Heads Up On Another Taxi Scam

[Siki]

I got into a taxi on lower Sukhumvit on Tuesday the 23rd to go to the new airport. Well before we were on the express way, the driver explained that the Rama 9 access to the airport was blocked as a trailer truck had gone over the rail. What he wanted to do was to take the long way around through Bang Na. I asked how he know this and he said that it was on the news. I agreed and said that it was up to him.

About half way through the journey I realized that it was likely I had been had. He wasn’t listening to the news or the traffic station at all. What he was doing was doubling the cost of the fare by taking the long way around.

May I suggest that you not get taken in like I was. The best thing to do is to have the driver pull over and get out and get another taxi that doesn’t pull that bs. This is sometimes inconvenient so (in this case) you must insist on the shortest route which is essentially via the Rama 9 expressway.

If you are not sure of how to explain this in Thai, have a friend explain it to you and then write it out phonetically. It is not very difficult.

DON’T GET SUCKED IN BY THESE SNEAKY CHISELERS!

Aloha

Siki

[bravingbangkok]

I got into a taxi on lower Sukhumvit on Tuesday the 23rd to go to the new airport. Well before we were on the express way, the driver explained that the Rama 9 access to the airport was blocked as a trailer truck had gone over the rail. What he wanted to do was to take the long way around through Bang Na. I asked how he know this and he said that it was on the news. I agreed and said that it was up to him.

About half way through the journey I realized that it was likely I had been had. He wasn't listening to the news or the traffic station at all. What he was doing was doubling the cost of the fare by taking the long way around.

May I suggest that you not get taken in like I was. The best thing to do is to have the driver pull over and get out and get another taxi that doesn't pull that bs. This is sometimes inconvenient so (in this case) you must insist on the shortest route which is essentially via the Rama 9 expressway.

If you are not sure of how to explain this in Thai, have a friend explain it to you and then write it out phonetically. It is not very difficult.

DON'T GET SUCKED IN BY THESE SNEAKY CHISELERS!

Aloha

Siki

Is that the route when you circle the airport, go along that road which runs along the runway ? If so I had that done to me last time, added at least another 100 to the fare.

[kiakaha]

I got into a taxi on lower Sukhumvit on Tuesday the 23rd to go to the new airport. Well before we were on the express way, the driver explained that the Rama 9 access to the airport was blocked as a trailer truck had gone over the rail. What he wanted to do was to take the long way around through Bang Na. I asked how he know this and he said that it was on the news. I agreed and said that it was up to him.

About half way through the journey I realized that it was likely I had been had. He wasn’t listening to the news or the traffic station at all. What he was doing was doubling the cost of the fare by taking the long way around.

May I suggest that you not get taken in like I was. The best thing to do is to have the driver pull over and get out and get another taxi that doesn’t pull that bs. This is sometimes inconvenient so (in this case) you must insist on the shortest route which is essentially via the Rama 9 expressway.

If you are not sure of how to explain this in Thai, have a friend explain it to you and then write it out phonetically. It is not very difficult.

DON’T GET SUCKED IN BY THESE SNEAKY CHISELERS!

Aloha

Siki

how do you know for 100% that he was lying ? he may have been trying to be helpful or maybe the accident was actually on rama 9 road(not the elevated expressway) and he misunderstood.

the bang na route is about 5-10 mins further than the rama 9 route from where i live. doubling the price ? not in my experience.

i would hardly call that a scam. the blue tollway direction signs for the airport clearly give you two direction options, bang na or rama 9. is this a scam too.

[tattoodrob]

my god a hundred baht ,the sneaky fcukers....with that sort of money in uk i could buy a ...........ermm not a lot

[GungaDin]

Was the taxi parked outside a/your hotel or was it a cruiser?

[midas]

I got into a taxi on lower Sukhumvit on Tuesday the 23rd to go to the new airport. Well before we were on the express way, the driver explained that the Rama 9 access to the airport was blocked as a trailer truck had gone over the rail. What he wanted to do was to take the long way around through Bang Na. I asked how he know this and he said that it was on the news. I agreed and said that it was up to him.

About half way through the journey I realized that it was likely I had been had. He wasn’t listening to the news or the traffic station at all. What he was doing was doubling the cost of the fare by taking the long way around.

May I suggest that you not get taken in like I was. The best thing to do is to have the driver pull over and get out and get another taxi that doesn’t pull that bs. This is sometimes inconvenient so (in this case) you must insist on the shortest route which is essentially via the Rama 9 expressway.

If you are not sure of how to explain this in Thai, have a friend explain it to you and then write it out phonetically. It is not very difficult.

DON’T GET SUCKED IN BY THESE SNEAKY CHISELERS!

Aloha

Siki

That is why more of us should support the Airport Bus service. It is comfortable

and you dont have to worry about dealing with these mafia characters.

