Airport Taxi's Again

[bangkokrick]

I was disturbed to hear from my wife that when a friend of hers returned to Suvanabhumi airport from Chaing mai had problems with the Taxi drivers at the airport. She told me that the txi drivers dont like to take Thai people because they dont tip and only travel for short distances. They prefer farang because they usually want to go to Pattaya or similar and generally give bigger tips. I took this with a pinch of salt when she told me in the taxi on the way to the airport.

She later called me and told me that when she got the taxi she had the same problem as her friend and the driver was angry all the way to her destination. He also asked her for a tip. You can buess her reply!!

What is going on?

Cheers Rick.

[britmaveric]

To be expected..

[lazeeboy]

I was disturbed to hear from my wife that when a friend of hers returned to Suvanabhumi airport from Chaing mai had problems with the Taxi drivers at the airport. She told me that the txi drivers dont like to take Thai people because they dont tip and only travel for short distances. They prefer farang because they usually want to go to Pattaya or similar and generally give bigger tips. I took this with a pinch of salt when she told me in the taxi on the way to the airport.

She later called me and told me that when she got the taxi she had the same problem as her friend and the driver was angry all the way to her destination. He also asked her for a tip. You can buess her reply!!

What is going on?

Cheers Rick.

surely this is reaching the powers that be ,it should be stopped before its really out of control .

[torrenova]

Just another casse of people not prepared to work for the stipulated remuneration and resorting to extortion. I had a taxi from the airport to Pattaya in March which was negotiated to include tolls. You guessed it, at the first toll, he wanted the toll fare.

What a great welcome to the tourist in Thailand !

[bangkokrick]

To be expected..

Sorry Brit as a Brit this is totally unacceptable. "You cant use my Thai taxi beacuse you are Thai and if you do i want a tip"? They probably grew up in the same village. Talk about Thai Rak Thai!

Cheers, Rick

[womble]

No one who has asked for a tip from me has ever recieved one.

[roamer]

So you go upstairs and grab one from departures, the security guys are in league with the taxi mafia down stairs so you have to grab one almost as its rolling. Worth it though, you get a driver thats happy to take you. Whether with wife (Thai) or not never have a problem and Soi 71 is a short ride on the expressway.

[TheDon]

This is the same problem with nice Hotels down south.

In Peak season they tell Thais there is no vacancy and they rather have foreigners, Well I guess business is business but it does make it harder for a local to go no a nice resort.

[UnknownPoster]

Thais are more difficult to ripoff.

The Taxi Mafia out there only wants gullible tourists.

If a tourist complains...who give a shiit.

[Briggsy]

Be polite and stick to your guns. Be prepared to get out on the motorway slip road if necessary (I did). You will find a taxi that uses its meter eventually.

[peter991]

No one who has asked for a tip from me has ever recieved one.

That is so true! Not just with taxis - but with room service, restaurants all over the world. A tip is a reward for service above and beyond what I expect. When I get great service - I will reward it.

The Airport Taxis seem to have relatives who are designated Hotel Taxis. I have yet to find one of them who wants to turn on their meter - they prefer to quote an outrageous price - take it or leave it. I leave it. Helps if you have a Thai friend with you.

Peter

[dave111223]

I don't understand how this can happen at the airport? You go downstairs and get a piece of paper at the desk, the desk guy gives the paper to the next taxi driver in line. And I thought he has to take you? I have never seen a taxi driver in the line refuse to take anyone (Thai or otherwise).

Do you mean she was trying to cheap out on the 50baht taxi stand fee and grab one of the taxis that are dropping people off?

[Shrubbery]

My Thai wife and I got a taxi from the airport to Sanawan Palace last week. Approx 200 baht ride.

He told my wife that he had been queueing for 4 hours to get a fare from the airport. Obviously he would have preferred a fare downtown or further, but he was quite happy to take us on our 200bht trip. And yes, we tipped him.

[bangkokrick]

I don't understand how this can happen at the airport? You go downstairs and get a piece of paper at the desk, the desk guy gives the paper to the next taxi driver in line. And I thought he has to take you? I have never seen a taxi driver in the line refuse to take anyone (Thai or otherwise).

