In a move to safeguard tourists’ wallets, Bangkok unveils an arsenal of measures to tackle the notorious tuk tuk and taxi overcharging crisis.

 

Amidst a flurry of concerns raised over the fleecing of foreign tourists by tuk tuk and taxi drivers, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has taken a decisive stand. Permanent Secretary Wanthanee Wattana spearheaded this pivotal moment following an intensive meeting with both public and private stakeholders.

 

Diving into the heart of the issue, yesterday’s summit convened at the illustrious Bangkok City Hall and was chaired by none other than PM’s office minister Puangphet Choonla-iad. A coalition of representatives from various agencies lent their voices to the cause, acknowledging the urgent need for action.

 

Unveiling a comprehensive strategy to combat exploitation, Wanthanee unveiled five game-changing enforcement measures poised to revolutionise tourist safety:

 

• Surveillance Superhighway: Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, the BMA will deploy an extensive network of security cameras to crack down on traffic violations, rogue vendors clogging sidewalks, and brazen flouting of parking regulations – all within areas frequented by international visitors.
• Seal of Trust: A beacon of hope for weary travellers, the BMA will issue coveted stickers to tuk tuks, taxis, and shops committed to fair pricing. These badges of integrity signify registration with the BMA, promising tourists a shield against overcharging and scams. Bold signage will serve as a warning beacon, steering tourists away from treacherous traps.
• Unified Front Against Exploitation: Joining forces with government counterparts, the BMA pledges a relentless pursuit of opportunists preying on tourists. With a vow to apprehend and penalise offenders, the city administration sends a clear message: exploitation will not go unchecked.
• Citizen Vigilance: Calling upon the public as allies in the fight for fairness, the BMA encourages vigilant monitoring of illicit activities. Together, residents and tourists alike form an impenetrable frontline against exploitation.
• Empowering Tourists: Equipping tourists with lifelines, the BMA unveils dedicated helpline numbers and informative guidebooks. Armed with essential resources, visitors can navigate Bangkok’s bustling streets with confidence, steering clear of predatory pitfalls.

 

These measures, initially implemented in the vibrant Ratchaprasong area, are scheduled for expansion to encompass other pivotal tourism hubs across the capital, including the iconic Rattanakosin Island, reported The Nation.

 

Joining forces in this historic endeavour were representatives from esteemed entities including the Metropolitan Police Bureau, the Traffic Police Division, the Land Transport Department, the BMA’s Tourism Department, the Office of the Consumer Protection Board, and the Ratchaprasong Square Trade Association (RSTA).

 

By Puntid Tantivangphaisal

Caption: Photo courtesy of The Nation

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-02-29

 

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it would be nice to have the helpline and complaints numbers for foreigners wishing to complain agains the taxi and tuk tuk mafia crooks.

 

Very good for Bangkok, what what about the other towns like Phuket-Hua Hin-Pattaya ?

 

Foreigners in Bangkok mostly use the skytrain so this would be more of concern in the other beach towns

Hope it works. It would be nice to have a decent taxi service. Tuk-tuks are vile and dirty and should be scrapped immediately. They are not in any way picturesque, they are simply uncomnfoprtalber dangerous and smelly driven by mad men.

Raise the fares in regular air-conditioned taxis, taxi drivers deserve a fairer deal for doing a tough job, but jail any driver who doesn't use a meter or has tampered with it. What I would like to see is the meter wired into the ignition, so that if the meter isn't running the ignition doesn't work, (but of course you would also need sensors in all the seats to ensure there were no passengers, and then the ignition would work without the meter. 

It all seems a bit hypocritical when the state sanctions dual charging of non-Thai's....

 

 

 

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

• Surveillance Superhighway: Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, the BMA will deploy an extensive network of security cameras to crack down on traffic violations, rogue vendors clogging sidewalks, and brazen flouting of parking regulations – all within areas frequented by international visitors.

Sp Police wont need to step out of their AC boxes  - no change there then !!!

