ride of a couple of kilometers would cost about 50 baht.

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

He said this was all Department of Land Transport rates. 

The rates have always been different to Bangkok. Very few populated centres and some way apart. Not like a real city.

 

Many years ago, the official rate was meter plus 90 baht. Mind you, the taxi drivers back then only followed that rule until the Land Transport officials left the island. Then it was 'Right guys. Now that they have gone, back to fixed price'.

 

I have lived here for more than twenty years. Never used a taxi.

[Snig27]

I'm aware that they are as yet not certified by the Sandbox people, but I've found Grab to be the best deal on Samui in recent years. 

[cracker1]

Not sure why the Government is allowing Taxi's on Samui to charge 100% more than Bangkok? I will agree that the petrol is 1 baht a litre more expensive which would add about 10satang per KM to the cost.

Discussion is probably immaterial as the drivers will not use the meters ! 

[RichardColeman]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

and 20 baht for each subsequent kilometer. If I get stuck in traffic there's an additional 5 baht a minute".

Kinda promotes getting stuck in a traffic jam at 300+ baht an hour

[connda]

Translated:
The Samui taxi mafia will be out in force and the government will pay it lip service to stopping it and the RTP will do nothing about it. 

[ThailandRyan]

Shhh, it is all under control, no problems, we have ensured there will be no problems, as we have made them all SHA+ taxis, and you can use your discount of 50% off by using the special app if your Thai.  If your a foreigner well then dual pricing applies, sorry said Worakitti Chaichana of the Surat Thani transport authority.

[spidermike007]

Total BS. Samui has always been the land of the taxi mafia. Years ago the army swooped in and "straightened them out". 

 

They used their meters for one week. Then back to normal gangster rates again. No fines. No repurcussions. Nothing. Typical of the "we don't ever follow up on anything", do nothing army. 

 

And typical of the long term public transportation issues on Samui. 

[khunPer]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Daily News spoke to taxi driver Sakrin at the ferry terminal who said:

 

"I'll be turning on my meter every time. It's 100 baht for the first couple of kilometers and 20 baht for each subsequent kilometer. If I get stuck in traffic there's an additional 5 baht a minute".

Good to hear that the taxi-mafia won't overcharge.

 

The official Samui taxi-rates seems to be high enough to justify both higher island-expenses and a sensible income for the taxis, when compared to for example Bangkok (ASEAN Now notes that this is considerably different to Bangkok where the flagfall is still 35 baht and where a ride of a couple of kilometers would cost about 50 baht).

 

Earlier it was 50 baht flagfall plus 50 extra island charge, but before the last fare meeting I suggested one of the taxi-leaders to have that changed to a plain 100 baht meter fall instead, simple to understand instead of surcharge, which makes one feel that the fare is more expensive than it should be.

 

And should another 5 baht per kilometer be necessary, it not that huge a problem to pay.

 

Because the problem is not so much the fare - even if the ride is overcharged with 500-600 baht for a 10 kilometers ride instead of little less than 300 baht, because for many tourists the overcharged fare is still cheap compared to a similar taxi ride in their home country - but the feeling of being ripped.off by a taxi-driver asking for a fixed price instead of turning on the meter, that's a huge problem.

 

And a handwritten sign in front of a shopping mall with overpriced fixed taxi-fares doesn't justify overpriced fares.

 

If taxi drivers just drive by the meter they would even have more rides, instead of waiting in vain for a tourist they can overcharge, as long-stayers and expats on the island would use more taxis whan paying a fair meter-fare. Today many don't use metered taxis due to drivers that won't use the meter, instead they prefers to use app-taxis like Grab, mainly because the fare is justified by facts.

[khunPer]

11 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Total BS. Samui has always been the land of the taxi mafia. Years ago the army swooped in and "straightened them out". 

 

They used their meters for one week. Then back to normal gangster rates again. No fines. No repurcussions. Nothing. Typical of the "we don't ever follow up on anything", do nothing army. 

 

And typical of the long term public transportation issues on Samui. 

Total BS, there has not always been metered taxis and taxi mafia on Samui, they only arrived about 10-15 years ago.

 

Before that time there were only song thaews driving on agreed fares after 6 pm, and private cars operating as taxis from for example the old airport terminal, 200 baht for an about 10 kilometers ride.

[JonnyF]

I haven't been to Samui for years. The last couple of times I took my own transport, but I remember way back in 2004 we went for a friend's wedding and me and a buddy got charged about 600 Baht to Lamai from the airport (about 15kms). Maybe the prices he is quoting are per person and not per journey lol? 17 years later post pandemic I expect that would be closer to 1000 Baht. A lovely welcome to the island.

 

All these Thai islands are the same, run by local mafias and a law unto themselves. On the plus side, Lamai was a good laugh back then and I had a great time. Last time I went it had lost it's charm.

