Rejection of passengers tops list of complaints about Bangkok’s cabbies

[webfact]

 

The Land Transport Department has received more than 2,000 passenger complaints against taxi drivers in Bangkok, with most of them concerning cabbies’ rejection of passengers, since the new taxi fares came into effect on January 16th.

 

Of the 2,120 complaints, 720 concerned cabbies’ rejection of passengers, 455 concerned impolite behaviour towards passengers, 358 were for reckless driving, 237 for not using meters and 221 cases of malfunctioning meters.

 

The department has already responded to 1,650 complaints and has taken legal action in 479 cases.

 

Since the new fares came into effect, 34,812 taxis have had their meters adjusted.

 

Source: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/rejection-of-passengers-tops-list-of-complaints-about-bangkoks-cabbies/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-02-20

 

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[brucegoniners]

We left BKK 6 years ago and at that time they said they were going to punish and ban the drivers who did this.

 

They still haven't done a thing about it.

 

Ah, Thailand...

[spidermike007]

I rarely have these problems with cabs. Only near Nana. And only late at night. Sometimes takes a few cabs to get one that will use the meter. Usually, not an issue. And normally the cabbies are pretty nice, if you treat them kindly. It is a tough job. 

[geisha]

Ive never had a problem in Bangkok. Maybe lucky ? I will say that Phuket is the worst, on a par with Pattaya, close behind. Compare the prices you pay in Bangkok with those two , and you’ll never complain about Bangkok drivers again. Add on to that, what Bangkok drivers have to go through every day, pollution, time lost to road works and never ending queues, cheap prices and low wages while the other two laze around smoking and then charge you double or more the real fare. That’s where the complaints should be. 

[Tom H]

telephone number, please

[Bangkok Barry]

31 minutes ago, geisha said:

Ive never had a problem in Bangkok. Maybe lucky ? I will say that Phuket is the worst, on a par with Pattaya, close behind. Compare the prices you pay in Bangkok with those two , and you’ll never complain about Bangkok drivers again. Add on to that, what Bangkok drivers have to go through every day, pollution, time lost to road works and never ending queues, cheap prices and low wages while the other two laze around smoking and then charge you double or more the real fare. That’s where the complaints should be. 

They don't have to take a job with such 'hardships', do they? If they don't like the working conditions then do something else. If they're fit for anything else.

[Bangkok Barry]

As usual in Thailand, nobody cares. If they were serious about making drivers obey the law then all they have to do is get a bunch of soldiers, who do who knows what all day, out there dressed in civvies to try and take taxis, and everyone who breaks the rules should be arrested and have their license taken away, no ifs or buts. The word would soon get around. And don't have one-day crackdowns as they do now once a year. Do it, day after day, week after week. Of course, it will never happen because nobody really cares. Thailand - Hub of Apathy.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Of the 2,120 complaints, 720 concerned cabbies’ rejection of passengers, 455 concerned impolite behaviour towards passengers, 358 were for reckless driving, 237 for not using meters and 221 cases of malfunctioning meters.

Business as usual then.

[OneMoreFarang]

It depends a lot on the location.

I live in a Soi in lower Sukhumvit. I can ask 10 taxis driving outside of my building and the chance is high that 10 of 10 demand a fixed price or don't want to go at all. And that is almost independent of the destination.

If I walk 500m to the main Sukhumvit Road it's still bad, but after I stop maybe 3 or 5 taxis there will be one willing to use the meter.

In other non-tourist parts of Bangkok often the first taxi is willing to use the meter. Some don't want to go to Sukhumvit, but that seems more about the location and not about the money.

 

Yesterday I saw traffic cones for maybe 100m on Sukhumvit Road right next to one of those official information booth. It seems the idea is that nobody parks there illegally. So far, so good. And then I saw one of the usual taxi-no-meter removing a few of those cones to park exactly there. Interesting. Are they paying someone to park there so they can pick up new tourists?