 

 

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

• Seal of Trust: A beacon of hope for weary travellers, the BMA will issue coveted stickers to tuk tuks, taxis, and shops committed to fair pricing. These badges of integrity signify registration with the BMA, promising tourists a shield against overcharging and scams. Bold signage will serve as a warning beacon, steering tourists away from treacherous traps.

Seal of trust... hmm... How long before these 'badges' are sold by the very officials tasked with stamping out the the tourist scams ?

 

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

• Unified Front Against Exploitation: Joining forces with government counterparts, the BMA pledges a relentless pursuit of opportunists preying on tourists. With a vow to apprehend and penalise offenders, the city administration sends a clear message: exploitation will not go unchecked.

... erm.. only if it reaches social media and becomes an issue. 

 

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

• Citizen Vigilance: Calling upon the public as allies in the fight for fairness, the BMA encourages vigilant monitoring of illicit activities. Together, residents and tourists alike form an impenetrable frontline against exploitation.

And then ??...   do nothing, because when has anything been done anyway ? (yes, I'm too skeptical) 

 

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

• Empowering Tourists: Equipping tourists with lifelines, the BMA unveils dedicated helpline numbers and informative guidebooks. Armed with essential resources, visitors can navigate Bangkok’s bustling streets with confidence, steering clear of predatory pitfalls.

hmm... because all helplines and complaint lines worked in the past, right ??

 

If there are no enforcements there is no effect. Severe punishment as revoking licenses and high fines will stop the overcharging much better. Tourists have no clue because who is going to inform them in time?

There's a pretty simple solution to the overpricing: as soon as they ask me how much I want to pay I walk away and go to the next guy until I find one who either wants to use the meter or give me a fair price in fhe case of motorbike taxis and tuk tuks. 

Oh dear, is it that time again, just how many times have they said they will fix the problem... Thailand, Hub of false ideas.

9 hours ago, observer90210 said:

it would be nice to have the helpline and complaints numbers for foreigners wishing to complain agains the taxi and tuk tuk mafia crooks.

 

Very good for Bangkok, what what about the other towns like Phuket-Hua Hin-Pattaya ?

 

Foreigners in Bangkok mostly use the skytrain so this would be more of concern in the other beach towns

They already have a help line to report these scamming drivers. They even have an app for it. But alot of good those did when no-one speaks english and the app is in Thai. I tried to report a driver once on the app and once on the phone. I had video footage of what happened for each incident. Nothing ever came about my reporting the drivers. So these nice new little help lines is just like most of the lip service foreigners read about. It will work for a short time then it will stop. 

9 hours ago, observer90210 said:

it would be nice to have the helpline and complaints numbers for foreigners wishing to complain agains the taxi and tuk tuk mafia crooks.

So, you get scammed by a taxi, call the hot-line and report them.

At best they're found, fined and back on to road to continue their scamming.

Useless measures get useless results.

No need of AI-controlled cameras and all that jazz including the citizen to become vigilant!!

SIMPLY publish and display in every vehicle the rates/price-list - why so complicated?

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

1 hour ago, pacovl46 said:

There's a pretty simple solution to the overpricing: as soon as they ask me how much I want to pay I walk away and go to the next guy until I find one who either wants to use the meter or give me a fair price in fhe case of motorbike taxis and tuk tuks. 

I wave them on as soon as they wind the window down because if they wind the window down it will be a high fare or selective about destination.

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

this pivotal moment

Ha ha ha ha ha ha, breathe, ha ha ha ha ha ha! Stopped reading after that! 

40 minutes ago, Aussie999 said:

Oh dear, is it that time again, just how many times have they said they will fix the problem... Thailand, Hub of false ideas.

Hub of Rinse & Repeat 

This article seems to have been written by Captain Mainwaring's script writer for the UK TV comedy, Dad's Army. All it needs is a bit of flag waving and shouts of 'Over the top.'😄

Seal of Trust sticker. lol Absolute classic Thailand 101.

