Nearly 300 Illegal Taxi Drivers, Tour Guides Nabbed At

[Samuian]

About high time someone sweeps "the court" - way too long

this filth was left out there to blemish the image of LoS!

Gem-Stone Scams next!

Overpricing - next!

Double - pricing to follow!

Will be an arduous climb because of the pyramid schemes -

way too many people in the "ministry of inactive posts"

earning high wages for doing nothing - just for looking"the other way"...

Part of the renewal process - if it will ever be possible to fulfill.

Edited August 19, 2009 by Samuian

[TAWP]

I always pickup a taxi at the departures. Negotiate what you want; if you don't get what you want/don't like the taxi/etc, pick another one. I don't see any difference between this and picking up a taxi in the street. What is the point of setting up a system to 'protect' passengers when it is blatently abused? You cannot trust anyone in Thailand, including anything done by the government. In fact, I find very little to say good about Thailand these days. If someone asks me if its a good place for a holiday, I always tell them to go to Vietnam instead.

However, I do have to say, when I have walked to the proper taxi cue I have never had anyone try to rip me off iirc...atleast never where the people behind the table will quote me a price, as I always try to go by the meter.

[Samuian]

I always pickup a taxi at the departures. Negotiate what you want; if you don't get what you want/don't like the taxi/etc, pick another one. I don't see any difference between this and picking up a taxi in the street. What is the point of setting up a system to 'protect' passengers when it is blatently abused? You cannot trust anyone in Thailand, including anything done by the government. In fact, I find very little to say good about Thailand these days. If someone asks me if its a good place for a holiday, I always tell them to go to Vietnam instead.

However, I do have to say, when I have walked to the proper taxi cue I have never had anyone try to rip me off iirc...atleast never where the people behind the table will quote me a price, as I always try to go by the meter.

True!

Always same experience, except the extra 50 baht....

usually I use the Departure get away too...

speaking thai does help a lot!

[shotover]

No. Not wrong desk. This instance occurred in early 2008, when they had more tourist arrivals and more than one desk set up outside the arrivals area. This particular desk was operated by a man and woman. THey were telling every foreigner I observed coming to the desk that it was a flat 400 baht fee into the business and tourist areas.

You see you have answered your own question. In early 2008 AOT had a desk outside too, and the flat rate for their cars to "downtown" was 400 baht. I have used them on occasion myself when I wanted a little extra comfort after a long flight.

Hmmm. According to the AOT website, AOT operates the public taxi stands where the passengers are assigned to a metered taxi with the 50 baht fee.

If this info is not correct, who does operate these public taxi stands?

I am aware that AOT also operates limo services for fixed fares, in addition to the meter taxi stands.

Edited August 19, 2009 by shotover

[Shah Jahan]

Thailand has great laws... if only they would enforce them, the country would have a lot to be proud of...

if they enforced the laws here, how would have %80 of TV members met their wives?

[Serpico]

Can anybody take Thai authorities seriously?

They are investigating themselves again?

900 touts arrested at airport

The Police of Thailand with AOT has arrested over 900 different illegal bus and van driver and sales staff that has been operation from the new airport in Thailand. 2007

LINK;

http://www.personalthailand.com/wordpress/...angkok-airport/

3 Mafias 2007

Bangkok Post :

According to the Police the are 3 gangs that run the operation of illegal taxi and vans and scam tourist of the money the Airport authority of Thailand want to scam them on.

The AOT wants travelers to take the AOT "Limo" for 900 bt instead of the regular taxies for under 300 bt into town.

They allow the scammers to harass arrivals that don't sign up for the "premium" service.

They even have a sign in the baggage area to mislead and scare arrivals into using this 900bt service.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3401/350862...82a44f975_o.jpg

Lets face it, the AOT management are scum.

Edited August 19, 2009 by Serpico

[scorecard]

. . . Off course a big part of the problem is with the people arriving at the airport whom think they are smart and instead of going to the "legal" taxi queue downstairs and supporting these legal taxis will go to the departures hall and flag their own taxi from there, thus opening themselves up to all kinds of hassles and scams.

If everyone would only go with the legal providers eg:

Pickup by a friend

Limousine service

The official taxi queue

and wouldn't try to outsmart the other people for the sake of 50 baht (what is 50 baht on the plane ride you just did?) then a lot of the problems would go away.

Unfortunately it is a part of human nature that every John or Betsy on this planet think that they are smarter than the rest and can outsmart a system put in place. Thus providing fodder for scam artists to feed on ..... now about that bridge I have for sale

The official taxi Queue has not always worked out for me. I've experienced the following:

- The guy at the desk writing out the taxi slips tells me I have to pay a fixed fare of 400 baht to go to OnNut, normally a 160 baht meter fare. And I have had drivers from the queue try to pull the fixed fare charge on me also.

- Long waits (though not so often during the past year when tourist arrivals have dropped off) in the queues) and rude staff who ask your destination and write out the slips.