[dantilley]

I got into a taxi on lower Sukhumvit on Tuesday the 23rd to go to the new airport. Well before we were on the express way, the driver explained that the Rama 9 access to the airport was blocked as a trailer truck had gone over the rail. What he wanted to do was to take the long way around through Bang Na. I asked how he know this and he said that it was on the news. I agreed and said that it was up to him.

About half way through the journey I realized that it was likely I had been had. He wasn’t listening to the news or the traffic station at all. What he was doing was doubling the cost of the fare by taking the long way around.

May I suggest that you not get taken in like I was. The best thing to do is to have the driver pull over and get out and get another taxi that doesn’t pull that bs. This is sometimes inconvenient so (in this case) you must insist on the shortest route which is essentially via the Rama 9 expressway.

If you are not sure of how to explain this in Thai, have a friend explain it to you and then write it out phonetically. It is not very difficult.

DON’T GET SUCKED IN BY THESE SNEAKY CHISELERS!

Aloha

Siki

Maybe he was listening to the news before you got in the car and then wanted to give you a break from the radio once you were inside? Maybe he had found out from another driver who had heard on the news? Maybe his radio wasn't working and he heard on the news at home before he set off for work? Maybe, just maybe, he was being honest and trying to help you get to the airport quicker?

This kind of paranoid, cynical "everyone's trying to scam us" bullshit is worse than the rare scams themselves. People getting out of taxis and getting angry makes life increasingly hard for the many honest taxi drivers out there. And, before people start spouting off, I know there are some crooks out there who refuse to put on the meter and so-on but these are very much in the minority.

Edited September 25, 2008 by dantilley

[Kf6vci]

Recently, I encountered drivers who claimed not to have change. One driver blatantly decided on his tip by returning short change.

At least the Song Taws (spelling?) pick up taxis have been 100% correct about the fare the hundreds of times I used them in bangkok. but in Pattaya, there might be a lot of unpleasantness. You might hail a Song Taew with passengers in and exit not as the last one. you pay 20 Baht and still get screemed at.

Many drivers are not the ones on the card either.

They should clean up the situation in Pattaya, where some taxi drivers won't start the fare computer!

[GarryP]

From the few times that I have needed to go to the airport, I have found the Bang Na route by far the quickest and worth the extra 40 or 50 Baht.

[bendix]

[clausewitz]

Unbelievable, why don't you buy a car if you're that paranoid.

[H2oDunc]

Im waiting for the classic " its not about the money, its the principle " reply you normaly get when somebody gets " ripped off " for 20 baht or so. I think Ive only ever seen 1 person admit it was about the money and that was Weho

[dantilley]

That is why more of us should support the Airport Bus service. It is comfortable

and you dont have to worry about dealing with these mafia characters.

So, a taxi driver who takes a slightly longer route because (almost certainly) the usual route was blocked is now a "mafia character"? :D

[glyph]

A taxi driver going the long way is hardly a new scam.

[tartempion]

Well I guess every 100 cabs you take you might have one driver trying to get some extra baht out of your wallet.

Happens everywhere but not sure about your driver there, maybe he WAS concerned getting you there fast (or him out fast for his next customer)

[Tod Daniels]

The incessant references to the evidently hundreds of "mafia" groups ('beggar' mafia, 'taxi' mafia, 'moto-taxi' mafia, 'tuk-tuk' mafia, not to mention the 'litter police' mafia, and lest we forget, the ever heinous 'rabid soi dog' mafia or the equally subversive 'blind karaoke singer beggar' mafia) becomes a very tedious read after a while.

I doubt most posters could spot a 'mafia character' if they stood beside you.

Another mindless paranoid post about the injustice of it all, oh the humanity. .. ... .

[thaihome]

Once the finish the off ramps from the elevated road that will take you straight to the airport road going that way may actually be faster then the Rama IX expressway route. It certainly is not twice as far or longer time.

From where I live near Sathorn, it is already faster to go the Bangna-Trat elevated route.

I too suspect that the taxi driver was jsut trying to be helpful.

TH

[jamesthefirst]

Im waiting for the classic " its not about the money, its the principle " reply you normaly get when somebody gets " ripped off " for 20 baht or so. I think Ive only ever seen 1 person admit it was about the money and that was Weho

It's not about the money, it's the principle.

[dantilley]

Im waiting for the classic " its not about the money, its the principle " reply you normaly get when somebody gets " ripped off " for 20 baht or so. I think Ive only ever seen 1 person admit it was about the money and that was Weho

It's not about the money, it's the principle.

There you go, your wait is over. At least it's come from someone being sarcastic rather than someone who really thinks that.

