Which of these apps have you used for TAXI ?

[Startmeup]

On 2/19/2024 at 11:49 PM, NoshowJones said:

Not on the meter. Fixed price. I never use a taxi on the meter for that journey, all it takes is an accident on the highway or some other hold up and the meter keeps going. Do Bolt insist using the meter? Bolt said between 1,500Bt and 1,700bt, a normal taxi is 1.400Bt.

You can get fixed price from Pattaya to Bangkok for less than 1000 baht in a car?

[NoshowJones]

10 minutes ago, Startmeup said:

You can get fixed price from Pattaya to Bangkok for less than 1000 baht in a car?

To The Mochit bus terminal? I don't think so, would tell me who for my next trip to Pattaya?

[SAFETY FIRST]

On 2/16/2024 at 2:46 PM, Startmeup said:

Which of these apps have you used 

Bonku 

I like Bonku. 👍

 

I had a gf long time ago, her name was 'U', she was a good bonk. 

[SAFETY FIRST]

On 2/19/2024 at 11:49 PM, NoshowJones said:

 all it takes is an accident on the highway or some other hold up and the meter keeps going. Do Bolt insist using the meter? Bolt said between 1,500Bt and 1,700bt, a normal taxi is 1.400Bt.

If there is a traffic jam or road block and your travel time is delayed, Bolt can charge you extra. 

 

Bangkok, I got a quote from Bolt to travel less than 2km. I sat in car for ages due to traffic, just before arriving the bolt driver showed me the new fair on their phone, it was twice the price, still cheap, didn't bother me. 

 

[NoshowJones]

2 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

If there is a traffic jam or road block and your travel time is delayed, Bolt can charge you extra. 

 

Bangkok, I got a quote from Bolt to travel less than 2km. I sat in car for ages due to traffic, just before arriving the bolt driver showed me the new fair on their phone, it was twice the price, still cheap, didn't bother me. 

 

Unless you have some kind of mobility problem, surely for less than 2km you would have been better walking. You get a fixed fare then the driver Bolt or not, cannot charge you more for the likes of heavy traffic or toll charges.

It would have bothered me to get charged double, not so much the money but for his cheek. Did he have a notice in the car saying that if the taxi is held up you will be charged double?

[Denim]

None. On our occasional visits to Bangkok we are mostly based on a main road so just flag down a passing taxi.  If not on a main road there is usually a passing ' WIN ' to get you to the ' bahg soi ' if too far to walk

On 2/17/2024 at 12:28 PM, retarius said:

Not used any. When I need a taxi which is rarely, I hail a meter cab. 

Same here. Don't go to Bangkok often but when we do just flag down a passing cab. Never an issue ( in the daytime at least )  On the one or two occasions when our hotel is off the main drag there is usually a WIN service up and down the soi. Never thought about using one of the above services since the need has never arisen.  If the wife is not with me tend to take a bus or train , the latter option also avoids traffic jams.

[richard_smith237]

12 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

26 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

If there is a traffic jam or road block and your travel time is delayed, Bolt can charge you extra. 

 

Bangkok, I got a quote from Bolt to travel less than 2km. I sat in car for ages due to traffic, just before arriving the bolt driver showed me the new fair on their phone, it was twice the price, still cheap, didn't bother me. 

 

Unless you have some kind of mobility problem, surely for less than 2km you would have been better walking. You get a fixed fare then the driver Bolt or not, cannot charge you more for the likes of heavy traffic or toll charges.

It would have bothered me to get charged double, not so much the money but for his cheek. Did he have a notice in the car saying that if the taxi is held up you will be charged double?

It would take the average person about 25 mins to walk 2 kms.....   thats no problem for most people from a mobility perspective.

However, 25 mins walking in this heat ???... no thanks and thats why people don't want to walk. 

 

When I first arrived in Thailand, friends and I were down by Nana and wanted to go up to Siam Centre... (pre-BTS days).

We started off in a taxi but it was too slow, so friends wanted to walk... We arrived at the Siam Centre at a similar time, them covered in sweat and me in relative comfort having continued on in the taxi.

 

As far as being charged more - the App predicts traffic patterns and charges accordingly with 'peak fares' etc...  once the fare is quoted I was not aware it could be changed (but could be mistaken on this) unless a 're-booking' is made, or alterations were made to the destination, or you instructed the driver to stop beyond the 'stopping area' made in the booking.

