Chiang Mai baht bus driver condemned for kicking locals off for foreigners

[webfact]

A Thai woman took to social media to condemn the wrongful behaviour of a baht bus driver in Chiang Mai after the driver kicked her off the vehicle to accommodate a group of foreigners. However, the foreigners declined the driver’s service.

 

The 63 year old victim, Sri, shared the baht bus incident in a Facebook group, @ChiangMai, on August 13. She posted a picture and a video of the baht bus with a caption that read…

“Everyone should definitely avoid this red baht bus. The driver kicked me off mid-journey to pick up foreigners, hoping to get more money from them.”

 

Sri’s post was later deleted, possibly due to pressure from a representative of the red baht bus drivers in Chiang Mai, urging her to protect their reputation. However, the pictures and video were widely shared by Thai news agencies.

In an interview with ThaiRath, Sri provided further details of the incident. She explained that she and her friend wanted to go to Kom Market in the city centre of Chiang Mai, so they waited for a baht bus at the Nawarat Bridge near their homes.

They flagged down a baht bus driven by an elderly man and informed him of their destination. They then paid the driver 30 baht each for the fare.

 

Less than five minutes into the journey, the driver stopped in front of a group of four or five foreigners on Kampaengdin Road. The driver then approached Sri and her friend, asking them to leave the vehicle, assuring them he would return their money.

 

Driver avoids confrontation

 

Sri immediately realised that the driver intended to pick up the foreigners in hopes of earning more from them. Angered by his unfair actions, she confronted the driver and took a picture and video of the baht bus and the driver, which she shared on social media.

 

According to Sri, the driver ignored her complaint and quickly offered his service to the foreigners. However, the group declined his service after witnessing how poorly he treated Sri and her friend.

 

After being rejected, the driver returned to Sri, pleading with her to continue the ride, but she and her friend refused. The driver then asked Sri to delete the picture and video and even attempted to snatch her mobile phone but he was unsuccessful.

Sri added that she had been using the red baht buses in Chiang Mai for more than 10 years but this was her first negative experience.

 

Boonniam Boontam, President of the Nakhon Lanna Transportation Cooperative, which oversees the red baht buses in Chiang Mai, told MGR Online that the incident tarnished the reputation of the red buses in the province, and he planned to summon the driver in question for a warning.

 

Boonniam stated that he tried to contact the driver but was unsuccessful. He promised to dismiss the driver if he refused to improve his service standards.

 

by Petch Petpailin 
Photo via MGR Online

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-08-15

 

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[itsari]

The driver had made an agreement with the Thai passengers . 

He then wants to break the agreement as he obviously could make more money with the five foreigners .

Not a very good way of doing business .

[Sydebolle]

As long as the government itself is promoting two-tier pricing in national parks, museums etc., it is hardly surprising, that Somchai the driver tries the same. Only once it is understood, that a passenger is a passenger, a visitor is a visitor and a guest is a guest, only then you can start to complain about all that to the government .......... stop whining and get your act together.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

“Everyone should definitely avoid this red baht bus. The driver kicked me off mid-journey to pick up foreigners, hoping to get more money from them.”

Locals avoid him like the plague... teach him a lesson.

Good that the foreigners declined his service.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Sri’s post was later deleted, possibly due to pressure from a representative of the red baht bus drivers in Chiang Mai, urging her to protect their reputation

Your reputation was evident from the drivers actions.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Sri immediately realised that the driver intended to pick up the foreigners in hopes of earning more from them. Angered by his unfair actions, she confronted the driver and took a picture and video of the baht bus and the driver, which she shared on social media.

 

According to Sri, the driver ignored her complaint and quickly offered his service to the foreigners. However, the group declined his service after witnessing how poorly he treated Sri and her friend.

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

After being rejected, the driver returned to Sri, pleading with her to continue the ride, but she and her friend refused

Nice when Karma strikes back.

[Skeptic7]

3 hours ago, itsari said:

The driver had made an agreement with the Thai passengers . 

He then wants to break the agreement as he obviously could make more money with the five foreigners .

Not a very good way of doing business .

Typical Thai Way 

[rwill]

with Grab, InDrive, etc..  the baht buses must be feeling the pinch.