[spidermike007]

57 minutes ago, khunPer said:

Total BS, there has not always been metered taxis and taxi mafia on Samui, they only arrived about 10-15 years ago.

 

Before that time there were only song thaews driving on agreed fares after 6 pm, and private cars operating as taxis from for example the old airport terminal, 200 baht for an about 10 kilometers ride.

Give me one example of a fairly priced taxi ride on Samui. 

 

The meters may have arrived 10 years ago, but all of them have only been used a few times. I was living on Samui during the infamous army taxi crwckdown. I remember how long "Samui army rule" lasted. 

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Officials in Koh Samui in the south of Thailand seem determined that there will be no repeat of damaging stories that came out of Phuket about taxi mafia rip offs in the sandbox scheme that started there last week.

Just wait.... 

[PETERTHEEATER]

The reason that the emoji link is not working on the forum is fear that, with headlines like this, there would be multiple posts with strings of howling laughter emojis.

[Nanaplaza666]

If they normally ask 500baht for a 10 min drive and in the sandbox scheme they will ask also 500baht for the same 10 min drive it's not a rip off . The rip off started many years ago already . 

[GreasyFingers]

Noticed that the taxi driver quoted was at the ferry. Last time I flew into Samui taxis were not allowed in the terminal unless booked beforehand. The contract at the airport was controlled by the Russians. Has it changed since.

[khunPer]

4 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Give me one example of a fairly priced taxi ride on Samui.

I just gave you one in the quoted text of mine, 200 baht from the old airport terminal to Maenam, an approx 10 kilometer ride...????

[grain]

These Thais driving taxis and selling stuff to tourists see signs outside national parks & museums & temples & other attractions listing admission prices, and the prices for tourists are wildly higher than for Thai people, so when they overcharge and rip off foreigners they don't think they're doing a bad thing, they think they're doing the correct thing because their government and their religion encourage them to do so. 

[FarFlungFalang]

9 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Samui airport to Maenam. Max 11 km, 100 + max 200 = 300.

(what are the "first couple"?)

Haha.

When I took a taxi (July 2020) there was no word of meter.

700 Baht flat.

Is a waterfront bungalow still 60 baht a night as it was the last time I stayed there?

[khunPer]

The fixed rate taxi prices on Samui seems to originate from the song thaew prices after 6 pm, at which time the rates became freed from the price list; in daytime song thaews drove fixed routes with price per person after a prioce list, 20 baht to about 100 baht depending on distance.

 

Before metered taxis arrived on Samui the song thaews would charge little high end prices at night to drive people around, often folks driving to the night life in Chaweng, or Lamai, and back. 400-500 baht for a 10-15 kilometers ride was about going price in the early 2000s, and tourists accepted those prices whilst locals considered them expensive.

 

Today the going rate for the same distance is 500-700 baht, so actually not that way out, when considering inflation and consumer price index, compared to "the good old days" before the arrival of the taxi mafia.

 

Last time I used a song thaew was at night from Lamai to Maenam, 600 baht.

 

The problem might rather be that the taxi meters are set too low compared to going rates for driving song thaews without meter.

 

Anybody who that know a recent price of a Grap or similar app taxi for 10-15 kilometers ride?

[Tropicalevo]

11 hours ago, khunPer said:

Anybody who that know a recent price of a Grap or similar app taxi for 10-15 kilometers ride?

Plai Laem (Six Senses) to the airport 250 to 300 baht with Grab.

Pre-Covid it was also 300 baht for the same distance by local private car owners.

[spidermike007]

15 hours ago, khunPer said:

I just gave you one in the quoted text of mine, 200 baht from the old airport terminal to Maenam, an approx 10 kilometer ride...????

I have been quoted 200 baht to go 1.5 km. in Lamai. 

 

I am sure if you spent enough time and asked enough drivers, you could find ONE who was willing to quote a fair price, on a slow day. 

 

What is being discussed here, is the tendency amongst 98% of them, to scalp.

 

And if there is one thing that is for certain, the weak and spectacularly corrupt local authorities will do nothing about it. 

[khunPer]

4 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Plai Laem (Six Senses) to the airport 250 to 300 baht with Grab.

Pre-Covid it was also 300 baht for the same distance by local private car owners.

Thanks, that's about 7-8 kilometers with bends and curves on the road, perhaps even 10 kilometers, so fits quite well with the taxi's metered price; i.e. 100 start including a couple of kilometers, plus 20 bahr per kilometer.

[khunPer]

45 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I have been quoted 200 baht to go 1.5 km. in Lamai. 

 

I am sure if you spent enough time and asked enough drivers, you could find ONE who was willing to quote a fair price, on a slow day. 

 

What is being discussed here, is the tendency amongst 98% of them, to scalp.

 

And if there is one thing that is for certain, the weak and spectacularly corrupt local authorities will do nothing about it. 