 

All this is of course nothing new. Maybe it's only worse than it ever was. The authorities know about it, and they could easily fine those drivers. But obviously they don't do that. TiT.

 

That is one of the reasons why I use my bike 99% of the time.

[Joe Farang]

49 minutes ago, geisha said:

Ive never had a problem in Bangkok. Maybe lucky ? I will say that Phuket is the worst, on a par with Pattaya, close behind. Compare the prices you pay in Bangkok with those two , and you’ll never complain about Bangkok drivers again. Add on to that, what Bangkok drivers have to go through every day, pollution, time lost to road works and never ending queues, cheap prices and low wages while the other two laze around smoking and then charge you double or more the real fare. That’s where the complaints should be. 

Phuket on a par with Pattaya?. I've never paid more than 20 Baht for a taxi in Pattaya, majority of the time I pay 10 Baht. Most of my Taxi's were to Jomtien or from Jomtien. Other than that it was soi buakow to Walking st (traffic lights 2nd road) or vice versa (2nd road soi Diana Inn)

[Salerno]

A Baht bus is not a taxi.

[new2here]

Again, if they really wanted to root out this problem (recognizing that they’ll never get to truly zero) would be to implement consistent and tough penalties... 

 

For me, IMHO, two of the greatest “powers” government really has when it comes to implementing penalties to be a deterrent are: seizure of any assets used during the commission of said action and/or remaking the offender to jail.

 

To me, once you start showing that violators will loose their “stuff” - be that their cars, motorcycles etc AND will loose their freedom for X period of time - NOW i think you’ll see a deterrent effect.

 

I like the two-prong approach of asset seizures and/or imprisonment as it really acts as a deterrent to both the normal man; who really can’t afford to loose their stuff due yo law violation… as well as the rich— who can’t buy their way out of a period of imprisonment.

 

Heavy handed? you bet… but again, IF you REALY want to root out a problem, then you’ve got to have a situation whereby people KNOW that the risks just don’t outweigh the possible consequences for non-compliance.

 

yes, in Bangkok, the job is hard… agreed.. and yes, the income can be variable.. but that’s what the job is.. and if they want it different, then there’s a process and channels for them to effect change - self-help via willful non-compliance isn’t the way and should be met with full force. 

[Red Forever]

Last week we met family at Swampy. 2 metered taxis to Silom.

Both cost under 500 baht including tolls.

Bangkok taxis are among the best in the world .

[sharpjwe]

I go into the cab 

Sit and tell my destination. 

Rejejtion 

I explain the driver has the duty to drive. Still refuse. Phone out 1155.

He drives to my destination. 

I make him stop at end of soi. 

Not in front of house. 

He was <deleted> off but i got home. 

 

 

[swm59nj]

I try to stay away from taxis as much as possible.  For the ones I have used it’s a <deleted> shoot.  Living in Bangkok for almost three years some will use the meter.  Some will quote some outrageous flat rate. They think all farangs are tourists that don’t know any better. 
As an example.  Last week I went to a department store  very near Terminal 21 in Asoke.  I won’t say the name.   I actually live in this area. 
I had to go somewhere after shopping.  Grab wasn’t readily available as usual. So I went outside the main entrance of the mall.  On the property at the side of the building were about eight taxis parked.  And a security guard that worked for the store.

Guard comes over to me asking if I needed a taxi.  I show him the address in Thai on my phone.  And I said meter.  The location was about seven minutes away. 
The guard then brings over one of the drivers.  He looks at the address and says 150 baht.  Driver appeared to speak some English.   I told him meter I’m not a tourist.  He became agitated,  saying yeah yeah and walked away.  Then the guard said something to him , and they both laughed. 
Then the guard came over to me .  And in his broken English try to tell me some nonsense the taxis parked there were house taxis no meter. 
Obviously the guard is in on the scam with these drivers.  I reported it to Central that owns the store. 
Just because people work in a job that might be difficult and not much money .  Doesn’t mean they should try to take advantage of people. 
 

