Motorcycle Taxi Drivers Frozen Out Of Govt Aid

[hansum]

Im taking it your some tefl teacher who cant afford such luxuries as a motorbike taxi.

And if I were, would that make my argument any less correct? How about if I were an office worker making 10,000 baht a month. Would I then be allowed to be offended that I am being overcharged?

You seem to think 10-40bht to go several hundred metres is too much so your earning power is influencing your view hence the presumption youre a teacher ... and your argument is totally incorrect as they are registered and governed, Its not a necessity in life to use a mototaxi ... but it is to get medical treatment so why dont you start a campaign for all doctors to earn no more then the country average as this is a far more important need.

If youre earning 10,000 bht a month as an office worker then quit to earn the 15-30000 bht sum or whatever it is you think these people earn and work the hours they do ...... the reason they dont is because the office worker on 10k a month is earning more then they would as a motorbike taxi driver in a far safer environment covered by strong employee backed laws.

Edited July 4, 2010 by hansum

[rgs2001uk]

Im taking it your some tefl teacher who cant afford such luxuries as a motorbike taxi.

And if I were, would that make my argument any less correct? How about if I were an office worker making 10,000 baht a month. Would I then be allowed to be offended that I am being overcharged? How about if I was Thaksin himself, but still didn't like being taken advantage of? I notice that rather than trying to present a counter argument to what I said, you instead try to attack me personally. It is a valiant attempt to deflect the argument by someone without any facts, but ultimately does nothing to support your position.

The government has the responsibility to regulate transit fares for the good of the community. They do it in every other public mode of transport in Bangkok, and for good reason. Only the motorcycle taxi drivers (and in a smaller number of cases tuk tuk drivers) are allowed to get away with what amounts to legalized theft. The motorcycle taxi drivers are currently overcharging for their services. They earn substantially more than the people they serve and substantially more than what is a fair wage for the service they provide. The prices they charge need to be regulated before things spin further out of control.

Some of us moved to Thailand to escape bankrupt European socialist paradises and their oppressive tax regimes, we appreciate the freedom Thailand offers us.

There are those who cant handle freedom and the free markets, they need Big Brother to mollycoddle them, those people may be in the wrong part of Asia, North Korea may well be a better choice, the Dear Leader through his infinite wisdom will may everything ok.

You mentioned the Nana area, so I assume you are familiar with the area, I wouldnt call a 10 baht fare from the bottom of Suk 15 the jetty at the khlong to the mouth of soi 15 legalized theft, I consider it value for money, as no doubt do the other customers using the service every day. I dont know the exact distance, but its more than a couple of hundred metres.

As for CarlBkk, the last time I was in immigration at Suan Plu, they wanted a letter with todays date on it from my bank (for some reason the letter with yesterdays date was unacceptable). Phoned the HSBC on Rama 4 and arranged for a new letter to be printed and picked up by a motocycle taxi driver, I would have gone with him but it was raining and didnt fancy getting soaked, 15 minutes and 100 baht later I had the letter, hardly legalized theft.

I woke up one Sunday morning to a leaking water tank, it was about 07:30 in the morning. Float valve needed replacing, where do you get one of those at that time on a Sunday morning? Spoke to local motorcycle taxi driver, half an hour later, not only had he managed to source a new float valve, he even fitted it. Total cost for everything including replacement part, 300 baht, hardly breaking the bank.

As for, getting a bit peed off, I usually read the list of fares first, and confirm the price before getting a motorcycle taxi, if not happy with the quoted fare then I will either walk or get a taxi, his lose not mine.

Where are these cases of overcharging for their services taking place, and is it affecting Thais as well or only farangs?

As for things spinning further out of control, take your business elsewhere.

Hansum, the day I classify getting a motorbike taxi a luxury is the day its time for me to go home. I appreciate some may not be so fortunate in these financially challenging times.

[harrry]

Some of us moved to Thailand to escape bankrupt European socialist paradises and their oppressive tax regimes, we appreciate the freedom Thailand offers us.

]

That is an argument for the government not paying. It is up to the taxi rider to take insurance in a free market. Also the municipality issues licences but I do not think it restricts the area they can work in. If they have a informalo system of corruption among themselves to restrict where they work why should others support it.

[gregb]

Im taking it your some tefl teacher who cant afford such luxuries as a motorbike taxi.

And if I were, would that make my argument any less correct? How about if I were an office worker making 10,000 baht a month. Would I then be allowed to be offended that I am being overcharged? How about if I was Thaksin himself, but still didn't like being taken advantage of? I notice that rather than trying to present a counter argument to what I said, you instead try to attack me personally. It is a valiant attempt to deflect the argument by someone without any facts, but ultimately does nothing to support your position.

