Parking, Free!

[Thanyaburi Mac]

I was down to Swampy yesterday morning picking up friends arriving from the U.S. about 1030 hrs. Pulled into the 1st floor booth of Parking Garage #1, gal out in front handed me a paper AOT receipt with the parking rates crossed out. She said FREE! Fine with me, as I thanked her.

An hour later, with six pax in my van, pulled out of the parking garage and turned left. Then just beyond the the "circle" there were two Thai cops, they had two cars with Thai drivers stopped already, and waved me over.

Cop came up and asked if I spoke Thai, to which I replied, as I always do, "very little." License? OK, handed over my U.S. AAA IDP, 2008 issue, thus expired, which he looked at in confusion. Then he just said "you pay?" I was rather surprised at this as usually they're a bit more subtle in their requests/demands for a bribe. Anyway, I just replied "no," he handed back my IDP, and I motored on.

Told the folks in the van that they'd just received a quickie lesson in Thai law....

Mac

[wandrinstar]

Hope you dont have a crash, the insurance wont pay up.

[BWPattaya]

Perhaps he was asking if you had paid for parking, knowing that it should have been free. If you had paid then you had been charged when you shouldn't have done. It was announced yesterday something about the airports authority kicking out the private company that had been exploiting people.

[bubba]

I came back from a trip yesterday and had parked in Zone 2 for three days. When I arrived on Wedensday, I was given the usual plastic car park card. When I left yesterday afternoon, nobody was manning the payment booths. Directly ahead, there was a woman waving me on, she asked for my car park card, said thank you and waved me on my way. Free parking!

On turning left out of the car park, the police had closed off one lane and had some sort of a checkpoint set up, but I didn't see them pull anyone over.

I have no idea what's going on there now, but I suppose it's still the dispute regarding who gets the car park concession. But I would say that Suvarnabhumi now has the distinction of being the only major airport in the world with free parking.

[sawadeeken]

I hope the 'free parking' lasts a while till I take my next trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :jap:

[bubba]

Just got back from another trip, and the parking is still free. When I drove in on Monday they were handing out paper slips that noted your entry time and number plate, but on leaving today they just collected the slip and said "free". The police checkpoint is still there after you exit the car park, but they weren't stopping anyone.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Hope you dont have a crash, the insurance wont pay up.

Sorry, hadn't checked this forum for a couple of days.

FYI, I also have a current U.S. AAA IDP, plus a current Thai 5-year license. I just pull out the expired ones to start things off. And over the last 20 years, only one BiB has notice that the one I showed him was expired. No problem, apologized and pulled a current one out of my bag. Haven't see this guy for 4-5 years now, he used to be up on the Don Muang Tollway at the baht 20 (now 25) tollbooth.

Last year got pulled over a bit south of Phi Mai for "driving in the passing lane" too long. Well, that's a real judgement call. Handed over an expired IDP and the BiB just started to write out a ticket, NO request for a bribe at all. OK, no problem, asked him where the station was, he said a couple klicks back towards Korat, pay it there later. The wife & I continued on up to Nong Khai and over to Vientiane (left the van at NK), and on up to the PDJ at Phonsavanh. Came back about 6-7 days later, stopped at the station, walked in waving my ticket. One older BiB barked out "baht 400!" I just said nope, and went to the counter. Another BiB pulled out the carbon and my IDP, I paid the baht 200, and back on the road. Noticed that the IDP was a 2002 version, they'd not noticed that.

Mac