Farang In The Car? - You Are An Unlicensed Taxi!

[simon43]

Well, this is an interesting 'scam'.

Today, my hotel driver was taking a customer to another hotel in Patong. On the bypass road was a police checkpoint and all cars were stopped. Any car that was being driven by a Thai, but had a farang passenger was booked for being an unlicenced taxi!! The police guy who stopped my driver didn't ask anyquestions of him but simply said that he was driving an unlicenced taxi since his registration number was not white-on-green (or green-on-white or whatever it is!).

This wasn't a way to pocket money. My driver had a ticket written out and I have to go and pay 500 baht at the police station.

Nice little earner I think. But who is actually behind this action? Is it the taxi companies eager to maintain their monopoly over transporting hotel guests to Patong??

Simon

[LivinginKata]

From the facts presented by you it seems to me that the customer was using your car/driver as a taxi service, or perhaps complimentary transfer service. So whats your complaint about the fine ??

[taxexile]

by that reasoning ,any thai who gives a ride to a foreigner here could be said to be an unlicensed taxi.

i wouldnt pay , i would say that the driver was doing the tourist a favour..... which is what the driver should have said if he had any sense.

did the passenger pay for the transfer , or was it part of the hotel service?

[simon43]

My complaint is that there is no law forbidding hotels from providing complimentary private transfer services. If one of our hotel guests wishes to be taken to Patong or wherever, then that's a matter between him and us, especially if it's a complimentary transfer.

Our car does not have taxi plates because we are just a small business. The problem is that if we change the plates to taxi plates, then (AFAIK), I am forbidden to drive this vehicle (farang cannot be taxi drivers...)

I can't win either way, and it's a win-win for the taxi mafia..

Simon

[keestha]

Well, the next time we are driving from Khao Lak to Phuket I won't let my (Thai) wife behind the wheel after crossing the bridge. This is going pretty far though, no doubt this is gonna be a long thread.

Simon, are you really sure they were stopping ALL cars driven by Thais and carrying one or more farang passengers, not only cars that obviously belong to hotels, travel agencies and the like?

Edited August 20, 2008 by keestha

[LivinginKata]

More to this than meets the eye. I'd really like to know what the driver and/or the passenger said. If the police had any hint that this was a hotel car on a transfer run.... enough said.

[simon43]

My driver says that they stopped ALL cars with a Thai driver and farang passengers. They asked no questions at all from my driver and he said nothing either - they simply wrote him a ticket for operating an illegal taxi.....

Simon

[LivinginKata]

My driver says ........

And your driver is Thai. Very nice people who almost always tell the Farang what he/she wants to hear. My staff just the same with me. Hard to wrestle the true facts from them, they mean no offence or harm, it's just the Thai way of life.

[hkt83100]

Slightly off topic:

LivinginKata, you got a flat tire... (from looking at the avatar)

[LivinLOS]

My driver says that they stopped ALL cars with a Thai driver and farang passengers. They asked no questions at all from my driver and he said nothing either - they simply wrote him a ticket for operating an illegal taxi.....

Simon

Have to agree here.. Its in the Thai drivers interests to say everyone got hit.. I assume he didnt pay the fine from his own pocket, so in essence hes softening the blow to you, in true thai fashion.

They probably pulled him over, said "your a taxi service heres your fine" and he said "chai khap"..

I bet if he told them on your bike, this is, etc and fought there wouldnt be a ticket.. He just absorbed the loss as its no skin of his nose that his rich farang boss pays, and everyones happy (everyone Thai that is). He didnt have to argue with a policeman, no one lost face, etc etc etc.

Theres no way I am believing if he wasnt a 'complimentary taxi' and was just a farang friend that he would have been forced and agreed to pay it.

[geriatrickid]

In fairness to Simon, I know a few of the larger hotels have been responding to the taxi complaints from guests by simply bypassing them. Either using the grey airport sedan option or making other arrangements. Yes the larger hotels charge a premium for the service, but alot of tourists are fed up. I know of one large hotel that was using its own cars and they are not registered as taxis. These complimentary transfers are a big extra now for some people and can make a difference on some bookings.

[LivinginKata]

Slightly off topic:

LivinginKata, you got a flat tire... (from looking at the avatar)

That's what I thought when I bought the car. Checked pressure, spot on. Just very low profile tyres. I check pressure every month. 30 psi when cold, 32 psi when warm.

[roygsd]

My driver says that they stopped ALL cars with a Thai driver and farang passengers. They asked no questions at all from my driver and he said nothing either - they simply wrote him a ticket for operating an illegal taxi.....

Simon

Have to agree here.. Its in the Thai drivers interests to say everyone got hit.. I assume he didnt pay the fine from his own pocket, so in essence hes softening the blow to you, in true thai fashion.

They probably pulled him over, said "your a taxi service heres your fine" and he said "chai khap"..

