Fees set for taxis hailed online: 60 baht minimum charge

[jackdd]

1 hour ago, Snig27 said:

I don't think Grab will be too upset about this. And if you use JustGrab or similar you are told your charge before you get in. They're still well priced and very convenient.

If Grab is forced to follow these new regulations they are forced to lower their prices by at least 30%, that's their profit margin. So Grab won't make money anymore, they certainly will be upset about this.

Edited November 13, 2021 by jackdd

[kiwikeith]

17 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Not sure anyone except the Millionaire visitors Thailand wants will be using these services, I just deleted Grab from my apps on my phone.  I will go stand on the curbside and flag a taxi down by hand.  Unless of course they raise the base price to 60 baht from 35 baht for those too.  Sounds to me that they are trying to kill off the likes of on-line/App ridesharing companies.  2 baht a minute while stuck in traffic is also a sham, for a trip that would make a 5km ride undoable by many, and Public transport lime the buses, MRT and BTS a better option.

Cabs will now go the long way 

[shdmn]

A lot of people in Pattaya are apparently using Bolt, not Grab.  Mostly because they were keeping their prices artificially low.  Lower than what you would normally pay a mototaxi in a lot of instances. I guess this will mean a price increase for them.

Edited November 13, 2021 by shdmn

[elgenon]

10 hours ago, Snig27 said:

Indeed they are. I don't think Grab will be too upset about this. And if you use JustGrab or similar you are told your charge before you get in. They're still well priced and very convenient.

What is JustGrab? Thanks

[NanaSomchai]

21 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

I just deleted Grab from my apps on my phone.

And THAT sir, is exactly what they wanted you to do. Precisely what they are trying to achieve.

 

First it was PayPal less than a week ago... now it's Grab and Bolt's turn. What's next? Uber...? Food Panda...?

 

Do you feel the ever tightening noose around your neck, yet?

 

I'm telling you, Amazing Thailand 2.0.

[BostonRob2]

12 hours ago, Surasak said:

Wouldn't need a taxi or Grab as I have a chauffeur. My watering hole is within walking distance so again, no grab or taxi.

My man Khun James is unfortunately indisposed at present after a dodgy some tam. Would you consider ride sharing?

[jacko45k]

17 hours ago, Cat Boy said:

Huh? 

Duh!

[mtls2005]

It's not exactly clear to me what this means, exactly.

 

My best guess is that this announcement simply adds some detail to the overarching "decree": 

 

Ministerial Regulation on Ride-Hailing Cars Via Electronic System B.E. 2564 (2021)

 

 

Still a long, long, long way to go on this.

 

Pretty sure this'll be sorted by the time we have hover-cars and matter transporters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fabruer]

3 hours ago, elgenon said:

What is JustGrab? Thanks

JustGrab is a choice within your app that allows you to take a ride at a fixed price that is displayed.

Your ride will either be a taxi or private car, whichever accepts your Grab booking.

[VocalNeal]

For my vague memory the fee for phoning for a cab used to be 50B so not much change there.

[Xonax]

On 11/13/2021 at 1:56 AM, ThailandRyan said:

Not sure anyone except the Millionaire visitors Thailand wants will be using these services, I just deleted Grab from my apps on my phone.  I will go stand on the curbside and flag a taxi down by hand.  Unless of course they raise the base price to 60 baht from 35 baht for those too.  Sounds to me that they are trying to kill off the likes of on-line/App ridesharing companies.  2 baht a minute while stuck in traffic is also a sham, for a trip that would make a 5km ride undoable by many, and Public transport lime the buses, MRT and BTS a better option.

Last week when we booked to be picked up by Grab, they provided a tiny Nissan Note, which was very uncomfortable to sit in. It seems like the Grab cars are getting smaller and smaller every time we book. So we will now probably go back to hailing normal taxi's, which will be a decently sized Toyota Altis or similar.

[Heng]

28 minutes ago, fabruer said:

JustGrab is a choice within your app that allows you to take a ride at a fixed price that is displayed.