 

 

 

[NoshowJones]

On 2/20/2024 at 12:20 AM, treetops said:

 

The pic is from the app at the time of posting and Bolt's price was as shown. Not sure where you got the 1,500 to 1,700 baht from. Do a dummy booking and you'll see a price from Bolt.

Cannot do a dummy booking as Bolt do not operate in my area. But due to a poster who said he was charged double the fare because of heavy traffic, I will never use Bolt.

[transam]

Being charged for mileage and time is not unusual for a taxi. Private car hire (with driver) is a bit different...😉

After all, a taxi driver's time sat in traffic, which is no fault of his, costs him money.........🤗

[SAFETY FIRST]

16 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

Unless you have some kind of mobility problem, surely for less than 2km you would have been better walking. You get a fixed fare then the driver Bolt or not, cannot charge you more for the likes of heavy traffic or toll charges.

It would have bothered me to get charged double, not so much the money but for his cheek. Did he have a notice in the car saying that if the taxi is held up you will be charged double?

No mobility problem, just going out for a drink with some mates Saturday arvo. 

 

It was a lady driver, no there was no visible notice. 

 

I just did a quick Google search and found this 

 

[treetops]

7 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

Cannot do a dummy booking as Bolt do not operate in my area. But due to a poster who said he was charged double the fare because of heavy traffic, I will never use Bolt.

 

You're loss as there are many, many more satisfied customers than the single report you appear to be making your decision on - odd to say the least but maybe not unexpected.  You should be able to a dummy booking by inputting an origin and destination in areas where Bolt operates.

[NoshowJones]

6 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

It would take the average person about 25 mins to walk 2 kms.....   thats no problem for most people from a mobility perspective.

However, 25 mins walking in this heat ???... no thanks and thats why people don't want to walk. 

 

When I first arrived in Thailand, friends and I were down by Nana and wanted to go up to Siam Centre... (pre-BTS days).

We started off in a taxi but it was too slow, so friends wanted to walk... We arrived at the Siam Centre at a similar time, them covered in sweat and me in relative comfort.

 

As far as being charged more - the App predicts traffic patterns and charges accordingly with 'peak fares' etc...  once the fare is quoted I was not aware it could be changed unless a 're-booking' is made. 

 

 

 

 "no thanks and thats why people don't want to walk."  Another reason why so many people are overweight. 😄 Often I have walked from the  MRT at Asok to the Nana hotel or reverse towing a case and a laptop on my back, yes it was hot, but I was not always covered in sweat.

[NoshowJones]

18 minutes ago, transam said:

Being charged for mileage and time is not unusual for a taxi. Private car hire (with driver) is a bit different...😉

After all, a taxi driver's time sat in traffic, which is no fault of his, costs him money.........🤗

True Trans, but it is not the fault of the passenger either, and could cost him/her money, especially if they miss some connection, a lot more than the taxi driver.

[transam]

5 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

True Trans, but it is not the fault of the passenger either, and could cost him/her money, especially if they miss some connection, a lot more than the taxi driver.

That is a risk one must take if you want someone to take care of you. I was a London minicab driver (Private hire) for 7 years, so I know a bit about the dosh side of it.......😉

[NoshowJones]

24 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

No mobility problem, just going out for a drink with some mates Saturday arvo. 

 

It was a lady driver, no there was no visible notice. 

 

I just did a quick Google search and found this 

 

The last sentence is very unfair on the passenger, perhaps a case of the company wanting their cake and eating it, which is why I will never use Bolt.

I did do a bit of taxi driving myself, and was held up by one of these bigoted Orange Walks, I told my passenger I would take him a longer route and just  charge him the same fare, he was happy with that and it was good for business.

[NoshowJones]

57 minutes ago, treetops said:

 

You're loss as there are many, many more satisfied customers than the single report you appear to be making your decision on - odd to say the least but maybe not unexpected.  You should be able to a dummy booking by inputting an origin and destination in areas where Bolt operates.

Not in the app that I had, or maybe I misread it, any way that app that you put up, the last sentence on it would definitely put me of using it. 

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, NoshowJones said:

 "no thanks and thats why people don't want to walk."  Another reason why so many people are overweight. 😄 Often I have walked from the  MRT at Asok to the Nana hotel or reverse towing a case and a laptop on my back, yes it was hot, but I was not always covered in sweat.

 

The reason people don't want to walk, or more specifically, the reason I won't walk anywhere, is that its just too hot and humid.