Do you mean she was trying to cheap out on the 50baht taxi stand fee and grab one of the taxis that are dropping people off?

She went to the rank, got the papare and then the taxi. The driver was angry that he didi not get a Farang with a long distance fare. She was not trying to as you say 'Cheap out" Is that English?

Rick

[Donnyboy]

This is the same problem with nice Hotels down south.

In Peak season they tell Thais there is no vacancy and they rather have foreigners, Well I guess business is business but it does make it harder for a local to go no a nice resort.

we have a friend who owns a guesthouse. She refuses Thais during the high season due to a couple of factors.

But mainly due to the fact that the Thai guests on many occasions (when traveling together) would stay in a room that is designed for a couple.

[Donnyboy]

My Thai wife and I got a taxi from the airport to Sanawan Palace last week. Approx 200 baht ride.

He told my wife that he had been queueing for 4 hours to get a fare from the airport. Obviously he would have preferred a fare downtown or further, but he was quite happy to take us on our 200bht trip. And yes, we tipped him.

thats the luck of the draw really.

4 hours in the que? how long was the line?

[samran]

My Thai wife and I got a taxi from the airport to Sanawan Palace last week. Approx 200 baht ride.

He told my wife that he had been queueing for 4 hours to get a fare from the airport. Obviously he would have preferred a fare downtown or further, but he was quite happy to take us on our 200bht trip. And yes, we tipped him.

thats the luck of the draw really.

4 hours in the que? how long was the line?

no, that is the taxi driver wating 4 hours for a fare.

[britmaveric]

To be expected..

Sorry Brit as a Brit this is totally unacceptable. "You cant use my Thai taxi beacuse you are Thai and if you do i want a tip"? They probably grew up in the same village. Talk about Thai Rak Thai!

Cheers, Rick

Yes its unacceptable, but what I meant is it happens more than you think. End of the day if you get a bad vibe before entering a taxi, perhaps not best to go with the <deleted>???

[ZZZ]

Same thing happens in all countries were foreigners (Americans?) insist to import the foreign and horrible custom of tipping.

It used to be that Thai's took pride in what they were doing and good service was part of the agreed price. Now they are more and more expecting a tip, even in the 7-11

[Jimjim]

As an American, I am disappointed in the prevalence of tipping all over the world for which my countrymen are at fault. It can be annoying sometimes when people ask for a tip. If only the receivers of tips knew that in the U.S., they don't ask for tips.

[bangkokrick]

To be expected..

Sorry Brit as a Brit this is totally unacceptable. "You cant use my Thai taxi beacuse you are Thai and if you do i want a tip"? They probably grew up in the same village. Talk about Thai Rak Thai!

Cheers, Rick

Yes its unacceptable, but what I meant is it happens more than you think. End of the day if you get a bad vibe before entering a taxi, perhaps not best to go with the <deleted>???

Totally agree Brit.

Can you imagine being in London and hailing a cab. The cab driver says 'sorry guv i only take Arabs because they tip more" My missus was really pissed off with the bad treatment that she got in her own country by her own countryman for the sake of foreign money.

TAT shouls arrange the taxis like many other major airports eg. Shanghai and Istanbul. There are two queues, one for long distance and the other for short distance. Problem solved.

Maybe they could copy the old African way one queue for Farang and one for Thais..... I am joking of course.

Rick

[blizzard]

american taxi driver same same. short ride they tell you get someone else. more recourse in america though. and try not tipping one, especially an italian one.............lol. or try asking one why they took the scenic route.

Edited September 15, 2007 by blizzard

[onethailand]

The paper that you are given at the airport is very important here - it lists the taxi driver's license number, and a phone number you can contact to complain.

I don't mean to be harsh here, in fact I despise poor service as well. But you really need to start complaining, en masse, to the relevant authority before anything will ever get down.

In Bangkok, whenever a taxi tries to refuse a fare, I whip out my little notepad and jot down the license plate - many a taxi driver has come screeching to a halt upon looking in his rear-view mirror. But by this time I'm no longer interested in their services.

