Bangkok taxi fares set to go up - will be rubber stamped by minister within two weeks

[webfact]

 

Siam Rath reported that officials from the Transport Ministry and DLT have completed consultations with taxi companies and other organizations over raising the prices of taxi fares in the Thai capital.

 

Wirat Phimphanit, an advisor to the Transport Ministry, said that fares would go up but not too much.

Measures to adjust meters would help taxi drivers so that it could be done quickly and not give them financial hardship.

 

Department of Land Transport chief Jirut Wisanjit, said that four taxi organisations had accepted the recommendations of the DLT and TDRI, the Thailand Development Research Institute.

 

Flagfall and fare for the first kilometer will be 35 baht for small taxis and 40 baht for larger ones. 

 

From 2-10 kilometers it will be 6.5 baht per kilometer. 

11-20 kms - 7 baht

21-40 kms - 8 baht

41-60 kms - 8.5 baht

61-80 kms 9 baht

Over 81 kms - 10.5 baht.

 

If taxis are stuck in traffic and can't move 6 kilometers/hour the fee will be 3 baht a minute. 

 

The plans are expected to be rubber stamped by transport minister Saksayam Chidchob withing the next one to two weeks.

 

It applies only to taxis in Bangkok of which there are 80,000 registered or 60,000 in reality, said the media without explanation of the apparent disparity. 

 

ASEAN NOW notes that the flagfall in Bangkok has been 35 baht for many years. The increases appear to be in the kilometer rate though Siam Rath made no comparison with past rates in their report.

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-11-10

 

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[Shuya]

10 minutes ago, webfact said:

The plans are expected to be rubber stamped by transport minister Saksayam Chidchob withing the next one to two weeks.

And revoked two weeks later?

[bob smith]

havent used a green/pink taxi for years. awful service and they mostly drive like lunatics. 

[Liverpool Lou]

46 minutes ago, webfact said:

Flagfall and fare for the first kilometer will be 35 baht for small taxis and 40 baht for larger ones. 

 

ASEAN NOW notes that the flagfall in Bangkok has been 35 baht for many years. The increases appear to be in the kilometer rate

How come Asean Now didn't "note" the differences in flagfall that were clearly reported?...

"Flagfall and fare for the first kilometer will be ... 40 baht for larger ones". 

Liverpool Lou notes that B40 flagfall is a B5 increase.

Edited November 10, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[Liverpool Lou]

17 minutes ago, bob smith said:

havent used a green/pink taxi for years. awful service and they mostly drive like lunatics. 

How would you know that if you haven't used those taxis for many years?

How does the service offered by specific coloured taxis differ from others and what makes you say that most of the drivers of those taxis drive like lunatics?   Are you perhaps over-generalising based on one of those taxis?

[daveAustin]

44 minutes ago, webfact said:

Transport Ministry and DLT have completed consultations with taxi companies and other organizations over raising the prices of taxi fares in the Thai capital.

Perhaps they could also raise the issues of refusing fares and meter-fixing.

[Liverpool Lou]

1 minute ago, daveAustin said:

Perhaps they could also raise the issues of refusing fares and meter-fixing.

"Meter fixing" is an issue in Bangkok?  I haven't come across that since I got here 1994 and I use Bangkok taxis every day.

[FritsSikkink]

50 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

How come Asean Now didn't "note" the differences in flagfall that were clearly reported?...

"Flagfall and fare for the first kilometer will be ... 40 baht for larger ones". 

Liverpool Lou notes that B40 flagfall is a B5 increase.

The big difference during bad traffic will be this one: "If taxis are stuck in traffic and can't move 6 kilometers/hour the fee will be 3 baht a minute." Is fair enough in my opinion.

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, bob smith said:

havent used a green/pink taxi for years. awful service and they mostly drive like lunatics. 

I use taxis a lot and most of them have good service.

[Liverpool Lou]

18 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

The big difference during bad traffic will be this one: "If taxis are stuck in traffic and can't move 6 kilometers/hour the fee will be 3 baht a minute." Is fair enough in my opinion.

Only a B1 increase.

[Gottfrid]

Stop now! First we have to take things in order.

They have to learn to use the meter.

[Sparktrader]

Prices are 50% too low.

[nickcar]

I last took a taxi a few weeks ago, I asked him why previously I could always use LINE MAN to call a taxi but now it is very hard. He replied, nowadays taxis are very busy much more than previously. I said I suppose you must be getting rich soon, and he said yes we are doing much better than previously

[ezzra]

3 hours ago, bob smith said:

havent used a green/pink taxi for years. awful service and they mostly drive like lunatics. 

I beg to differ, as you said, you haven't used taxis for years, i found most of them if not all, to be just doing their jobs and properly, taxis always clean, no smoking and rude behavior and i say, yes, give those guys a raise...