[vegas]

I love taxi drivers. Some of them are good but plenty are a pain in the ass. I caught a taxi from the airport with a mate (we had dropped someone off, no luggage) and the driver refused to use the meter and wanted 500 baht. We didn't care cos he was dropping us off at my mate's apartment where he had lived for 5 years so the staff all knew him well. We arrived, got out and offered him 150 baht, approx what we paid when we went to the airport. The guy objected, tried to complain to the security guard, the apartment manager, anyone that was walking by. We just cracked a few beers, sat there and watched for at least an hour while this guy wasted his time. He had no comback cos he was in the wrong but refused to take the money and go. Must admit I was enjoying myself. Eventually we took his rego number and pretended to call the police. This was enough to get him accept the fair fare and pizz off. What a <deleted>.

[chuang]

DON’T GET SUCKED IN BY THESE SNEAKY CHISELERS!

Aloha

Siki

That's the problem with most farangs in LOS..anything not to their likings blame it on the Thai...

[bkkjames]

In general, as soon as I get in I tell them in Thai exactly where I am going. Seems to have helped me to avoid too much of the scenic routes to my destinations.

Not much use for a newbie without any language skills I know.

[Wrong Turn]

I got into a taxi on lower Sukhumvit on Tuesday the 23rd to go to the new airport. Well before we were on the express way, the driver explained that the Rama 9 access to the airport was blocked as a trailer truck had gone over the rail. What he wanted to do was to take the long way around through Bang Na. I asked how he know this and he said that it was on the news. I agreed and said that it was up to him.

About half way through the journey I realized that it was likely I had been had. He wasn’t listening to the news or the traffic station at all. What he was doing was doubling the cost of the fare by taking the long way around.

Key word: airport.

Even when I use my average Thai skills, I have a big Baht sign on my head flashing. I usually arrive at the airport after a very long flight, and this is one instance, where I sometimes, say, "heck," you can have the extra few Baht, just get me home to relax.

But still, we should not make these antics easy for them.

Airports.

[h90]

I got into a taxi on lower Sukhumvit on Tuesday the 23rd to go to the new airport. Well before we were on the express way, the driver explained that the Rama 9 access to the airport was blocked as a trailer truck had gone over the rail. What he wanted to do was to take the long way around through Bang Na. I asked how he know this and he said that it was on the news. I agreed and said that it was up to him.

About half way through the journey I realized that it was likely I had been had. He wasn’t listening to the news or the traffic station at all. What he was doing was doubling the cost of the fare by taking the long way around.

May I suggest that you not get taken in like I was. The best thing to do is to have the driver pull over and get out and get another taxi that doesn’t pull that bs. This is sometimes inconvenient so (in this case) you must insist on the shortest route which is essentially via the Rama 9 expressway.

If you are not sure of how to explain this in Thai, have a friend explain it to you and then write it out phonetically. It is not very difficult.

DON’T GET SUCKED IN BY THESE SNEAKY CHISELERS!

Aloha

Siki

Yes the Airport Taxis are all cheater, not only in Thailand.

[barky]

Many of your worries will soon end in about the middle of next year when the new Airport link opens. For example, From Phaya Thai direct to the airport 150 baht in under 20 minutes. The result is it will kill lots of the profitable Taxi business. You could say som nom na.

[polecat]

And then, when you get off the skytrain with your suitcases, you don't think there will be the same problems getting a cab?

[dantilley]

Many of your worries will soon end in about the middle of next year when the new Airport link opens. For example, From Phaya Thai direct to the airport 150 baht in under 20 minutes. The result is it will kill lots of the profitable Taxi business. You could say som nom na.

If it's as much as 150 Baht for that trip it certainly won't affect taxis' business much. Having to get to and from Phaya Thai loaded up with luggage will be a major hassle for most people. And if you have more than 2 people the price will be more than your own private taxi which can take you door to door.

4 people on the airport link for 600 Baht, plus the expense of getting to Phaya Thai (say an extra 30 Baht per person if they're staying in mid-Sukhumvit, 40 Baht each if near the river), and it's over 700 Baht. Give me a taxi which can pick me up outside my hotel and take 4 people to the airport for 200-250 Baht any day.

[robbiecia]

In general, as soon as I get in I tell them in Thai exactly where I am going. Seems to have helped me to avoid too much of the scenic routes to my destinations.

Not much use for a newbie without any language skills I know.

Excellent point!!

I take at least 2 taxis a day.......................you will never get any problems if you give them directions in Thai

[Siki]

I recognize that these poor drivers would never cheat a soul. Their hearts are pure gold.

Price from lower Sukhumvit to airport approximately 200 baht. Price via Bang Na was 420. Pay it if you want to, suckers.

Aloha

Siki

[bendix]

I recognize that these poor drivers would never cheat a soul. Their hearts are pure gold.

Price from lower Sukhumvit to airport approximately 200 baht. Price via Bang Na was 420. Pay it if you want to, suckers.

Aloha

Siki

There's something deliciously ironic about the guy who got suckered in by an uneducated taxi driver calling other posters suckers when they have been pointing out how easy it is to avoid being . . ummm . . suckered.

Who, exactly, is the sucker on this thread?

Edited September 25, 2008 by bendix