I bet if he told them on your bike, this is, etc and fought there wouldnt be a ticket.. He just absorbed the loss as its no skin of his nose that his rich farang boss pays, and everyones happy (everyone Thai that is). He didnt have to argue with a policeman, no one lost face, etc etc etc.

Theres no way I am believing if he wasnt a 'complimentary taxi' and was just a farang friend that he would have been forced and agreed to pay it.

Hi,

What no one seems to have queried is the Insurance aspect of the vehicle, if you are transporting customers then you should have the correct insurance in place to cover any injury to the customer should the vehicle be involved in an accident.

Lets be sensible here, the cost of the vehicle, its fuel and maintanance, and the drivers salary are not insignificant costs, no-one can really believe that this transport service is being provided by the hotel and the costs have not been included in their room rate or other charges.

A "free" ride is suddenly not that attractive to the customer if the Insurance company quite rightly refuses to payout

if they were unaware that the vehicle is being used for commercial purposes.

You may pay a little more ( not sure that is the case really) for a licenced taxi but at least the vehicle and driver are regulated and you have somewhere to go if things go wrong.

THe cost of a car in LOS isnt much cheaper than a car in the uk and may well be more expensive, fuel and servicing isnt that much different in price either, so the only saving if any could be because of the cheap cost of the drivers labour.

If you dont want to pay for a taxi then uses the bus, thats the alternative at home so why should the customer dictate what the meter rate charges should be? The Authorities set the taxi meter rate, if you get in a cab and the driver refuses to put on the meter get out and get in another one and report the original driver to the relevant licencing authority.

Companies in the uk who provide transportation such as hotels/ limo services/ airport runs etc are now having to be licenced and regulated by many local authorities in the uk and ensuring the vehicle is roadworthy, taxed, appropriately insured and the driver and owner and operator have passed police background checks of is great for the customer.

If the boot were on the other foot and the taxi drivers started to operate unregulated hotels and steal the hotel owners customers hotel owners would be complaning like hel_l.

It is nothing to do with providing customers with free transport for the hotel customers, merely a marketing tool that provides a very useful additional income to the hotels.

Roy gsd

Edited August 21, 2008 by roygsd

[petitechevre]

they were around my house in phuket town yesterday. They stopped everyone. Funny thing is, they did give ticket to farang passangers but they let thai motorcycles go by without helmet...

they stopped one, they talked for a sec(he had his helmet in a basket) they said khup khup and next thing u know hes on his way without a helmet on.

[stevenl]

The Authorities set the taxi meter rate, if you get in a cab and the driver refuses to put on the meter get out and get in another one and report the original driver to the relevant licencing authority.

Roy, maybe it is time you pay a visit to Phuket?

[LivinginKata]

If this is a genuine road check to prevent unlicenced/unregistered taxis then I am all for it. The average tourist has no idea that if he/she takes a 'black' taxi then for sure that driver will NOT accept any liability in the event of injury or death of the passenger. Even more worrying is the driving practices of many unlicenced taxi. i.e. speeding, dangerous, crazy, unbelievable driving.

But why should the passenger pay ?? That is puzzling to me. Driver pays....

[petitechevre]

so which taxis are illegal, i will need to use one soon...

There a bunch of a taxi meters now in phuket town..

and i pretty much hate every drivers that has regular car taxis

[LivinginKata]

so which taxis are illegal, i will need to use one soon...

There a bunch of a taxi meters now in phuket town..

and i pretty much hate every drivers that has regular car taxis

Legal taxis have a green registration number plate... easy...

[markg]

Legal taxis have a green registration number plate... easy...

That's what i thought !

Next time you go to Central, check out the 'Taxis' there.

I use the entrance opposite that big Thai restaurant.

Just near the outdoor escalators, is a proper Taxi counter. All the taxi drivers wear a uniform of same coloured Batik shirts. They are pleasant enough, though only target tourists (fairly obvious).

Just today i heard them quote 200 b from Central to Big C. The scandinavian just laughed at him and walked off.

It's literally around the corner. It cant be more than 400 metres.

Anyway, check out their taxi's. They are just private cars. Yes, they really are. They dont have green plates on them.

And i m assuming that they are operating there with the full knowledge and support of the management at Central.

[Master Chief]

If this is a genuine road check to prevent unlicenced/unregistered taxis then I am all for it. The average tourist has no idea that if he/she takes a 'black' taxi then for sure that driver will NOT accept any liability in the event of injury or death of the passenger. Even more worrying is the driving practices of many unlicenced taxi. i.e. speeding, dangerous, crazy, unbelievable driving.

But why should the passenger pay ?? That is puzzling to me. Driver pays....

And you seriously say that the taxi drivers of the Phuket airport VIP limo service are not "i.e. speeding, dangerous, crazy, unbelievable driving."

The ticket was handed to the driver, the farang hotel/taxi owner paid the fine at the police station.

