Bangkok Governor Targets Taxi and Tuk-Tuk Overcharging

[webfact]

File photo for reference only

 

Bangkok's Governor, Chadchart Sittipunt, tackled the issue of taxi and tuk-tuk drivers overcharging and causing traffic obstruction at Central World shopping centre, Pathumwan. Central World receives a high number of daily visitors, making it a prime spot for taxis and tuk-tuks. However, they often block roads and exploit foreign visitors with inflated fares.

 

Despite a special lane designated for taxis and tuk-tuks, these vehicles frequently park for extended periods causing congestion. Governor Sittipunt urged taxi and tuk-tuk drivers to utilise this lane and refrain from longer than necessary parking. Passengers must only hail taxis at three designated Central World locations.

 

Alongside traffic management, penalties for fare exploitation were announced. In partnership with the Thai Department of Land Transport, the Bangkok Government will impose fines on drivers who overcharge or fail to use taxi meters. This move responds to complaints made by embassies from developed countries about taxi fare haggling in Thailand.

 

The Thai Department of Land Transport holds the responsibility for tuk-tuk and taxi fare control, and the Bangkok Government has officially raised the issue of meter problems to them. This initiative aims to resolve these issues for the benefit of both local citizens and foreign tourists.

 

-- 2024-04-29

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[stoner]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Bangkok's Governor, Chadchart Sittipunt, tackled the issue of taxi and tuk-tuk drivers overcharging and causing traffic obstruction at Central World shopping centre

 

are you sure about that...

[OneMoreFarang]

The problem is obviously the lazy and corrupt police. If they would do their job, then this, and many other problems, wouldn't exist.

Maybe someone should explain this to the governor. Or maybe he knows that already... 

[Robert Paulson]

48 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

The problem is obviously the lazy and corrupt police. If they would do their job, then this, and many other problems, wouldn't exist.

Maybe someone should explain this to the governor. Or maybe he knows that already... 

I see them setting speed traps to shakedown innocent victims all the time. I think this is their job 

[OneMoreFarang]

15 minutes ago, Robert Paulson said:

I see them setting speed traps to shakedown innocent victims all the time. I think this is their job 

I see lots of taxi-no-meter blocking the streets all the time, and 99% of the time the police do nothing about it. 

[pomchop]

I have been told several times that cops are paid very poorly but the system allows them to accept bribes etc to compensate them for the low pay so the top brass look the other way as they are also in on the food chain.....without this system nobody would want a job as a cop.....true or not i do not know but it sure seems that way.

[ikke1959]

Only one solution is that there must be enforcement of the laws, and therefor you need a working policeforce... Unfortunately both are missing in THailand

[ikke1959]

37 minutes ago, pomchop said:

I have been told several times that cops are paid very poorly but the system allows them to accept bribes etc to compensate them for the low pay so the top brass look the other way as they are also in on the food chain.....without this system nobody would want a job as a cop.....true or not i do not know but it sure seems that way.

I believe that everybody wants to be a cop... When I asked my students what they want to be the boys always say police man, and when I asked why they no work and a lot of money.... 

[Nickcage49]

How funny is this? They've been "cracking down" on this for as long as I've been in Thailand, almost a quarter century. It's like cracking down on corruption. It will never change.

[garzhe]

They have been going to do this for 20 years. I'm not holding my breath. So easy to resolve. Do as Ive seen elsewhere. All Taxis must carry a notice on their dashboards saying "NO METER NO CHARGE" with a phone number to report the driver. 

 

[Jackbenimble]

4 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

I believe that everybody wants to be a cop... When I asked my students what they want to be the boys always say police man, and when I asked why they no work and a lot of money.... 

clearly you just made that up. Doyou have any more fables to share with us?

[The Alien]

Once a year they brought this up and after couple of days everything back to ‘same same’. 