[PETERTHEEATER]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The driver then approached Sri and her friend, asking them to leave the vehicle, assuring them he would return their money.

So, he didn't kick them off?

[itsari]

23 minutes ago, rwill said:

with Grab, InDrive, etc..  the baht buses must be feeling the pinch.

I think your correct in that assumption, added with the vehicle's they use are far from economic in fuel.

[theblether]

From memory, there's 2500 baht buses in Chiang Mai, which was far too many even before the advent of Grab.  Low season brings a lack of passengers, and high season now brings gridlock. For those of us in Chiang Mai during the covid period it was a nostalgic reminder of how the roads used to be before that Chinese movie "Lost in Thailand" came out. 

 

2019 was a traffic horror show, I predict this year will see it return to the same horrendous levels. 

[Keeps]

4 hours ago, hotchilli said:

 

Good that the foreigners declined his service.

Every chance that was down to the price he quoted them rather than them feeling sympathy towards the two Thai ladies. Hope I'm wrong though.

[kidneyw]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Boonniam stated that he tried to contact the driver but was unsuccessful. He promised to dismiss the driver if he refused to improve his service standards.

Don't worry Boonniam, you will not have to dismiss him. He will promise to improve. I can guaentee it!!!

[sanabavy IV]

Clearly, this lady is tarnishing the image of Thai hospitality 😁

[scorecard]

9 hours ago, rwill said:

with Grab, InDrive, etc..  the baht buses must be feeling the pinch.

Additionally many of the the CM red Baht buses won't start an agreed journey until they have waited 10? minutes to see if there's any other passengers. And their prices are often a lot more expensive than GRAB, BOLT, etc.

 

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, Keeps said:

Every chance that was down to the price he quoted them rather than them feeling sympathy towards the two Thai ladies. Hope I'm wrong though.

Probably a bit of both.

[lordblackader]

Chiang Mai has never had "baht buses." It may shock the Thaiger to know that Chiang Mai isn't Pattaya. 

[digbeth]

6 minutes ago, lordblackader said:

Chiang Mai has never had "baht buses." It may shock the Thaiger to know that Chiang Mai isn't Pattaya. 

 

What's the red or yellow pickup with passengers in theback?

 

If you're gonna argue that they're not called baht bus but rather Songthaew, The locals in Pattaya don't call it Baht Bus either 

[Dcheech]

22 minutes ago, digbeth said:

What's the red or yellow pickup with passengers in theback?

The red are known as rod daeng. Cynical opinion is they call them baht buses in this article, instead of rod daeng, as locals & tourists detest the *&#$ ers.

They were useful once. However the city should get a real bus system. BTW Rod daeng drivers and the Pu-Yai owners behind them have stopped at least two attempts to do so in the last 20 years.

 

[scorecard]

12 minutes ago, Dcheech said:

The red are known as rod daeng. Cynical opinion is they call them baht buses in this article, instead of rod daeng, as locals & tourists detest the *&#$ ers.

They were useful once. However the city should get a real bus system. BTW Rod daeng drivers and the Pu-Yai owners behind them have stopped at least two attempts to do so in the last 20 years.

 

Years back, the red truck drivers and the tuk tuk drivers aligned themselves to the red shirt movement. Their self appointed leader was a loud thaksin / red shirt mouthpiece who appointed herself as the decision maker for many things related to Chiang Mai. Hotels, civic organizations and more had to approach her for permission to breath. She tried at one point to dictate that red trucks and tuk tuk used for taking / returning kids to and from school had to be only red supporters.

 

A mass gathering of parents put a stop to that, after a serious skirmish between red drivers and a group of fathers.  Until that point the local RTP had turned a blind eye to the red lady leaders many proclemations. 

 

[watchcat]

On 8/15/2024 at 6:26 AM, hotchilli said:

Locals avoid him like the plague... teach him a lesson.

 

he will just grow  a beard and nobobody will  recognize him.

 

 

[JoergADA]

2x30=60 better take a Maxim, Grab, whatever you call it.

 

i am surprised they agreed to 30 baht in the first place, 

many aunties pay 20, not to mention students