Tourist police chief acts to help Thai tourism: Tells cabbies to get professional and stop refusing fares

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, Neeranam said:

More like mafia, but 'franchises' is funny.

It is similar to owning a burger joint, but requires more creativity. 

[daejung]

What is "refusing fare" ? It is refusing to use taxi-meter ?

[BonMot]

10 hours ago, LikeItHot said:

I told a cabbie my destination he said "Too near.

I gave him a farther alternate he said "Too far"

I said ok take me anywhere you want to go he said "Off duty".

This is a true story.  I've been thinking about it for years.  I can't figure it out.

Didn't like the looks of you?

[PingRoundTheWorld]

On 9/19/2022 at 10:41 AM, NemoH said:

They should use undercover cops to catch the drivers red handed.

Just wait for a rainy day and all taxis will shut off their meters and ask for fixed fares... it happening in Sukhumvit and Sathorn all the time..... so easy to catch but its whether they want to do so..

Don't even have to wait for a rainy day. Just go to soi 11, Cowboy, Nana, etc. any night of the week - 95% of taxis will refuse to use the meter. And yes the only way this would get solved is if they put some effort and used undercover cops and/or farang volunteers with cops backing them up. Expecting tourists to put their lives at risk by taking pictures of license plates is ridiculous. Some of those drivers keep deadly weapons in the car and won't be shy to wave them around if challenged.

[PingRoundTheWorld]

On 9/20/2022 at 12:21 AM, BonMot said:

If you are dumb enough to live or holiday in Phuket, Samui suffer it. These scams are decades old.

You obviously haven't been to Phuket recently. Taxis are quite reasonable booked via InDriver and Bolt - 100 baht inside Patong. Grab is terribly overpriced. Tuk tuks are a mixed bag with some honest ones (relatively) charging 200 baht, while others try for the 300-500 baht scams.

 

As for Bangkok - sorry but if they don't like how much the job pays they should quit. You mentioned "what the market demands" but ignored supply and demand - there's a ton of empty taxis for every possible passenger at most times - obviously if they're willing to drive, the job pays enough for them to do so. The fact that some try to run fixed fare scams, especially on tourists, does not mean those are fair prices, it just means those drivers feel entitled to charge foreigners more.

 

Reminds me of the time a driver demanded 100 baht to go one soi over with no traffic. Told him meter or I don't ride, he drove off in the same direction of the soi I wanted to go to. So he actually preferred to give up 40 baht going in the same direction anyway over giving up his "100 baht" scam. What a clown. Next taxi of course agreed to meter.

[StayinThailand2much]

On 9/20/2022 at 12:02 PM, scorecard said:

Yep, pay enough money and you buy access to a franchise to 'print' money.

Many years ago I offered a reward for stolen property. This was at the Tourist Police in Patong. And it worked. Don't expect them to do their (salaried) duty. They only wake up from their sleep when extra money can be made.

[LikeItHot]

On 9/20/2022 at 8:41 PM, BonMot said:

Didn't like the looks of you?

Fair inquiry but more factually my TGF was doing the talking and I was standing nearby.  We are clean normal height weight. I literally can't figure it out.

[DonniePeverley]

They're not refusing - they are setting rip off prices without using a meter. 

 

This has now gone mental in the past few months - way worst than anything before covid. 

 

No shame at all. It seems like they have all teamed up too, so it's not like you can find an honest one - they're all at it. 

 

 

[FriendlyFarang]

On 9/19/2022 at 12:06 PM, steven100 said:

sorry,  I can tell you the opposite ....    you try and catch a taxi on Sukhumvit in the afternoon ,  say from 4.00pm onwards ... going to any suburb 10klms away,  90% will refuse with all the excuses, and friday's worse. 

By law they are supposed to take passengers there, but imho it's actually understandable why the don't want to. These 10kms might take them an hour, and they will probably have no customer going back, all this for little money.

