Taxi turmoil: Thai woman cries foul as Bolt taxi charges 1,350 baht for 30 minute trip in Bangkok

[webfact]

 

Another day in Big Mango, another story of a bad boy Bangkok taxi driver ripping off a customer, this time a Thai woman was ripped off by Bolt Thailand.

 

The Thai woman condemned the rail-hailing application for overcharging her after a Bolt taxi driver demanded 1,350 baht for a 30-minute ride, about 50 kilometres, from the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC Bangna) to Bangkok University.

 

The woman, Natcha Ditsayawattana, shared her experience of taking a taxi via the Bolt application on the We Are Consumers Facebook group yesterday, October 2. Natcha explained that she requested a taxi to pick her up at BITEC Bangna at around 11pm on Saturday, September 30, to go to Bangkok University.

Natcha said that the application initially showed that the journey would take about 30 minutes for 41 kilometres to her destination, with an estimated fare of around 300 to 400 baht. However, when the ride concluded, Natcha found herself charged a total of 1,350 baht, inclusive of the toll fee.

 

by Petch Petpailin

Photo by Mentozs Sys via Unsplash.

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2023-10-03

 

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[KannikaP]

Why does the photo show a Taxi Meter car?

[metisdead]

2 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Why does the photo show a Taxi Meter car?

 

Maybe you should contact  The Thaiger to find the answer to your question.

[KannikaP]

Just now, metisdead said:

 

Maybe you should contact  The Thaiger to find the answer to your question.

OK, will do. Thanks.

[NoDisplayName]

4 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Why does the photo show a Taxi Meter car?

Because the headline reads "Taxi turmoil......in Bangkok"

 

The writer (or intern) does a quick google image search for "Bangkok taxi" and grabs the first photo that looks pretty.

[Countryman]

12 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Why does the photo show a Taxi Meter car?

Most likely because they didn't have a photo of a Bolt taxi ....

[steven100]

That's an expensive fare for a 30 minute ride ...   the cops need to catch the driver and fine him for ripping customers off and damaging Thailand pristine reputation

[richard_smith237]

20 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Why does the photo show a Taxi Meter car?

Both Bolt & Grab also use regular Taxi’s in addition to conventional cars who’s drivers are signed up for service. 

[richard_smith237]

When using the Bolt app the charges are shown when booking the ride. 
 

Defo more expensive than it should have been, but, at certain times there is surge pricing - Grab is getting ridiculously expensive (relatively) at certain times of the day (I.e. 300 baht for a 80 baht journey - perhaps it’s time to go back to the old ‘phone booking system’). 

[TroubleandGrumpy]

There is no way, even at that time of night, that it would take only 30 minutes. That is right through the heart of busy Bangkok - plus of course there would be tolls involved.  However, it should still be about 600-700 Baht?

[bignok]

Use Bolt

[freeworld]

41 minutes ago, steven100 said:

That's an expensive fare for a 30 minute ride ...   the cops need to catch the driver and fine him for ripping customers off and damaging Thailand pristine reputation

i don't know how it works here but in another country the app quotes the fare before one starts the journey.

 

Then one has to be careful of the tricks the drivers have where before they arrive they tell you they have arrived at your pick up point but they are not there and the fare start rising for waiting time. Also in the app the address location of the destination has to be exact, some times it is in the same vicinity when you select the address and when you tell the driver to go to your real address location the fare starts rising.

 

But all in all Bolt is quite a good app for transport and it is much much cheaper than taxis or renting a car in my home country.

Edited October 3, 2023 by freeworld

[bignok]

Never paid more than 500 baht

[ChipButty]

24 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

When using the Bolt app the charges are shown when booking the ride. 
 

Defo more expensive than it should have been, but, at certain times there is surge pricing - Grab is getting ridiculously expensive (relatively) at certain times of the day (I.e. 300 baht for a 80 baht journey - perhaps it’s time to go back to the old ‘phone booking system’). 

A young lady sitting near to us in the coffee shop the other morning when it was raining heavy, she called Grab for less than 1 km away, the fare was 300 baht, My wife said to her we go by there we will drop you, 

[bob smith]

Taxi thugs at it again!

 

they just can’t help themselves. 

[freeworld]

19 minutes ago, bignok said:

Use Bolt

I think you may have meant use a taxi.

[bignok]

Use Grab

[Lemsta69]

14 minutes ago, bignok said:

Never paid more than 500 baht

This story's not about you.

[bignok]

3 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

This story's not about you.

Lets make it about you then.

[bignok]

Just complain to Bolt. How hard is it?

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, bignok said:

Just complain to Bolt. How hard is it?

Hard… complaints here nearly always fall on 'deaf ears’ & are completely ignored as they require effort & coloring outside the lines. 
 

It’s becoming well established here that the only way to ‘get through’ is to create sufficient wealth socialmedia embarrassment that someone in a position of responsibility / accountability is forced to acknowledge, face & deal with an issue. 

[Lemsta69]

4 minutes ago, bignok said:

Just complain to Bolt. How hard is it?

She did, as noted in the article.

[bignok]

3 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Hard… complaints here nearly always fall on 'deaf ears’ & are completely ignored as they require effort & coloring outside the lines. 
 

It’s becoming well established here that the only way to ‘get through’ is to create sufficient wealth socialmedia embarrassment that someone in a position of responsibility / accountability is forced to acknowledge, face & deal with an issue. 

I complained to Grab and got credit within 48 hours.

[freeworld]

1 minute ago, richard_smith237 said:

Hard… complaints here nearly always fall on 'deaf ears’ & are completely ignored as they require effort & coloring outside the lines. 
 

It’s becoming well established here that the only way to ‘get through’ is to create sufficient wealth socialmedia embarrassment that someone in a position of responsibility / accountability is forced to acknowledge, face & deal with an issue. 

Not only that but one is dealing with a faceless organisation. The complaint is through the app and they accept the complaint and then you never hear from them again.

 

For the odd 1300 Baht fare it would not be worth the time and effort and stress back and forth with them.

[richard_smith237]

2 minutes ago, freeworld said:

Not only that but one is dealing with a faceless organisation. The complaint is through the app and they accept the complaint and then you never hear from them again.

 

For the odd 1300 Baht fare it would not be worth the time and effort and stress back and forth with them.

Years ago a bus ran a red light & very nearly hit my wife (driving) - would’ve killed her. 

 

She called a Land Transport complaint line & was told “so what, you’re still alive so what’s the problem” !!!!

 

…. infuriating…  

 

Faceless organisations which spout professional platitudes but have no reasonable stress free method of dealing with customers is a blight on modern society. 

[Lemsta69]

10 minutes ago, bignok said:

I complained to Grab and got credit within 48 hours.

Grab is not Bolt.

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

Why does the photo show a Taxi Meter car?

Perhaps the white car that is shown behind the taxi is the Bolt car. 

Perhaps the taxi driver is also a driver for Bolt? 

Perhaps what is in the photo really doesn't matter.

Edited October 3, 2023 by Liverpool Lou

[bignok]

Taxis can do Bolt too. Think its 20 baht extra.

[Liverpool Lou]

44 minutes ago, bob smith said:

Taxi thugs at it again!

Bolt thugs, in a car.  The report did not state that it was a normal metered taxi that turned up.

[Beerzy65]

I was ripped off buy a Bolt driver a year ago 99 baht for 7 minute trip down Sukhumvit road. He took me via sukhumvit 63 road and Sukhumvit road. Now I use Indrive and never had another r r problem. Yes use grab too occaisionally