Question on Pattaya Songteaw fares

[Nickelbeer]

Recently I was waiting in a songteaw and noticed big signs in English on both sides of the passenger compartment that the passenger fare was 20 baht. I paid without comment when I reached my destination but I quickly noticed that none of the other songteaws had these signs and the fare was the usual ten baht. I expect small ripoffs in Thailand, so it’s no big deal. Is this something they can arbitrarily charge a passenger or does it have to be done by some central department or city agency? I’ve heard rumors of a price increase for the last six years but nothing official.

[jacko45k]

I suspect the driver is being a bit cheeky!

Fares are supposed to be fixed.

[petermik]

You paid covid tax rate......LOL

[scubascuba3]

I'd pay if it was the official fare but it isn't, driver trying to get more money, switch baht bus next time

[sitanonchai]

I know that some have when they are parked in queue to get to a specific location like the bus terminal on North.

[SAFETY FIRST]

7 minutes ago, sitanonchai said:

I know that some have when they are parked in queue to get to a specific location like the bus terminal on North.

Those trips are set pricing negotiated with the driver, upwards of 100 baht 

[SAFETY FIRST]

8 hours ago, Nickelbeer said:

noticed big signs in English

Sadly, it looks like the driver is taking advantage of the foreigners. 

 

[sitanonchai]

5 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Those trips are set pricing negotiated with the driver, upwards of 100 baht 

They're located at the Dolphin roundabout at North.

[SAFETY FIRST]

2 minutes ago, sitanonchai said:

They're located at the Dolphin roundabout at North.

The driver has a specific route. 

 

You can ask him to take you somewhere out of this route. 

 

I would not ask this driver, I reckon he would want 200 baht 

 

[PJ71]

baht bus drivers are dreggs of society.

[Jingthing]

3 minutes ago, PJ71 said:

baht bus drivers are dreggs of society.

But some I assume are good people.

[PJ71]

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

But some I assume are good people.

scum

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, PJ71 said:

scum

It was a joke.

[Nickelbeer]

4 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Sadly, it looks like the driver is taking advantage of the foreigners. 

 

IMAGINE THAT!!!!!  In Thailand?????     LOL

[The Hammer2021]

3 hours ago, PJ71 said:

baht bus drivers are dreggs of society.

On the contrary- decent  hard working poor people trying to make a living.

[The Hammer2021]

The baht bus prices are absurdly low and should be doubled or trippled. Fuel prices have gone  up, inflation is high so prices should go  up. If visitors aren't prepared to support poor thais who work really hard they shouldn't  be here. And  if they  can't afford  to lose 10 BAHT ON ONE JOURNEY then they should never have come here in the first place.

 

[Jingthing]

22 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

The baht bus prices are absurdly low and should be doubled or trippled. Fuel prices have gone  up, inflation is high so prices should go  up. If visitors aren't prepared to support poor thais who work really hard they shouldn't  be here. And  if they  can't afford  to lose 10 BAHT ON ONE JOURNEY then they should never have come here in the first place.

 

Blah blah blah. That's rather a "blank blank's burden" colonial POV unless you're advocating going back to the odious racial based double pricing for f-rangs. 

The trouble with raising the bus fares is the service is not reliable and you might need to take two or three legs and there is no TRANSFER system. 

They do not have reliably set routes, they sometimes turn expectedly, take different surprise routes, convert their bus into a taxi, don't go as far as you expected, etc. Then they tend to TEN TIMES the fare if you are a dumb tourist and talk to them. Back when we had super high seasons large crowds people would be waiting for trucks and watch ten empty ones drive by because the so called bus service had changed to charter only! Not regulated at all. You want a high fare for that?!? Dream on.

Now if there was some kind of monthly pass system, some kind of electronic one way ride transfer system, I might agree with you.

But at this level of let's face THIRD WORLD service, no no no. Third world prices for third world prices is more than fair. 

 

None of my business about your personal transport habits, but often people spouting such out of touch platitudes don't live here and don't ride the buses.

 

Now if you're talking about radically modernizing the entire transport system here, I would be totally onboard with that, with the higher prices of course, but I don't see that happening. 

[Lemsta69]

4 hours ago, PJ71 said:

baht bus drivers are dreggs of society.

as are their customers. well a lot of them anyway. especially the ones wearing those silly soccer guernseys who speak with unintelligible accents.

[Lemsta69]

5 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Blah blah blah. That's rather a colonial POV unless you're advocating back to the odious racial based double pricing for f-rangs. 

The trouble with raising the bus fares is the service is not reliable and you might need to take two or three legs and there is no TRANSFER system. 

They do not have reliably set routes, they sometimes turn expectedly, take different surprise routes, convert their bus into a taxi, don't go as far as you expected. Then they tend to TEN TIMES the fare if you are a dumb tourist and talk to them. You want a high fare for that?!? Dream on.

Now if there was some kind of monthly pass system, some kind of high tech one way ride transfer system, I might agree with you.

But at this level at let's face THIRD WORLD service, no no no. 

 

None of my business about your personal transport habits, but often people spouting such out of touch platitudes don't live here and don't ride the buses.

just use Bolt bro and save yourself the aggro. oh and don't forget to bump up the fare to account for the 30% commission. 

[Jingthing]

5 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

just use Bolt bro and save yourself the aggro. oh and don't forget to bump up the fare to account for the 30% commission. 

