Utter stupidity by the BTS

[Freddy42OZ]

Yesterday I experienced a situation that made me realise how stupid Thais can be.

I was at On Nut BTS and bought a ticket to go to Punnawithi - cost of ticket 15 baht. 

My girlfriend and went through the gates and once inside decided to exit out the other end and take a taxi home instead.  Girlfriend with rabbit card just exited no issue. 
My ticket to Punnawithi however wouldn't let me just exit at the other end of On Nut station.  

Went to the ticket office and they told me I had to pay an extra 1 baht to exit.   

Obviously I don't care about 1 baht.   

But if I've paid 15 baht to be taken all the way to Punnawithi why the hell would I be expected to pay an extra baht to NOT take the train and simply exit the station?!?!

Why not just met me exit for the 15 baht I paid?

This has to be the stupidest thing I've every experienced in almost 14 years living here.  



 

[petermik]

Thailand has rules that farang must follow...stupid or not TIT

[Hayduke]

5 minutes ago, Freddy42OZ said:

This has to be the stupidest thing I've every experienced in almost 14 years living here.  

 

Sorry….but if this is the stupidest thing you’ve experience here then you don’t get out enough.

 

 

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

Hehe. You must've never had the change problem.

 

Back in the states, if the bill's like $140.36, we give $150.36 expecting to get 10 bucks in change.

 

Thais really don't get this. For a 346 baht bill, I give 1046 baht hoping to get back 700 baht. Nope. They count it wrong or something, and I get back like 600 baht, and the bunch of coins I was trying to avoid. Heh.

[userabcd]

This is really strange.

 

Don't think I have ever had to pay an additional charge to exit the station when I have entered and exited the station within a few minutes and I have done that a few times.

 

Sometimes also give the ticket back at the side window and  exit the station by the side gate.

 

Maybe it's some new term and condition but I can't seem to find that on the BTS web site.

 

 

[RickG16]

2 minutes ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Hehe. You must've never had the change problem.

 

Back in the states, if the bill's like $140.36, we give $150.36 expecting to get 10 bucks in change.

 

Thais really don't get this. For a 346 baht bill, I give 1046 baht hoping to get back 700 baht. Nope. They count it wrong or something, and I get back like 600 baht, and the bunch of coins I was trying to avoid. Heh.

Don't know what you mean. I do this pretty regularly in 7/11 and they get it right. 

[mnomad]

There's a lot more to LOL at .  Some recent highlights including on the advent of Thailand 4.0 and cashless society move - remove the ability to top-up with credit/debit cards with the exception of certain very limited monthly tickets. Require a foreigner to register a passport to acquire or continue the use of an existing Rabbit card. Still no integration with MRT or other transport tickets..  Not big issues in grand scheme of things though, not worth stressing over

[FritsSikkink]

This reminds me how stupid foreigners can be, who buys a ticket moves to the train and then thinks, i want other transport.

[bbko]

28 minutes ago, RickG16 said:

Don't know what you mean. I do this pretty regularly in 7/11 and they get it right. 

Easy to figure out with a modern cash register, try doing the same at a mom & pop store.

 

OP, according to their website, you should have been able to get a refund if you left the paid area within 5 minutes:

Passenger has entered the Paid Area but intends to leave the Paid Area at the same station within 5 minutes from the time of entering the Paid Area. Passenger must make request for refund at the Ticket Office before leaving the Paid Area.

 

https://www.bts.co.th/eng/tickets/ticket-conditions.html

[digbeth]

it used to be 15 baht to walk through the station, your girlfriend must have been charged 15 baht on her rabbit card,

the extra 1 baht is strange

 

there's a lot of drama in the previous years about people only buying 15 baht minimum ticket, riding to meet and deliver goods over the turnstile at other station, then coming back to exit the same station for only 15 baht, maybe they've implemented the 1 baht thing to inconvenience those people 

[GrandPapillon]

38 minutes ago, digbeth said:

it used to be 15 baht to walk through the station, your girlfriend must have been charged 15 baht on her rabbit card,

the extra 1 baht is strange

 

there's a lot of drama in the previous years about people only buying 15 baht minimum ticket, riding to meet and deliver goods over the turnstile at other station, then coming back to exit the same station for only 15 baht, maybe they've implemented the 1 baht thing to inconvenience those people 

good point, that's why they put some time limit on 15 THB trips, I think it's 15min, if it takes longer, you pay more at exit

[Ohyesuare]

The 1 baht was tea money. These greedy Thais, I tell you.

[CLW]

Maybe there is a station use fee of 16 Baht so you have to pay 1 baht extra.

[Lemsta69]

much ado about nothing. maybe a change of country might help you enjoy life more?