Drivers who insist on using the tollway or a longer route, even though I know from experience the direct route to my apartment is the quickest and shortest.

I've used taxis a few times from the departures levels without any problems, and the drivers seem more appreciative of the business. I don't care about the 50 baht surcharge as I will always tip at least this much if the driver is safe and pleasant.

I know there might be more risks taking taxis from departures rather than thru the official stands, but I have yet to encounter a problem. maybe they are reluctant to try much because I normally speak Thai with them.

MMMM speaking Thai should mean you shouldn't have a problem at the desk as well. Do not get me wrong here I have seen them trying to pull this stunt on tourists as well. With the taxidriver telling the Nong at the desk to tell the foreigners it is a fixed fare with everyone listening. It is not as if they try to hide their scam.

Do you speak polite Thai with them or street-Thai? .... usually street-Thai works better in my opinion because when you speak polite style they think you are fresh from a language school ..... and might still try to pull a stunt figuring you have no streetsmarts. I usually speak Koo and Meung style if they try to pull a stunt and that hits the spot. Which is usually only necessary when taking a taxi from Sukhumvit or Silom, which is a reason I try to avoid those streets.

Don't be offended to quickly when someone tries to pull a small scam on you. Just joust with them in slang and 99% of the cases they will cease the scam, even the Boys in Brown, but you have to keep your temper. You see it is in the blood of the people in this country to scam eachother. During my work as a comedian I see so many of them trying to scam one and other it is unbelievable sometimes and they all fall for eachothers scams no matter how obvious it is.

They try to pull their tricks on Thais also, and often.

- Some years back my Thai son was at university in Singapore for quite a while and returned to Bkk every second week-end, and he looks much younger than his real age, but he's not easily intimidated and he's wise enough to know when someone's trying to play games.

Because of the problems with taxi scams at Don Muang I organized for one taxi driver (recommended by a good friend) to pick him up every time, we paid whatever was on the meter, plus the 50Baht service fee, plus extra 100Baht. Annoying but at least some peace of mind.

- Just recently my Thai daughter in law flew back to Bkk from CM with small toddler. We were waiting for her to exit. When she appeared she as basically fighting off one of the rude women from the 'limousine' scam. Woman was trying to grab her bags etc. Daughter in law trying to keep control of her bags plus carry a toddler. My son quickly intervened and gave the' taxi' woman quite some abuse.

[MaiChai]

I think the problem in Thailand is that everyone thinks they are an entrepreneur and can charge whatever the market will bear. They really have the get rich quick mentality. In the case of foreigners arriving here, they don't know what the regular prices are and well they are considered rich compared to the average Thai, so these touts will charge as much as they can get. I also wonder what has happened to morals/decency/honesty in Thailand; its quite acceptable making a living out of tourism and charging a slightly higher price but they don't do this; they rip people off. Thus when you come here you really have to be streetwise, know what the local prices are, and be prepared to barter and shop around to pay a fair price for anything. I don't think its a nice way to spend a holiday; assuming your holiday would be to relax and get away from things rather than have the hassles of immersing yourself in a different culture and trying to pay local prices?

[konangrit]

I always pickup a taxi at the departures. Negotiate what you want; if you don't get what you want/don't like the taxi/etc, pick another one. I don't see any difference between this and picking up a taxi in the street. What is the point of setting up a system to 'protect' passengers when it is blatently abused? You cannot trust anyone in Thailand, including anything done by the government. In fact, I find very little to say good about Thailand these days. If someone asks me if its a good place for a holiday, I always tell them to go to Vietnam instead.

Why negotiate? Everytime I get a taxi from departures it's always on the meter. The only occasion when a taxi driver didn't want to do this he apologised, explaining he can make more off the meter, drove me back around to departures, asked another driver if he would take me on the meter, and politely put my luggage in the other taxi.

As you say, treat the taxis at departures like any other in Bangkok, no need to negotiate, just tell them to put the meter on. They're happy just to get a quick fare back into the city.

[churchill]

Airport staff question new clean-up drive

Gangs flourish as AoT heads turn blind eye

Writer: AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK

Published: 7/09/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: NewsIllegal businesses will continue to haunt Suvarnabhumi airport while crooked airport administrators are allowed to work hand in glove with criminal networks, staff say.

Asuspected employeeofanillegal business, wearing a jacketandlooking like an airport staff member, leads a foreign tourist to a limousine parked on the first floor of Suvarnabhumi airport. SOMCHAI POOMLARD

Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT), which runs Suvarnabhumi, needs to do much more than just order round-the-clock police patrols to send the airport cancer into remission, they said.

The measure, initiated by outspoken AoT board chairman Piyapan Champasut, is expected only to make the illegal operators lie low for a while, not wipe them out.

The airport, which opened its doors to travellers on Sept 28, 2006, has been plagued by gangs of unlicensed taxi operators and tour guides from the beginning.

continued

-- Bangkok Post 07/09/09

[churchill]

Duplicate post - Did not realise there was already another thread running at http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Crackdown-Fa...mi-t295764.html