Edited November 10, 2022 by ezzra

[PMinThailand]

The increase of fares is fair for the taxi drivers doing their jobs properly. This will not prevent the bandits chasing customers in front of hotels to screw them with excessive fares. Among the most greedy bandits are those parked in Sukhumvit Soi 11 constantly aggressing people walking there with their "discounted" fares typically 5 times exceeding what you would pay in flagging down a taxi passing by.  

[Sparktrader]

Grab works well.

[Patanawet]

4 hours ago, bob smith said:

havent used a green/pink taxi for years. awful service and they mostly drive like lunatics. 

What rubbish!
If you haven't used one in years, how do you know  what they drive like now?
Try thinking before you head for your keyboard.

[AgMech Cowboy]

It's about time.

[Aussieroaming]

6 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"Meter fixing" is an issue in Bangkok?  I haven't come across that since I got here 1994 and I use Bangkok taxis every day.

I had a rigged meter from Swampy to my condo a couple of years ago. I was traveling to the airport regularly and I caught a taxi home and the meter ticking over outrageously fast. I wasn't even half way home on the expressway, which was my normal way home when the meter exceeded my normal total fare home. So I tapped old mate on the shoulder pointed to the meter and told him to stop the nonsense or I wouldn't pay. Then he reached under the dash on the right hand side and pressed a button, low and behold the meter rate went back to normal. When I got home the fare was still more than twice the normal rate so I paid him a normal fare and gave him a mouthful. He just shrugged and drove off because the security guard came over to help me with my bags, so yes it can happen, though that was my only negative experience.

 

I rarely catch taxi's anymore because I drive but I found taxi drivers around Saphan Kwai and Lad Prao to be very honest and always use meters.

[zig]

4 hours ago, Sparktrader said:

Prices are 50% too low.

Considering that a lot of time is actually spent stuck in traffic, these newly announced fares would probably make the cost of an average ride some 20-30% higher. I wonder how Mr. Wirat Phimphanit, an advisor, can say that the fares would not increase by much. 

Either way, I agree that a raise is long overdue since the fares have not changed in many years. 

[Sparktrader]

13 minutes ago, zig said:

Considering that a lot of time is actually spent stuck in traffic, these newly announced fares would probably make the cost of an average ride some 20-30% higher. I wonder how Mr. Wirat Phimphanit, an advisor, can say that the fares would not increase by much. 

Either way, I agree that a raise is long overdue since the fares have not changed in many years. 

So 100 baht instead of 80 baht

[alex8912]

13 hours ago, PMinThailand said:

The increase of fares is fair for the taxi drivers doing their jobs properly. This will not prevent the bandits chasing customers in front of hotels to screw them with excessive fares. Among the most greedy bandits are those parked in Sukhumvit Soi 11 constantly aggressing people walking there with their "discounted" fares typically 5 times exceeding what you would pay in flagging down a taxi passing by.  

Then go to Sukumvit 13 and they will use a meter if you flag them down. Simple. Who in their right mind or even second trip to Thailand know that you don't ever talk to a waiting cab and worse yet the ones with the drivers hanging out with other drivers. We hear of your complaint EVERY month on this forum but it's quite easy ( even on soi 11 as you mention) to just flag one down.  But on a very busy night just go to 13. 

[hotchilli]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

If taxis are stuck in traffic and can't move 6 kilometers/hour the fee will be 3 baht a minute.

3 baht per minutes to stand still.. a lot of that in Bangkok

[hotchilli]

20 hours ago, Shuya said:

And revoked two weeks later?

Never a back-flip on an increase.

[JayClay]

18 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Only a B1 increase.

Or 50%...

[Liverpool Lou]

6 hours ago, JayClay said:

On 11/10/2022 at 11:45 AM, Liverpool Lou said:

Only a B1 increase.

Or 50%...

Correct, B1.

[JayClay]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Correct, B1.

The point was very few people would say "only a 50% rise".

 

Anyway I know you always like to have the last say so have your fill...

[Liverpool Lou]

23 hours ago, JayClay said:

The point was very few people would say "only a 50% rise".

 

Anyway I know you always like to have the last say so have your fill...

It's a public forum, someone, it's irrelevant who,  has to have the last say so I'll leave that to you.

[lujanit]

I came into town last Friday.  The taxi driver asked if he could use the expressway, I okay.  It was 110 baht for the expressway plus we were waiting for about an hour to get onto Sukhumvit.  Then he didn’t know how to get to Soi 18 and just dropped me off on Sukhumvit.  So I had to walk to my hotel.  Fare was double what I usually pay for the same trip.  Never take the expressway coming into town.

 

I have never had a problem before, outside drivers trying to take the long way around.

 

I could have booked Grab which I loathe for probably cheaper.  The problem with Grab is there are never any cars available and they are twice the price of a regular taxi.  What’s going to happen to Grab fares now?