I use Bolt when it meets my needs, otherwise the buses. 

[The Hammer2021]

42 minutes ago, Nickelbeer said:

IMAGINE THAT!!!!!  In Thailand?????     LOL

Actually It's rich foreigners taking advantage  of a pricing system aimed at poor Thais operated and run  by very poor Thais.

 

If visitors here lack empathy, compassion and common  humanity they should just stay at home.

 

The cheap Charlie's who use this forum to  insult and denigrate the poor, hard working  locals  really they are the  dregs and I really hope they are not actually  here in Thailand.

 

They are shameful. I honestly don't know how a person ends up such  a bitter failure using a forum like this to express their  hatred of everyday working Thais. Is it depression? Paranoia? Mental sickness? The hatred and tired  cynicism - the  jaded  comments - they don't seem normal to me.

[Lemsta69]

36 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I use Bolt when it meets my needs, otherwise the buses. 

so why the big rant about the buses? songthaew boys do what they do to make money for their family. or maybe he ditches one or two low hanging fruit for a group of noob tourists because he's got his eye on a bottle of Black Label or dinner at Benihana. 

 

or should they be condemned to eating pork rinds and drinking lao khao for all eternity?

[Enoon]

51 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

as are their customers. well a lot of them anyway. especially the ones wearing those silly soccer guernseys who speak with unintelligible accents.

"soccer  guernseys"?

 

Guernseymen wearing their guernseys at Lé Viaer Marchi (The Old Market), Guernsey

 

Guernsey (clothing) - Wikipedia

 

 

 

[Lemsta69]

27 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Actually It's rich foreigners taking advantage  of a pricing system aimed at poor Thais operated and run  by very poor Thais.

 

If visitors here lack empathy, compassion and common  humanity they should just stay at home.

 

The cheap Charlie's who use this forum to  insult and denigrate the poor, hard working  locals  really they are the  dregs and I really hope they are not actually  here in Thailand.

 

They are shameful. I honestly don't know how a person ends up such  a bitter failure using a forum like this to express their  hatred of everyday working Thais. Is it depression? Paranoia? Mental sickness? The hatred and tired  cynicism - the  jaded  comments - they don't seem normal to me.

who knows mate but it's very boring to have to wade through all these whiny posts to find the little nuggets of real information. 

 

one possible reason is that they come from highly structured supposedly "civilized" societies where they're taken care of by the State. they're happy for said State to take advantage of them by way of high taxes and unequal wealth distribution but when they come here and a lowly scum of the earth (not my words) "baht bus" driver dares to try and take advantage of them then they get all offended and jump on here to complain. all over ten baht LOL.

[Lemsta69]

1 minute ago, Enoon said:

"soccer  guernseys"?

 

Guernseymen wearing their guernseys at Lé Viaer Marchi (The Old Market), Guernsey

 

Guernsey (clothing) - Wikipedia

 

 

 

Aussie expression mate. I refuse to call it a "football strip" because that just sounds silly.

 

[SAFETY FIRST]

9 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

18 hours ago, Nickelbeer said:

noticed big signs in English

Sadly, it looks like the driver is taking advantage of the foreigners

I see alot of guys on Soi Buakhao using the Songtaews. 

I'd say foreigners using the Songtaews are mostly not well off or cheap Charlie's.

 

I've never really caught a songtaew, I've always owned a motorbike, for short journeys. I did use them once or twice with some mates and a 6pack of beer down beach road, soi Buakhao for a laugh, it's a great view. 

 

The Songtaew drivers are mostly poor and probably doing it tough these days due to covid and lack of tourists. These drivers are mostly nice people, like everywhere, you get a bad egg now and then. 

I was riding my PCX and got run off the road a few years back, this guy was evil. I got his number and made a complaint at the police station, I was told to take my complaint to the company that hires out the Songtaews, typical response from the BinB. 

 

Diesel price is still quite low due to government assistance. 

 

[bbko]

Baht bus fares have been 10 baht for many years, with gasoline and other cost of living prices rising rapidly over the past year, I can understand the increase.  

 

Don't like the price, walk or get a bike.

[aussiexpat]

1 hour ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

I see alot of guys on Soi Buakhao using the Songtaews. 

I'd say foreigners using the Songtaews are mostly not well off or cheap Charlie's.

What a ridiculous statement. I live 600m from LK Metro and as it's bloody hot outside I'm happy to get the baht bus down Bukhao instead of turning up drenched in sweat

 

What, do you propose I hire a taxi so I don't look cheap in your eyes lol

 

I think the baht bus is one if the things that makes Pattaya unique and I love how easy it is to get around their bus loop for 10 baht. 

[SAFETY FIRST]

23 minutes ago, aussiexpat said:

What a ridiculous statement. I live 600m from LK Metro

Noted with thanks Mr C. Charlie ????

[RichardColeman]

I make the wife pay - only ten baht when she pays it !

 

As for someone saying users of these are 'cheap charlies', I'd just like to point out that the songteaw goes basically from outside Jontiem immigration to the steps of Central - where we as a family go see a movie after 90 days report, so why in earth would I want a private taxi ? The 10 baht is irrelevant as the vehicle goes directly where I want to go !

 

I also recommend making friends with any Thai in your neighbourhood that owns one, get some great discounts.