Just last week it took me nearly an hour to drive 7km in the rush hour...

Here the DLT should intervene and adjust the fare system to increase the pay if a taxi is traveling in those circumstances. If the payment were justified taxis wouldn't refuse passengers.

[steven100]

31 minutes ago, FriendlyFarang said:

By law they are supposed to take passengers there, but imho it's actually understandable why the don't want to. These 10kms might take them an hour, and they will probably have no customer going back, all this for little money.

Just last week it took me nearly an hour to drive 7km in the rush hour...

Here the DLT should intervene and adjust the fare system to increase the pay if a taxi is traveling in those circumstances. If the payment were justified taxis wouldn't refuse passengers.

well ....  do they want to be a taxi driver or not ?    as you said,  by law they are required to accept all passengers regardless of journey. 

If they don't want to drive that journey they should not be taxi drivers,  they should be shop assistants or guards at a building site.

 

 

 

Edited September 25, 2022 by steven100

[2baht]

37 minutes ago, steven100 said:

well ....  do they want to be a taxi driver or not ?    as you said,  by law they are required to accept all passengers regardless of journey. 

If they don't want to drive that journey they should not be taxi drivers,  they should be shop assistants or guards at a building site.

 

 

 

Or just plain unemployed losers!

[khunpa]

Will never forget standing outside Siam Park with my very tired 6 year old son.

 

Had around 10 taxies outside and everyone requiring over x2 the price we paid to get there. All refusing to use the meter. Ended up calling a Grab and saluting them with the middle finger, when we drove past them.
 

Many (not all) Bangkok Taxi are useless, lazy and a disgrace to their profession. They refuse rides and at the same time whine about not earning enough. Idiots!

Edited September 25, 2022 by khunpa

[JensenZ]

On 9/19/2022 at 10:38 AM, Tropicalevo said:

It is very different on the islands.

No cab on Samui uses the meter.

In my experience, it is the same when I have been on Phuket and KPN.

To be fare though, they are very courteous when they take 800 baht for the 15 minute trip from the airport here on Samui.

Like the Pattaya Meter-Taxi's that have NEVER used their meters since they were introduced many years ago. They only move by negotiated fares, and they are not cheap.

[JensenZ]

On 9/19/2022 at 3:43 PM, Aussieroaming said:

Maybe the tourist police chief should issue all tourists with handcuffs when they arrive so that they can arrest the rogue taxi drivers for the RTP and thrn ask them to bring the taxi drivers to the closest police station.

It's definitely the wrong idea to be expecting tourists, who have come here to enjoy a vacation, to become pseudo taxi cops for the greater good of Thailand and tourism. It's the last thing tourists should or would be doing.

 

The police need to fix this. It's their job. Standing, plain clothed, at busy taxi ranks would soon net some rogue taxi drivers. If they were serious about it, they would be doing it, but all just talk to make tourists think they are doing something.

Edited September 25, 2022 by JensenZ

[kwak250]

Call 1155 inbetween the kicks to the head .

[khunpa]

I am Sathorn now trying to get a taxi to take me to  Sukhumvit Soi 48 after a business meeting.

 

4 taxies already refused LOL!! Okay for me, as I know the drill and I am not busy today.

 

However I doubt the Millions of Multi-Billionaires they want to attract, would be as understanding.

[kevc]

Well that's another problem solved....next.

[bristolgeoff]

I,am sure the tourist will phone the police if that happens or he will find a taxi that uses a meter  and  moves on from the one who refuses

[Dont confuse me]

On 9/19/2022 at 11:37 PM, BonMot said:

It's absolutely common knowledge never to take a standing taxi. Why did you even waste your time? Then come here and complain like it's something. They are not drivers they are scammers.

Please point out where it says I took a standing taxi. I was simply pointing out NEVER to take a 'standing' taxi.

It's common knowledge that a lot of people respond to pots without reading or fully understanding the content.

Thanks for your input!