 

 

[fersken]

I don't understand people bother to keep taking taxi in Bangkok, and have to argue with the driver, take a Grab, it works, you know the price in advance.

[Andyfez]

Before covid there was an app where you could report problems. Is it still in use?

 

I agree with previous posters - I generally only have a problem in Sukhumvit/Silom/Grand Palace areas.

 

 

[SbuxPlease]

I live in lower Sukhumvit and totally gave up on all public taxis. They park and clog the throat of this Soi waiting for tourists who don't know better to pay outrageous fixed prices. Anyone else who tries to park there is verbally attacked by these taxi gangsters and they use orange cones to try and reserve their spots.

 

At night they sit there drinking beer with the policeman who hangs out on the soi as well. I hope they sleep it off before taking the next fare but I doubt it.

 

[ikke1959]

4 hours ago, brucegoniners said:

We left BKK 6 years ago and at that time they said they were going to punish and ban the drivers who did this.

 

They still haven't done a thing about it.

 

Ah, Thailand...

as everything..... talking a lot but no actions...or at least a little bit or for a few days....

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

They don't have to take a job with such 'hardships', do they? If they don't like the working conditions then do something else. If they're fit for anything else.

In most cases and not just in Thailand people only drive taxis because they don't have the brains to do anything else. It was common in my home country for people made redundant in their normal jobs to use their redundancy pay to buy a cab and license.

[NoshowJones]

4 hours ago, swm59nj said:

I try to stay away from taxis as much as possible.  For the ones I have used it’s a <deleted> shoot.  Living in Bangkok for almost three years some will use the meter.  Some will quote some outrageous flat rate. They think all farangs are tourists that don’t know any better. 
As an example.  Last week I went to a department store  very near Terminal 21 in Asoke.  I won’t say the name.   I actually live in this area. 
I had to go somewhere after shopping.  Grab wasn’t readily available as usual. So I went outside the main entrance of the mall.  On the property at the side of the building were about eight taxis parked.  And a security guard that worked for the store.

Guard comes over to me asking if I needed a taxi.  I show him the address in Thai on my phone.  And I said meter.  The location was about seven minutes away. 
The guard then brings over one of the drivers.  He looks at the address and says 150 baht.  Driver appeared to speak some English.   I told him meter I’m not a tourist.  He became agitated,  saying yeah yeah and walked away.  Then the guard said something to him , and they both laughed. 
Then the guard came over to me .  And in his broken English try to tell me some nonsense the taxis parked there were house taxis no meter. 
Obviously the guard is in on the scam with these drivers.  I reported it to Central that owns the store. 
Just because people work in a job that might be difficult and not much money .  Doesn’t mean they should try to take advantage of people. 
 

 

 

Look at the cost of a taxi from the Nana Hotel, there is a list of prices at the door, to the Mochit bus terminal 500 Baht. No way was I paying that. So I got a taxi from Sukhumvit Road just down from the junction at Soi 4. the cost was just under 200 Baht.  Is it the Nana Hotel who are the crooks or the Taxis themselves?

[StayinThailand2much]

7 hours ago, brucegoniners said:

We left BKK 6 years ago and at that time they said they were going to punish and ban the drivers who did this.

 

They still haven't done a thing about it.

 

Ah, Thailand...

Give it another 6 or 12 years, and still nothing will change...

[StayinThailand2much]

7 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I rarely have these problems with cabs. Only near Nana. And only late at night. Sometimes takes a few cabs to get one that will use the meter. Usually, not an issue. And normally the cabbies are pretty nice, if you treat them kindly. It is a tough job. 

When I have luggage, it's often hard to get a taxi. Don't know why. I would even lift my bags into the trunk by myself. On the other hand, if I don't need one, they drive by and honk... TiT!

[VocalNeal]

4 hours ago, swm59nj said:

On the property at the side of the building were about eight taxis parked.