[Pravda]

I think someone else is stupid and it's not Thais. The minimum BTS charge for 1 station is 16 baht, not 15 baht. The green line from On Nut to khekha is still under testing and has a special fare of 15 baht from bangna all the way to on nut. I believe after bearing it's still free to ride BTS. Since the minimum charge for 1 station is 16 baht and you didn't utilize the ticket in this special fare zone they charged you 16 baht.

[recom273]

I think this kind of thing can happen just as easily in the UK. 

 

They dont charge you the 1B they try to charge a penalty fare.

 

[The Hammer2021]

3 hours ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Hehe. You must've never had the change problem.

 

Back in the states, if the bill's like $140.36, we give $150.36 expecting to get 10 bucks in change.

 

Thais really don't get this. For a 346 baht bill, I give 1046 baht hoping to get back 700 baht. Nope. They count it wrong or something, and I get back like 600 baht, and the bunch of coins I was trying to avoid. Heh.

I do this frequently and never have the problem you describe. Does it happen to you often? At the same shop? With the same staff member? How odd!

[digbeth]

Looks like the minimum fare is now 16 not 15 like I remembered

 

had a play around on the fare calculator on BTS's website, ONNUT-BangChak is 15 Baht while going the other way Onnut-Phra Khanong is 16, Onnut is the last station on the original section opened in 2000, so there must be discount on the newer sections, meaning while going the next station on the new section is only 15 baht, exiting the same station or going 1 station the other direction is 16

[new2here]

14 hours ago, Pravda said:

I think someone else is stupid and it's not Thais. The minimum BTS charge for 1 station is 16 baht, not 15 baht. The green line from On Nut to khekha is still under testing and has a special fare of 15 baht from bangna all the way to on nut. I believe after bearing it's still free to ride BTS. Since the minimum charge for 1 station is 16 baht and you didn't utilize the ticket in this special fare zone they charged you 16 baht.

i believe this is spot on

 

its a quirk in how fares are calculated and collected when travel originates at one if the extension stations.  As i recall a flat fare of B15 is added to whatever is the normal fare beginning from the first station that’s not a part of the extension 

 

but by not traveling you triggered the BTS’ minimum fare, which on a systemwide basis is B16

 

So i just think it’s a quirk that stems from how fares are calculated within the extension area 

 

 

[Skeptic7]

This is ridiculous will grant you that. However it doesn't even scratch the surface of coming close to the stupidest rule, reg or otherwise here. What do you think LOS really stands for?!? 

[elgenon]

19 hours ago, bbko said:

Easy to figure out with a modern cash register, try doing the same at a mom & pop store.

 

OP, according to their website, you should have been able to get a refund if you left the paid area within 5 minutes:

Passenger has entered the Paid Area but intends to leave the Paid Area at the same station within 5 minutes from the time of entering the Paid Area. Passenger must make request for refund at the Ticket Office before leaving the Paid Area.

 

https://www.bts.co.th/eng/tickets/ticket-conditions.html

Most people, Americans included, couldn't figure that out in their heads. I've seen people working it out with a pen and paper or a calculator.

 

If they have never had the idea to do it, it befuddles them

[PeachCH]

If a one Baht issue is the reason to open a discussion, then..... ????

[klauskunkel]

20 hours ago, Freddy42OZ said:

Went to the ticket office and they told me I had to pay an extra 1 baht to exit.   

They made an extra baht off of you. That's not stupid.

[swm59nj]

Yes it’s frustrating.  Once I got off at Nana BTS to go to Bumrungard hospital. I have a rabbit card and went out the wrong exit.  There was an older lady stationed at the gate but not wearing a uniform.  I explained to her what happened and asked if I could go back in to use the proper exit.  She understood me.  I even showed her the appointment confirmation on my phone.  She had this nasty look on her face and said I had to pay again.  
     Then a guy in the payment booth asked me what was wrong.  I told him.  He just smiled and laughed.  Then he opened the gate to allow me back in. 

[Straight8]

The starting of this thread all for 1 baht. Now that's what I call motivation.

[VocalNeal]

17 hours ago, CLW said:

Maybe there is a station use fee of 16 Baht so you have to pay 1 baht extra.

How much is it from Punnawithi  to On Nut? 16 baht?

16 baht maybe the minimum fare to On Nut hence the extra 1B to exit.

[VocalNeal]

2 minutes ago, swm59nj said:

Once I got off at Nana BTS to go to Bumrungard hospital. I have a rabbit card and went out the wrong exit.

Walk down to street level ands walk along the sidewalk?

[Expat68]

16 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

I do this frequently and never have the problem you describe. Does it happen to you often? At the same shop? With the same staff member? How odd!

Normally I ask the cashier if this will help usually they say yes

[Searat7]

For years there has been a charge to enter BTS at one end of station and exit at the other end without taking the train. This might not apply to all stations but I have noticed this several times

[cardinalblue]

Lesson learned - buy a rabbit card

 

stupid behavior - try driving with parking lights at dusk/dawn….a dangerous cultural tradition that common sense is just unable to overcome