[LivinginKata]

Legal taxis have a green registration number plate... easy...

Just to clarify .... it's private unmarked car/limo type taxis that have the green plate. Meter taxis have yellow (? I think), same as Tuk Tuks. All other cars with regular number plate (white background) are illegal & unlicenced.

[LivinginKata]

And you seriously say that the taxi drivers of the Phuket airport VIP limo service are not "i.e. speeding, dangerous, crazy, unbelievable driving."

No. but at least the pax are insured.

[ignis]

????

I own in my name a private car [black numbers on white] + a pickup [green on white]

at least 50% of the time my Thai partner drives my car with me as passenger.

So can not be an Unlicensed Taxi, I own the car in my name ?

When i used to visit Thailand for holidays I stayed with my Thai friends, and was passenger for many 1,000's of km, in all the families 5 different cars.

So I think the driver _ passenger must be questioned 1st

[bigbrowski]

We are all speaking about the boys in brown I assume. These guys have no idea how to sort out the real from the fake or the legal from the illegal. I am from the US, and the police there have radios and computers to check validity. Here, get real. Regardless of what you say or do, you're getting a ticket. My old driver had three license plates for his car, all illegal. He would just change them around depending on the task at hand.

This is a system that has no norm. It changes daily, and the police are just doing what they have been told to do. They are not thinking, reasoning, or judging. They are just doing what they have been instructed to do. They have not been given an explanation, a reason, or a justification; just an order. So regardless what you do or say, you're getting the ticket.

This is a place where dive trips are planned by people who can't swim and fear the water monsters. To expect anything more from this place is like p!ssing in the wind. 500 baht for a ticket is silly, but you have no choice but to pay it.

I know people (farangs) that have found ID cards that are not theirs. They use these for the ticket, and then throw the ticket away and never get bothered. There is no Super Thai Traffic Database, or warrant division.

With that being said, I don't suggest it to anyone, but I look at it like this:

I live in a country where I pay zero taxes. I don't pay them in the states either.

500 baht is tax. Regardless of what the offense is, it is a tax, and there is no way around it.

Just pay the fine, consider yourself unlucky that day, and rest assured that these traffic stops are few and far between. They are only to raise money for the big bosses. Not to inforce any type of law.

Police don't care about safety, or your well-being. Hence, 4 helmetless thai's on a beat up Honda Wave in the fast lane, speeding Cement Trucks through a school zone, and 9 year olds on jacked up 110cc's with a lawnmower exhausts heading in the wrong direction.

jb

May I suggest the back roads.

[gary09]

LivinginKata

If this is a genuine road check to prevent unlicenced/unregistered taxis then I am all for it.

Iam staying in a small hotel in Patong next Friday 29th Aug - & have a complimentary pick up from airport, are u saying that i should not accept the free/complimentary pick up & get a taxi??

[LivinginKata]

Iam staying in a small hotel in Patong next Friday 29th Aug - & have a complimentary pick up from airport, are u saying that i should not accept the free/complimentary pick up & get a taxi??

Your free/complimentary pick up will most likely be an unlicenced taxi. So you take a chance about accident & hospital insurance. The driver takes a chance on being fined. Really up to you, it might even be a registered taxi if you are using a reputable hotel. The complimentary pick up would sound good to me.

[digitalchromakey]

Legal taxis have a green registration number plate... easy...

Just to clarify .... it's private unmarked car/limo type taxis that have the green plate. Meter taxis have yellow (? I think), same as Tuk Tuks. All other cars with regular number plate (white background) are illegal & unlicenced.

1) The green lettered plate is for a company vehicle.

2) The blue lettered plate is for a company vehicle that transports staff.

3) The yellow '80-' plate is for taxis and vehicles carrying members of the public.

[mjperry]

Legal taxis have a green registration number plate... easy...

Just to clarify .... it's private unmarked car/limo type taxis that have the green plate. Meter taxis have yellow (? I think), same as Tuk Tuks. All other cars with regular number plate (white background) are illegal & unlicenced.

1) The green lettered plate is for a company vehicle.

2) The blue lettered plate is for a company vehicle that transports staff.

3) The yellow '80-' plate is for taxis and vehicles carrying members of the public.

Any idea what the red plates are then? Seen a few of those around

[LivinginKata]

The red plates (black letters) are temporary plates. Used on brand new vehicles, while waiting for the permanent plates. Interestingly the law states that vehicles with these red plates cannot be used on the road from sunset to sunrise. See many red plates at night, wonder if the BIB care about that.

Edited August 24, 2008 by LivinginKata

[ignis]

Sorry i am confused....... This is what I thought........

1) The green lettered plate is for a company vehicle.

Bought a new Truck last month, the plates came green letters on white.. I am a private retired person, my car has black letters on white, and so thought that the truck would also have the same type...... ?

Isuzu say no if you have a pickup without seats in the back + want to put anything in the back you must have green letters.