Your ride will either be a taxi or private car, whichever accepts your Grab booking.

Is there a setting in Grab to allow JustGrab or is it automatic?    I've been using it for awhile and in the beginning, it seems regular private car owners would show up as well as taxis.... but lately (as in... 20+ rides over the last 6-7 months), it seems to be all taxis.   

Edited November 14, 2021 by Heng

[KhunLA]

Last GRAB I rode in was a Fortuner, quite the surprise, and damn nice vehicle.  GRABs are privately owned, taxis included, if on the system, so anything can show up.  All so far have be better than standard taxi.  

 

I've had a few taxi rides in the Innovas, quite the upgrade from the old or even new Corollas.

Edited November 14, 2021 by KhunLA

[jackdd]

28 minutes ago, Heng said:

Is there a setting in Grab to allow JustGrab or is it automatic?    I've been using it for awhile and in the beginning, it seems regular private car owners would show up as well as taxis.... but lately (as in... 20+ rides over the last 6-7 months), it seems to be all taxis.   

I usually don't use Grab because it's too expensive, but in the Bolt app you can select the class of car, a bigger car costs of course a bit more than a small car.

Edited November 14, 2021 by jackdd

[Road Warrior]

ow dear !!! a further deterrent for the poss, tourist !!

[Doctor Tom]

60 Baht minimum charge, which means that they won't come out for less than 100 Baht.  Taxis in BKK/Pattaya have been doing themselves out of jobs for years by over charging and ripping off naïve tourists, albeit that here they are cheap in comparison to say UK/US/Australia. 

[bristolgeoff]

If I want a taxi,I would try on the st with a meter running.but being a farang they always want no meter.Don,t know about the online charge now and how far you got too go.When it comes into  force see what happens then.they maybe a change later

[tomazbodner]

On 11/13/2021 at 7:56 AM, ThailandRyan said:

Not sure anyone except the Millionaire visitors Thailand wants will be using these services, I just deleted Grab from my apps on my phone.  I will go stand on the curbside and flag a taxi down by hand.  Unless of course they raise the base price to 60 baht from 35 baht for those too.  Sounds to me that they are trying to kill off the likes of on-line/App ridesharing companies.  2 baht a minute while stuck in traffic is also a sham, for a trip that would make a 5km ride undoable by many, and Public transport lime the buses, MRT and BTS a better option.

Grab has been more expensive than taxis in Bangkok for a long time, when using GrabCar or JustGrab. However, there's no negotiations, no metered city tours, no arguments with the drivers. It's GPS tracked and finds the fastest way to get you to destination, which is chosen on the map so if you're Google Maps literate, you're getting to your destination at pre-agreed price. The progress is also shown on your own device while on the way.

 

As such I would rather pay a bit more and avoid the hassle of a normal taxi, which is what most of the time comes to pick me up anyway. (let me add here that not long after tourists dried up, the attitude of taxi drivers changed a lot as well, and that nasty ones from pre-COVID seem to have vanished)

 

As for public transport - it is much better than many other places in the planet, but not going everywhere in a convenient manner. I still remember the old days of waiting for my bus for over an hour to arrive, and then 3 or 4 of them arrived at once. Trains are evenly scheduled, but in rush hours very impractical. Some BTS and MRT stations remind me of Hong Kong or Tokyo. At Asoke it could take you half an hour just to get to the train, and then several of them passing before you could actually get into one and be literally squeezed in like a sardine in a can.

 

Regardless of costing more, and being stuck in traffic and all that, sitting in car and watching life go by outside is still a lot more convenient.

[Heng]

2 hours ago, jackdd said:

I usually don't use Grab because it's too expensive, but in the Bolt app you can select the class of car, a bigger car costs of course a bit more than a small car.

Yeah, I just installed Bolt to try it out.   For some reason though there is only a cash payment option?   I use a self limited debit card for Grab, removes the need for small bills and personal contact.   I do see it has a vehicle choice like Uber in other places and like how Grab USED to be here (not sure why the option thing has since disappeared).   