The government has the responsibility to regulate transit fares for the good of the community. They do it in every other public mode of transport in Bangkok, and for good reason. Only the motorcycle taxi drivers (and in a smaller number of cases tuk tuk drivers) are allowed to get away with what amounts to legalized theft. The motorcycle taxi drivers are currently overcharging for their services. They earn substantially more than the people they serve and substantially more than what is a fair wage for the service they provide. The prices they charge need to be regulated before things spin further out of control.

Some of us moved to Thailand to escape bankrupt European socialist paradises and their oppressive tax regimes, we appreciate the freedom Thailand offers us.

There are those who cant handle freedom and the free markets, they need Big Brother to mollycoddle them, those people may be in the wrong part of Asia, North Korea may well be a better choice, the Dear Leader through his infinite wisdom will may everything ok.

You mentioned the Nana area, so I assume you are familiar with the area, I wouldnt call a 10 baht fare from the bottom of Suk 15 the jetty at the khlong to the mouth of soi 15 legalized theft, I consider it value for money, as no doubt do the other customers using the service every day. I dont know the exact distance, but its more than a couple of hundred metres.

As for CarlBkk, the last time I was in immigration at Suan Plu, they wanted a letter with todays date on it from my bank (for some reason the letter with yesterdays date was unacceptable). Phoned the HSBC on Rama 4 and arranged for a new letter to be printed and picked up by a motocycle taxi driver, I would have gone with him but it was raining and didnt fancy getting soaked, 15 minutes and 100 baht later I had the letter, hardly legalized theft.

I woke up one Sunday morning to a leaking water tank, it was about 07:30 in the morning. Float valve needed replacing, where do you get one of those at that time on a Sunday morning? Spoke to local motorcycle taxi driver, half an hour later, not only had he managed to source a new float valve, he even fitted it. Total cost for everything including replacement part, 300 baht, hardly breaking the bank.

As for, getting a bit peed off, I usually read the list of fares first, and confirm the price before getting a motorcycle taxi, if not happy with the quoted fare then I will either walk or get a taxi, his lose not mine.

Where are these cases of overcharging for their services taking place, and is it affecting Thais as well or only farangs?

As for things spinning further out of control, take your business elsewhere.

Hansum, the day I classify getting a motorbike taxi a luxury is the day its time for me to go home. I appreciate some may not be so fortunate in these financially challenging times.

It is wonderful to hear you are happy with the prices charged. I'm sure you will not be surprised that many do not share your opinion. Since you have made no attempt to provide information that argues against the facts that the motorcycle taxi queues are anti free market, anti competitive, and a group engaging in illegal price collusion, I will assume you recognize the truth of this statement. Again, in most sois where they operate there is no alternative other than to walk, and walking is not practical for many people.

Government regulation of price fares for motorcycle taxis will not hurt the driver if your opinion of their fares is correct, however it will make sure they do not unreasonably enrich themselves at the expense of the rest of the community. If the fares being charged are not excessive, then of course the government will allow them. However, your personal opinion of what is fair does seem to be contradicted by the fact that the motorcycle taxi drivers are making substantially more than the average office worker in Thailand, and indeed, substantially more than the lower government officials who would be analyzing what is considered fair.

This is not socialism. If you are so enranged by the concept of government regulation of transport fares, I invite you not to take any taxi, the skytrain, subway or bus, where the government does restrict what fares are allowed to be charged for the common good. The simple fact is a traditional taxi driver earns substantially less than a motorcycle taxi driver, and the only reason there are any taxi drivers at all is because motorcycle taxi drivers jealously guard the limited number of positions. The motorcycle taxi industry is very much a guild system, where only the privileged are invited to join. It bears no resemblance to a free market system, nor do your attempts to paint regulation of this corrupt industry as socialism have any substance.

Regulation of these corrupt practices of the motorcycle taxi industry is coming, and it is coming because the drivers themselves have left the country no alternative. I can not say when, but a group such as this can not continue to operate outside the constraints of the common good when their services are vital to the communities they serve.

There should be no support of the motorcycle taxi drivers until they modify their behaviour to respect the role they serve in the economy. They can not continue stealing from the larger economy that supports them. It is a self defeating attitude and very short sighted. There is no way forward but government controlled price regulation, the same way the traditional taxis are regulated.

Edited July 4, 2010 by gregb

[kissdani]

^^

Do they force you to spend all your money on their service or could you just walk down the Soi or use a bicycle? If the government hasn't actvated one of their peacekeeping tools, the live fire zone, a walk should be okay and you save money.

[hansum]

The motorcycle taxi industry is very much a guild system, where only the privileged are invited to join.

Yes youre right after all.