In all my years in Bangkok I learned not to bother with parked taxis always flag down a moving one. 

Exception maybe busy taxi "ranks" where the taxis are taken so quickly that they are basically in a moving line. Chatuchuck/Mo Chit BTS going north in rush hour is an example of this.

[bendejo]

22 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

Look at the cost of a taxi from the Nana Hotel, there is a list of prices at the door, to the Mochit bus terminal 500 Baht. No way was I paying that. So I got a taxi from Sukhumvit Road just down from the junction at Soi 4. the cost was just under 200 Baht.  Is it the Nana Hotel who are the crooks or the Taxis themselves?

There is always a little bit of incentive to keep things in working order. ????

It's usually the taxis parked on the street in front of hotels: if they can't clip you they won't take you. 

 

 

[userabcd]

5 hours ago, new2here said:

Again, if they really wanted to root out this problem (recognizing that they’ll never get to truly zero) would be to implement consistent and tough penalties... 

 

For me, IMHO, two of the greatest “powers” government really has when it comes to implementing penalties to be a deterrent are: seizure of any assets used during the commission of said action and/or remaking the offender to jail.

 

To me, once you start showing that violators will loose their “stuff” - be that their cars, motorcycles etc AND will loose their freedom for X period of time - NOW i think you’ll see a deterrent effect.

 

I like the two-prong approach of asset seizures and/or imprisonment as it really acts as a deterrent to both the normal man; who really can’t afford to loose their stuff due yo law violation… as well as the rich— who can’t buy their way out of a period of imprisonment.

 

Heavy handed? you bet… but again, IF you REALY want to root out a problem, then you’ve got to have a situation whereby people KNOW that the risks just don’t outweigh the possible consequences for non-compliance.

 

yes, in Bangkok, the job is hard… agreed.. and yes, the income can be variable.. but that’s what the job is.. and if they want it different, then there’s a process and channels for them to effect change - self-help via willful non-compliance isn’t the way and should be met with full force. 

That is a bit extreme.

[new2here]

32 minutes ago, userabcd said:

That is a bit extreme.

yes.. IMHO.. the relationship really is how tough your enforcement is has a direct proportional impact on the level of compliance 

 

It all depends on how “badly” does the government want a fix. 

[Dexxter]

10 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I rarely have these problems with cabs. Only near Nana. And only late at night. Sometimes takes a few cabs to get one that will use the meter. Usually, not an issue. And normally the cabbies are pretty nice, if you treat them kindly. It is a tough job. 

If I ever needed to catch a taxi near the red light tourist areas (Nana, Cowboy, Patpong) I would always start walking away from the area and flag down a passing cab. I would rarely use one that was standing nearby waiting for a fare. Passing cabs always turned their meters on for me.

[LatPhrao]

11 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I rarely have these problems with cabs. Only near Nana. And only late at night. Sometimes takes a few cabs to get one that will use the meter. Usually, not an issue. And normally the cabbies are pretty nice, if you treat them kindly. It is a tough job. 

As usual you live in a detached from reality existence.    The taxi cab stops, rolls down window and negotiations begin! - this happens so often it's just common.  Or in the rare instance the window doesn't roll down then you get in and the negotiation begins or if you're going short distance they may actually use the meter.   Going somewhere out of the way?  200 baht, 300 baht or just refuse to go at all.   2,000 complaints only, unless that's per day it's not a real number!

[LatPhrao]

This has become so common now it makes me ill.   The taxi cab stops, rolls down window and negotiations begin! - this happens so often it's just common.  Or in the rare instance the window doesn't roll down then you get in and the negotiation begins or if you're going short distance they may actually use the meter.   Going somewhere out of the way?  200 baht, 300 baht or just refuse to go at all.   2,000 complaints only, unless that's per day it's not a real number!   And just to add, if you're looking for a taxi outside the Sukhumvit tourist zone it's worse!