Dont seriously address the issue just hand out awards and medals to honest(sic) drivers. Same with work safety.  Just put stickers/posters on boats or buildings with a hard hat image and thats good enough;!!!

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, the BMA will deploy an extensive network of security cameras to crack down on traffic violations

 

 

hahahah even AI couldn't keep up with this. 

 

This week it's the over charging taxi's, Next week we will be back to no one is allow to ride in the back of a pick up a again, then come Songkran and they will do a uturn   on their decision and allow it during Songkran, then what next on the list,

 

AHHH let's put a tax on foreigners arriving at the airport, should be easy to collect, have less immigration open so everyone waits in line and then once you pay your tax you get assigned an immigration counter. That'll work  🤔

in BKK areas where taxis are known not to use the meter I use grab, MuvMi (tuktuk) or Lineman

Even in MBK taxi line the first 5 taxis did not want a ride with meter.

It will not change unless all refuse these taxis and use apps

On one hand I'd ban Tuktuks from city centers as they're polluting, loud and dangerous, but on the other hand they're part of the authentic Thailand experience. 

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

encourages vigilant monitoring of illicit activities. Together, residents and tourists alike form an impenetrable frontline against exploitation.

and get stabbed or shot in the meantime ...

 

I bet Puangphet Choonla-iad can bake a cake

Instead of creating additional committees and new laws, why not focus on utilizing the current legal framework for enforcement? Let's prioritize the enforcement of existing laws, beginning with ensuring that motorcyclists wear helmets.

43 minutes ago, WilliamSmits said:

in BKK areas where taxis are known not to use the meter I use grab, MuvMi (tuktuk) or Lineman

Even in MBK taxi line the first 5 taxis did not want a ride with meter.

It will not change unless all refuse these taxis and use apps

Ride apps are a good solution.

 

The only problem I found with using apps is that the GPS doesn't always accurately give the pickup location.

On Ramkhamheang Rd with 4 lanes and a middle divider the Grab app couldn't tell if I was on the north or the south side of the road.

More than once i have had to jog down the street to catch the Grab taxi.

 

Generally, I ask the fare if they aren't using the meter, and weigh the convenience of paying a premium and pay it or not.

I have learned don't go with drivers that say "up to you", at the end of the ride he probably won't accept a reasonable fare.

Can't imagine the amount of overcharge that would get me to spend time in the complaint process.

I know, "it's the principle of the thing".

Bolt and Grab, no issues.

In Pattaya taximeters do'not exsist.

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

an arsenal of measures to tackle the notorious tuk tuk and taxi overcharging crisis

There is no solution to greed.

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

the BMA will issue coveted stickers to tuk tuks, taxis, and shops committed to fair pricing

 

Like the Safety First stickers at building sites then. That'll do it.

11 hours ago, observer90210 said:

it would be nice to have the helpline and complaints numbers for foreigners wishing to complain agains the taxi and tuk tuk mafia crooks.

 

There is one for taxis. I used it. They told me to call the tourist police. I called the tourist police and they told me to call the taxi complaint number. 'Somebody else's problem, now let me go back to sleep'.

14 minutes ago, Lenthai said:

Bolt and Grab, no issues.

In Pattaya taximeters do'not exsist.

I have had Bolt drivers say they want cash when I am already paying on my CC through the app.

They were ok when I explained that though.

Another Bolt driver messaged me before pickup that he wanted cash so I canceled as same problem, and I don't want to pay twice.

Has never happened to me with Grab.

3 hours ago, pacovl46 said:

There's a pretty simple solution to the overpricing: as soon as they ask me how much I want to pay I walk away and go to the next guy until I find one who either wants to use the meter or give me a fair price in fhe case of motorbike taxis and tuk tuks. 

 

I got a taxi from Swampy airport. The driver didn't want to use the meter. I walked away to get another taxi. He called me back and said he would use the meter. He did, but drove in such a roundabout way that the fare ended up as what he had originally wanted. Of course, a tourist new to the country wouldn't know they had been cheated.