 

I don't want to walk 25 min walk to a shopping mall or restaurant and arrive wet through with sweat, I don't even want to walk 10mins to the local 7-11 and back for the same reasons... I go out and fettle with my motorcycle for 20mins and I'm drenched... 

 

Yet, I'm perfectly happy, running around on a football pitch for 90 mins... cycling round the sky-lane for two hours, going for a jog or dedicated 'exercise' walk...  I actually enjoy getting the sweat on then, just not when I am wearing 'non sports clothes' and will be in an environment which is anything other than 'sporty'... 

 

As pointed out, not wanting to walk because of the heat and not wanting to walk because someone is being lazy are very different rationales and approaches...   It would be unfair to levy the accusation of laziness at those taking taxi's, its more about simply being comfortable - those who are overweight would be overweight in any country, regardless of climate.

 

[treetops]

6 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

Not in the app that I had, or maybe I misread it, any way that app that you put up, the last sentence on it would definitely put me of using it. 

 

I didn't put up that pic. The one I put up before showed the price of a Bolt trip from central  Pattaya to central Bangkok at just over 1,000 baht, which is more than reasonable considering you youself mentioned a "normal taxi" is 1,400 baht.

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, NoshowJones said:

1 hour ago, transam said:

Being charged for mileage and time is not unusual for a taxi. Private car hire (with driver) is a bit different...😉

After all, a taxi driver's time sat in traffic, which is no fault of his, costs him money.........🤗

True Trans, but it is not the fault of the passenger either, and could cost him/her money, especially if they miss some connection, a lot more than the taxi driver.

 

I think a 'charge for the time' is also perfectly reasonable...    A taxi driver should be rewarded for both his time and the distance, its only fair IMO.

 

As you mentioned Jonesey, it could cost the passenger on their side through no fault of their own, but thats part of the risk of travelling everywhere. 

 

In a situation whereby a taxi drivers is only going to be charged for the distance in heavy traffic, it would not be worth their while to take any passenger and consequently the taxi system would fall apart at any peak traffic period - this is why peak surcharging exists in the first place on the Ride Hailing Apps and also the 'time charge' in flag fare taxis.

 

 

All of that said: What is the fault of the taxi driver is when they cancel a ride last minute and you've been relying on that booking to get somewhere... Yes, its happened to friends going to an airport, whereby they had a booking which was cancelled 30mins before, they then struggled to get a taxi an nearly missed their flight.... Its happened to me numerous times when booking a taxi (Grab / Bolt) a few hours in advance only to have them cancel 30 mins before hand and I cant get another at peak traffic times (the wife ends to taking me, which is inconvenient for her).

 

We're relying on a service which has to be fair for both parties, but it also has to be reliable - the issue here is that I've witnessed a certain degree of 'Thainess' that gets in the way of reliability.

.... and thats not a Thai Bash, I love this place, but I do see this and similar issues repeated based on a certain 'happy go lucky don't think too much degree of apathy' which is part of what makes being here enjoyable, but also very frustrating at times). 

 

These ride hailing apps where at their peak when UBER and GRAB were in competition... As soon as UBER were 'nudged' out of the market and GRAB had the Lions share of the business the standards dropped off - a perfect example of lack of competition which causes many issues. 

 

Thus: Its good to see more of these Apps in place, but I wonder how competitive they will really be.

 

[NoshowJones]

3 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

The reason people don't want to walk, or more specifically, the reason I won't walk anywhere, is that its just too hot and humid.

 

I don't want to walk 25 min walk to a shopping mall or restaurant and arrive wet through with sweat, I don't even want to walk 10mins to the local 7-11 and back for the same reasons... I go out and fettle with my motorcycle for 20mins and I'm drenched... 

 

Yet, I'm perfectly happy, running around on a football pitch for 90 mins... cycling round the sky-lane for two hours, going for a jog or dedicated 'exercise' walk...  I actually enjoy getting the sweat on then, just not when I am wearing 'non sports clothes' and will be in an environment which is anything other than 'sporty'... 

 

As pointed out, not wanting to walk because of the heat and not wanting to walk because someone is being lazy are very different rationales and approaches...   It would be unfair to levy the accusation of laziness at those taking taxi's, its more about simply being comfortable - those who are overweight would be overweight in any country, regardless of climate.

 

Excellent post Richard, and your right, but I wear the some type of clothes all the time, long trousers, a top and sandals or trainers, but I do think there are a lot more farangs who are overweight in Bangkok and Pattaya then there are anywhere in the UK.