[Bangkok Barry]

And how will they find the drivers who are overcharging? Np point in calling the taxi complaint number. I did once, and they told me to call the tourist police. I called the tourist police, and they told me to call the taxi number. And I've been reading of these 'crackdowns' ever since metered taxis were introduced. It can't change as cheating is in their DNA.

[Pouatchee]

7 hours ago, stoner said:

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Bangkok's Governor, Chadchart Sittipunt, tackled the issue of taxi and tuk-tuk drivers overcharging and causing traffic obstruction at Central World shopping centre

 

are you sure about that...

 

i am sure of one thing... 555... the buses jumping lanes 2 to 3 at a time and then lumping back to the curb causes more issues and are way more dangerous than taxis and tuk tuks

[Excogitator]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

File photo for reference only

 

Bangkok's Governor, Chadchart Sittipunt, tackled the issue of taxi and tuk-tuk drivers overcharging and causing traffic obstruction at Central World shopping centre, Pathumwan. Central World receives a high number of daily visitors, making it a prime spot for taxis and tuk-tuks. However, they often block roads and exploit foreign visitors with inflated fares.

 

Despite a special lane designated for taxis and tuk-tuks, these vehicles frequently park for extended periods causing congestion. Governor Sittipunt urged taxi and tuk-tuk drivers to utilise this lane and refrain from longer than necessary parking. Passengers must only hail taxis at three designated Central World locations.

 

Alongside traffic management, penalties for fare exploitation were announced. In partnership with the Thai Department of Land Transport, the Bangkok Government will impose fines on drivers who overcharge or fail to use taxi meters. This move responds to complaints made by embassies from developed countries about taxi fare haggling in Thailand.

 

The Thai Department of Land Transport holds the responsibility for tuk-tuk and taxi fare control, and the Bangkok Government has officially raised the issue of meter problems to them. This initiative aims to resolve these issues for the benefit of both local citizens and foreign tourists.

 

-- 2024-04-29

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

Good, and I hope it is a serious effort this time.

 

Getting sick and tired of stepping out of taxis who refuse to run the meter..

[Bangkok Barry]

 

The System has been activated again. He has spoken, made his recommendations, and his job is done. Anything that happens later is not his responsibility. You, I, he and everyone else knows that what is said will be ignored and is unenforceable and will quickly be forgotten, but that is not the point. He has acted, done what he considers to be his job, while actually doing nothing. This happens all the time, at least once a week. Someone makes a declaration and the next day it's ignored and forgotten. But that person has done their job by 'acting'.

 

In future weeks we'll have 'crackdowns' on selling fake Viagra on the street, riding motorcycles on the pavement/sidewalk, vaping equipment on sale etc etc etc

[Shocked farang]

8 minutes ago, The Alien said:

Once a year they brought this up and after couple of days everything back to ‘same same’. 

Same same but different... 

[spidermike007]

I've heard this so many times over the past decade and a half. When the hapless army first came into power 10 years ago, they came into Samui, full force, did a major crackdown on the taxis, posted huge signs saying that taxes will now be using their meters, call us if they don't. Two weeks later all was forgotten, which was very typical of the Prayuth Administration, they were the two-week Administration. I would stop a taxi and ask them to use their meter and they would just laugh at me, this was two weeks after the "crackdown". 

 

I think the same applies to Srettha, whatever declarations he is making will be forgotten in two weeks or less. 

[Shocked farang]

5 hours ago, pomchop said:

I have been told several times that cops are paid very poorly but the system allows them to accept bribes etc to compensate them for the low pay so the top brass look the other way as they are also in on the food chain.....without this system nobody would want a job as a cop.....true or not i do not know but it sure seems that way.

It is true. You can see how cops are always looking for ways to better their meager monthly income. They are very creative, the roadblocks in Pattaya are the prime example. The rider without a license gets stopped at the roadblock then he is instructed to pay a visit to the police station where everyone is already expecting him, he pays 550 TBH and gets a paid mark on the slip. One cop even told me when I went back to get the motorbike, "If they stop you again you can show this slip with the PAID mark on it! 555

[metisdead]

Off topic deflection posts trolling about prostitution rates have been removed:

• You will not discuss the specifics of prostitution. 