[jackdd]

13 minutes ago, Heng said:

For some reason though there is only a cash payment option? 

Yes, only cash (if you have a Thai banking app you can of course also transfer it to the driver). The driver gets 100% of the money, so I guess Bolt don't want to go into the trouble of payment processing.

Edited November 14, 2021 by jackdd

[Sqoop]

Why is the government regulating taxi costs ? It should be the job of the market to do that. Supply and demand, when there are no customers prices should fall. And also they are legislating for minimum values ( minimum fee + cost per minute ) so they are not trying to protect the consumer or tourist.

[Artisi]

9 hours ago, NanaSomchai said:

And THAT sir, is exactly what they wanted you to do. Precisely what they are trying to achieve.

 

First it was PayPal less than a week ago... now it's Grab and Bolt's turn. What's next? Uber...? Food Panda...?

 

Do you feel the ever tightening noose around your neck, yet?

 

I'm telling you, Amazing Thailand 2.0.

Amazing minus 0.1

[Cabradelmar]

Grab is only really useful if you are in an area with little Taxi traffic... otherwise you are still better off hailing curbside. Frankly, I prefer motorcycle taxi (especially in congested areas around Sukhumvit).

[BangkokBoyJohnny]

Anybody using InDriver in Bangkok or Pattaya, you offer a fare, Cabbies get a chance to apply for the ride ....

[elgenon]

So JustGrab is still more expensive than Bolt for similar car?

[jackdd]

2 hours ago, elgenon said:

So JustGrab is still more expensive than Bolt for similar car?

If Grab would follow the law, then the price should be equal. Has to be seen if they will follow it.

[zig]

On 11/14/2021 at 9:31 AM, Heng said:

Is there a setting in Grab to allow JustGrab or is it automatic?    I've been using it for awhile and in the beginning, it seems regular private car owners would show up as well as taxis.... but lately (as in... 20+ rides over the last 6-7 months), it seems to be all taxis.   

Yes, there is a choice and you can choose to use GrabCar, JustGrab or GrabTaxi. I do not understand all these complaints on how pricey Grab is. You can always select GrabTaxi and just pay the same metered fare as for any taxi + booking fee. I guess with these new regulations the price for that shall become higher. I actually find it strange that the government is trying to regulate the minimum fare. In some other countries it is only the maximum fare that is regulated which allows for more competitive services.

[Eaglekott]

On 11/15/2021 at 10:49 AM, zig said:

Yes, there is a choice and you can choose to use GrabCar, JustGrab or GrabTaxi. I do not understand all these complaints on how pricey Grab is. You can always select GrabTaxi and just pay the same metered fare as for any taxi + booking fee. I guess with these new regulations the price for that shall become higher. I actually find it strange that the government is trying to regulate the minimum fare. In some other countries it is only the maximum fare that is regulated which allows for more competitive services.

Agree, I always use GrabTaxi so we get a metered car, Normally the ride is much cheaper than the app states before the ride, and they are about half price compared to GrabCar. They always also start the meeter after they have picked you up.

 

I tried Bolt a few weeks ago just to notice it became about double the price than a metered taxi from Sukhumvit Soi 13 to BangNa

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

On 11/13/2021 at 7:43 AM, jackdd said:

How is Grab going to make money now?

Until now they took about the taxi meter rate, added their 25% fee to it and that was the price.

But now they can no longer add their fee to it because it's capped at about the taxi meter rate (at least the published numbers here look similar to the Bangkok taxi meter rate for me), the only way to do it now would to take the 25% from the driver, which would probably not be profitable for the driver anymore.

I hope it puts the online companies out of business. What I am wondering is how the normal guys are going to react? They have been after a raise for years and this is not a raise, just a baht or two in traffic and per kilo that barely covers the fuel increases. Many will not go on the meter these days and this will make things worse.