[Shrubbery]

My Thai wife and I got a taxi from the airport to Sanawan Palace last week. Approx 200 baht ride.

He told my wife that he had been queueing for 4 hours to get a fare from the airport. Obviously he would have preferred a fare downtown or further, but he was quite happy to take us on our 200bht trip. And yes, we tipped him.

thats the luck of the draw really.

4 hours in the que? how long was the line?

The taxi driver was queueing for 4 hours to enter the airport.

There is a holding area close to the bus station for the taxis that want to do pick ups from the airport.

[Tony Clifton]

Thais are more difficult to ripoff.

The Taxi Mafia out there only wants gullible tourists.

If a tourist complains...who give a shiit.

Must've been a slow evening when they tried to scam my pregnant Thai wife wearing an obvious maternity dress.

(Table/ticket area)

My Thai wife and I got a taxi from the airport to Sanawan Palace last week. Approx 200 baht ride.

He told my wife that he had been queueing for 4 hours to get a fare from the airport. Obviously he would have preferred a fare downtown or further, but he was quite happy to take us on our 200bht trip. And yes, we tipped him.

We got the same excuse, "Been waiting for four hours for a fare" and then the no meter deal was 400 baht for a ride back to our truck nearby when on the way in, a metered run was 150 baht.

One guy at the airport suggested to grab one of the cabs that are dropping people off upstairs instead, or take the free shuttle to the nearest bus terminal (5 minute ride, plenty of taxis there).

[sukanyacondo]

Many Thais taxis I have been in have been appaling, drive way too fast too close, whilst almost asleep/drunk wont go the way you ask. Occasionally get a good one which is nice, many are bone idle wont help with bags etc etc. I dont tip them, my wife doesnt tip them, sometimes we have been getting out and they are already driving off, the wife usually shouts something at them. Nothing will change until the country does. In the end we will be buying a car so we wont have to deal with the idiots any more. Lets hope the skytrain arrives at the airport soon!!

[LinkPopularity]

I was disturbed to hear from my wife that when a friend of hers returned to Suvanabhumi airport from Chaing mai had problems with the Taxi drivers at the airport. She told me that the txi drivers dont like to take Thai people because they dont tip and only travel for short distances. They prefer farang because they usually want to go to Pattaya or similar and generally give bigger tips. I took this with a pinch of salt when she told me in the taxi on the way to the airport.

She later called me and told me that when she got the taxi she had the same problem as her friend and the driver was angry all the way to her destination. He also asked her for a tip. You can buess her reply!!

What is going on?

Cheers Rick.

surely this is reaching the powers that be ,it should be stopped before its really out of control .

can you please stop quoting long posts, just to add 1 line, it's really annoying

[stevemiddie]

I was disturbed to hear from my wife that when a friend of hers returned to Suvanabhumi airport from Chaing mai had problems with the Taxi drivers at the airport. She told me that the txi drivers dont like to take Thai people because they dont tip and only travel for short distances. They prefer farang because they usually want to go to Pattaya or similar and generally give bigger tips. I took this with a pinch of salt when she told me in the taxi on the way to the airport.

She later called me and told me that when she got the taxi she had the same problem as her friend and the driver was angry all the way to her destination. He also asked her for a tip. You can buess her reply!!

What is going on?

Cheers Rick.

surely this is reaching the powers that be ,it should be stopped before its really out of control .

can you please stop quoting long posts, just to add 1 line, it's really annoying

[ludosiam]

2 weeks ago I took a (orange) Taxi to the new airport. After a few wrong turns we eventually arrived there, he then gave me the "i have no change" trick, I obviously wasn't happy but no choice, so he had another 150 Baht tip on top of an overly expensive ride, then tried to drive away with my luggage still in his trunk. I had always found the green / yellow ones more honest and won't sit in one the orange ones ever again. By the way - if you see an orange Taxi with a dent in the rear bumper - that was from my foot when he tried to drive away Lesson learned, if I have to go to the airport, sufficient change with me, no orange taxi and no payment before all luggage is out of the car.

[aka_jack]

Why do people tip taxis ?? you are already paying for there service when they put the meter on!! unless they are over helpful with bags and stuff in i dont see why people do it!!