[NoshowJones]

12 minutes ago, treetops said:

 

I didn't put up that pic. The one I put up before showed the price of a Bolt trip from central  Pattaya to central Bangkok at just over 1,000 baht, which is more than reasonable considering you youself mentioned a "normal taxi" is 1,400 baht.

Sorry about that. I did try out the app when I was in Pattaya and Bolt did quote a price like between 1500 and 1700 but that was for Pattaya to Mochit Bus Terminal. Maybe Central Bangkok is around the lower Sukhumvit area and Mochit is farther away.

 

[NoshowJones]

12 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I think a 'charge for the time' is also perfectly reasonable...    A taxi driver should be rewarded for both his time and the distance, its only fair IMO.

 

As you mentioned Jonesey, it could cost the passenger on their side through no fault of their own, but thats part of the risk of travelling everywhere. 

 

In a situation whereby a taxi drivers is only going to be charged for the distance in heavy traffic, it would not be worth their while to take any passenger and consequently the taxi system would fall apart at any peak traffic period - this is why peak surcharging exists in the first place on the Ride Hailing Apps and also the 'time charge' in flag fare taxis.

 

 

All of that said: What is the fault of the taxi driver is when they cancel a ride last minute and you've been relying on that booking to get somewhere... Yes, its happened to friends going to an airport, whereby they had a booking which was cancelled 30mins before, they then struggled to get a taxi an nearly missed their flight.... Its happened to me numerous times when booking a taxi (Grab / Bolt) a few hours in advance only to have them cancel 30 mins before hand and I cant get another at peak traffic times (the wife ends to taking me, which is inconvenient for her).

 

We're relying on a service which has to be fair for both parties, but it also has to be reliable - the issue here is that I've witnessed a certain degree of 'Thainess' that gets in the way of reliability.

.... and thats not a Thai Bash, I love this place, but I do see this and similar issues repeated based on a certain 'happy go lucky don't think too much degree of apathy' which is part of what makes being here enjoyable, but also very frustrating at times). 

 

These ride hailing apps where at their peak when UBER and GRAB were in competition... As soon as UBER were 'nudged' out of the market and GRAB had the Lions share of the business the standards dropped off - a perfect example of lack of competition which causes many issues. 

 

Thus: Its good to see more of these Apps in place, but I wonder how competitive they will really be.

 

Another excellent post. But in business whether it is Taxi's or anything else the ordinary customer always comes of worse, there is never any consideration for them, skin them as much as you can is always the attitude. That's Capitalism, but I will stop there before this goes off topic.

[SAFETY FIRST]

3 hours ago, NoshowJones said:

did do a bit of taxi driving myself

Taxi driving in the west is very different. 

If I took the same taxi ride in Sydney that I took in Bangkok recently I'd be paying $100. 

 

Bolt doubling the fare was still ridiculously CHEAP 

 

 

I got to say the taxi's in Thailand are the cheapest in the world, just make sure the meter is ON 

 

[NoshowJones]

4 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Taxi driving in the west is very different. 

If I took the same taxi ride in Sydney that I took in Bangkok recently I'd be paying $100. 

 

Bolt doubling the fare was still ridiculously CHEAP 

 

Yes compared to Sydney. But if I get a price for any service, taxi or otherwise, I do not expect to get charged double that price, no matter how cheap or how good the service was.

[ChipButty]

A few months back my daughter was here and she was staying in Karon we used BOLT a few times very reliable and good cars, one day came back to Rawai alone and they sent s Fortuna, 

From Rawai to the airport I just checked now with BOLT, 750 baht a normal taxi local 1000 baht or more,

Another app I have on my phone same journey 615 baht 

[cockmanjan]

I totally get where you're coming from with the fixed price. I’ve had my share of long journeys where the meter just keeps ticking away, especially when there's unexpected traffic. I’ve started using Airport Taxi Online lately for those kinds of rides. It’s been super reliable, and they give a fixed price upfront, which I like.

[cockmanjan]

On 12/9/2024 at 3:05 PM, cockmanjan said:

I totally get where you're coming from with the fixed price. I’ve had my share of long journeys where the meter just keeps ticking away, especially when there's unexpected traffic. I’ve started using Airport Taxi Online lately for those kinds of rides. It’s been super reliable, and they give a fixed price upfront, which I like.

 I had a recent trip to the airport, and they quoted me a fair price around 1,600Bt, which was exactly what I paid. I found them through their website, otstaxi.com, and it's been smooth sailing ever since. It’s such a relief not having to worry about the meter running up while stuck in traffic.