That was not your question, which I answered, you are changing the subject now. And I was at that time a Thailand-green blue-eyed foreigner, not even asking anybody, but I was offered a "taxi"-ride when coming out from the old airport terminal area. 200 baht was the offer to Maenam, same price as a seat in Bangkok Airway's minibus shuttle, but I didn't need to wait for other passengers, and stop several times en route.

 

Your statement was...

22 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Total BS. Samui has always been the land of the taxi mafia. Years ago the army swooped in and "straightened them out". 

And I replied...

22 hours ago, khunPer said:

Total BS, there has not always been metered taxis and taxi mafia on Samui, they only arrived about 10-15 years ago.

 

Before that time there were only song thaews driving on agreed fares after 6 pm, and private cars operating as taxis from for example the old airport terminal, 200 baht for an about 10 kilometers ride.

And then you asked...

21 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Give me one example of a fairly priced taxi ride on Samui. 

-and that was, what I did, twice actually, and that is what is discussed right here.

 

So what is a fair price?

200 baht for 1.5 kilometers in Lamai with the first 100 baht for the meter fall, was it late night?

Did you ask other taxis to take you to youyr destination, using their meter?

In many countries there would for example be a surcharge for late night and weekend rides.

 

Taxi's and song thaew's fixed prices are about similar. The fixed taxi prices seems to originate from the fixed song thaew prices (after 6 pm) during "the good old days" on Samui, before progress and tourists spoiled the island. So in a way it's fair that metered taxis don't under-quote the song thaew-drivers that have been doing business on the island long before the metered taxis arrived.

 

So what is fair price?

Last time I used a metered taxi I drove from Nathon to Maenam, he didn't use the meter but quoted me 400 baht, which was "a fair price" based on "good old days" Samui-standard, and I needed the taxi enough, not to argue or wait if someone else showed up and would drive me on the meter fare (quite unlikely).

Last time I used a song thaew was from Lamai to Maenam, he quoted 600 baht for the ride, 4 people all together, so 150 baht each person if divided, and late night after the boxing match finished about 1 am at Lamai Square; to me it was a fair price, taking Samui-standard and time into consideration, but for country-men foreigners coming straight from Scandinavia as tourists it would be a ridiculous cheap price...????

[khunPer]

On 7/7/2021 at 6:38 AM, KhunBENQ said:

Samui airport to Maenam. Max 11 km, 100 + max 200 = 300.

(what are the "first couple"?)

Haha.

When I took a taxi (July 2020) there was no word of meter.

700 Baht flat.

There are no taxis in Samui airport, they are not allowed inside the gate in the arrival area, so you must have taken a taxi waiting outside the airport area by for example 7-Eleven. You can use an airport shuttle instead, there is a counter in the arrival hall just after the luggage carousel, it's often cheaper than a taxi ride...????

 

A "couple" is normally "two"; i.e. 2 kilometers...????

[spidermike007]

3 hours ago, khunPer said:

That was not your question, which I answered, you are changing the subject now. And I was at that time a Thailand-green blue-eyed foreigner, not even asking anybody, but I was offered a "taxi"-ride when coming out from the old airport terminal area. 200 baht was the offer to Maenam, same price as a seat in Bangkok Airway's minibus shuttle, but I didn't need to wait for other passengers, and stop several times en route.

 

Your statement was...

And I replied...

And then you asked...

-and that was, what I did, twice actually, and that is what is discussed right here.

 

So what is a fair price?

200 baht for 1.5 kilometers in Lamai with the first 100 baht for the meter fall, was it late night?

Did you ask other taxis to take you to youyr destination, using their meter?

In many countries there would for example be a surcharge for late night and weekend rides.

 

Taxi's and song thaew's fixed prices are about similar. The fixed taxi prices seems to originate from the fixed song thaew prices (after 6 pm) during "the good old days" on Samui, before progress and tourists spoiled the island. So in a way it's fair that metered taxis don't under-quote the song thaew-drivers that have been doing business on the island long before the metered taxis arrived.

 

So what is fair price?

Last time I used a metered taxi I drove from Nathon to Maenam, he didn't use the meter but quoted me 400 baht, which was "a fair price" based on "good old days" Samui-standard, and I needed the taxi enough, not to argue or wait if someone else showed up and would drive me on the meter fare (quite unlikely).

Last time I used a song thaew was from Lamai to Maenam, he quoted 600 baht for the ride, 4 people all together, so 150 baht each person if divided, and late night after the boxing match finished about 1 am at Lamai Square; to me it was a fair price, taking Samui-standard and time into consideration, but for country-men foreigners coming straight from Scandinavia as tourists it would be a ridiculous cheap price...????

In the past 10 years, I have never been able to find a taxi anywhere on Samui, who was willing to use their meter. Usually they laugh at me, when I ask.