[ourmanflint]

20 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

And how will they find the drivers who are overcharging? Np point in calling the taxi complaint number. I did once, and they told me to call the tourist police. I called the tourist police, and they told me to call the taxi number. And I've been reading of these 'crackdowns' ever since metered taxis were introduced. It can't change as cheating is in their DNA.

One way would be to process all fares centrally through some sort of app/tech, which would monitor all car movements whilst on duty. No chance of it happening in Thailand though

Edited April 29 by ourmanflint

[wensiensheng]

Well that’s this week. But next week……

[wensiensheng]

5 minutes ago, Shocked farang said:

It is true. You can see how cops are always looking for ways to better their meager monthly income. They are very creative, the roadblocks in Pattaya are the prime example. The rider without a license gets stopped at the roadblock then he is instructed to pay a visit to the police station where everyone is already expecting him, he pays 550 TBH and gets a paid mark on the slip. One cop even told me when I went back to get the motorbike, "If they stop you again you can show this slip with the PAID mark on it! 555

Yup. Good for the day. Letting riders ride off without a helmet after paying a fine is a sure sign that road blocks are for money and nothing to do with enforcing the law or road safety

[Freddy42OZ]

26 minutes ago, Jackbenimble said:

5 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

I believe that everybody wants to be a cop... When I asked my students what they want to be the boys always say police man, and when I asked why they no work and a lot of money.... 

clearly you just made that up. Doyou have any more fables to share with us?

In the words of Jomdet Trimek, a former police officer, now an academician, "In-depth studies of the causes of...corruption tend to be avoided."^[60] Jomdet attributes police corruption to two factors: a centralized police bureaucracy which gives too much power to a few; and very low police salaries.

He divides police corruption into three main forms: embezzlement of government funds, coercing bribes from the public, and collection of protection money from illegal business operators and gives examples of each.

At the level of constable, this petty thievery is driven by low wages: entry level salaries for police with no university education was 6,800 baht (2012). In June 2015, the Bangkok Post reported that, "Thai police officers are paid around 14,760 baht per month (6,800–8,340 baht for entry level) and have to buy their own guns and even office supplies."^[61] 

He posits that one reason salaries are so low is that the sheer number of officers is staggering, roughly 250,000. This means that an increase of 5,000 baht in every cop's monthly salary would cost the government a politically untenable 15 billion baht annually

[hotchilli]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

However, they often block roads and exploit foreign visitors with inflated fares.

Often ?

[Yagoda]

I have had one taxi problem in 30 plus years, sucks to be you guys

[hotchilli]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

The Thai Department of Land Transport holds the responsibility for tuk-tuk and taxi fare control, and the Bangkok Government has officially raised the issue of meter problems to them. This initiative aims to resolve these issues for the benefit of both local citizens and foreign tourists

What... be good fellows and don't get videoed as it's embarrassing for us, and might spoil the image of Thailand?

[CygnusX1]

I know I've said this before, but taxis in Thailand are so crazily cheap compared to Australia that I have no problem with drivers not using the meter (as long as the negotiated fare is reasonable of course, and I've never had a driver demand an unreasonable fare). It's been my experience that all drivers use the meter when I've caught taxis from the airport, in which case I give a good tip - to the airport, not so many.

[HappyinNE]

My biggest problem is their refusal to take you where you want to go.  Have been refused a ride many times an evening in Bangkok in the Sukhumvit area.  Also finding a cab from Siriraj Hospital to anywhere is a no ride answer most of the time.

 

For the no meter I just wave them off.

[thailand49]

And how many times we have heard that nonsense " crackdown " 

The only crack I see is how people march up the crack of the butts of thosewho claim it is going to happen.