Bangkok Traffic Police To Get Tough On Cabs

[TAWP]

If they want to help ease traffic matters they should reduce the number of taxis. There are an extimated 70,000 taxis in a city that only requires about half that number. Another thing would be for the taxi driver to accept all fares who flag them. I am fed up with the crap of taxi drivers telling me they do not or will not go where I want to go. Failure to accept a fare should result in hack licenxse revocation. Now, why won't this ever happen? The taxi mafia.

Let them go blow smoke up someone else's ass.

Seconded. What kind of crap taxi service refuses a fare? Have never seen this in any other country ever, it's ridiculous.

Why would there be a problem with a few taxi's refusing the ride if there are some many waiting taxis?

Ps. Ever been here in hard rain? You will notice all taxis are occupied with customers. And not enough taxis to go around. Ds.

[MEL1]

So if I read this correctly, if the taxi driver that set me up to be robbed last week had his shirt tucked in, I would still have my wallet and credit cards

If you got duped by a taxi driver, more fool you.

Can you tell us 'exactly' how he took your wallet? Or were you pissed on your way back from a whore who stole it before you knew?

-mel.

[Reasonableman]

It can be extremely irritating when they gutter crawl for fares, causing a traffic jam, cherry-picking where they will and will not go. They park/stop, you tell them where you want to go, they hum and haa, do they need to urinate, is it lunch time, do they have any idea how to get to this obscure alien place, is it near home, is it 4.30pm, is the fare suitably profitable and convenient, is there a traffic jam, is it raining, does the meter work, is the passenger likely to tip, how many people and how many bags, etc., etc., and after all that BS they refuse and you have to go thru the whole bleedin' process again. Grrrrrr.

[philw]

It can be extremely irritating when they gutter crawl for fares, causing a traffic jam, cherry-picking where they will and will not go. They park/stop, you tell them where you want to go, they hum and haa, do they need to urinate, is it lunch time, do they have any idea how to get to this obscure alien place, is it near home, is it 4.30pm, is the fare suitably profitable and convenient, is there a traffic jam, is it raining, does the meter work, is the passenger likely to tip, how many people and how many bags, etc., etc., and after all that BS they refuse and you have to go thru the whole bleedin' process again. Grrrrrr.

Is this denigration of taxi drivers ??

Strangely my experiences of BKK taxi drivers over the last 20 or so years have been generally quite good.

Must be my misfortune to have nothing to moan about, although there have been 1 or 2 "adventures ".

[visarunservice]

what about the Police making it easy to report Taxi drivers who refuse to take you onboard by running the meter, ONLY by a set fee? There should be a number to call to report the taxi AND the police taking action against him/her. But like everything else you can whistle in your somtam for that to happen.

I agree with you totally! Being a native born Thai Citizen and having the cab drivers pick and choose what fares they like or don't like is frustrating. Doesn't help when you're all be yourself and the place has dim to no lights.

[Unkomoncents]

My understanding is that one of Thailand's favored prison-rehabilitation programs promotes 'gentlemen' who would like to operate taxis (air-con, at least 200 THB/day, zero intellectual investment, and any number of 'customers'). The car-rental agencies are owned by well-connected Thai-Chinese families that operate extremely profitable businesses (no regulation, no client-consciousness). The whole situation certainly looks ripe for exploitation all around...

[sultan]

Shirt tucked in or useable rear seat belts. I know which I would prefer.

when a driver who has gone to the trouble of removing the clasp mechanism from the chassis and leaving the belt section intact tries to convince me that it qualifies as a seatbelt (for a baby's car seat) - I forget my manners altogether.

This is the logic of a remedial. but at least he's well turned out in working hours

Edited March 2, 2012 by sultan

[puyaidon]

I am sure that there are members of the forum who can remember when taxi drivers had to wear a hat when they drove around the city. If they got caught by the BIB, they had to pay a fine of some amount. This is just a continuation of the hat trick of years ago. Bureaucracy in action.

[Reasonableman]

Re gutter crawling for fares. Illegal in many countries. If you want a taxi you hail a taxi. Bumper to bumper gutter crawling of tens sometimes more taxis and tuk tuks effectively parked on no standing/no parking zones, across entranceways, sois, etc. Yes that is annoying, especially when you cannot enter or exit the soi in which you live. My experience. If you have not had this experience, or any of the others that I have, you are most fortunate.

[thaihome]

Seconded. What kind of crap taxi service refuses a fare? Have never seen this in any other country ever, it's ridiculous.

No other country? When flagging down a taxi (not at a queue) I’ve been refused in Beijing, KL, Shenzhen, Singapore, and San Francisco.

Of all the places I have lived, Bangkok is the best place for getting a taxi. There are just so many of them it doesn’t seem to matter where you are, you walk out to a main street and in short while one will come by. Bangkok is just about the only place where the taxi business is a buyer’s market.

TH

[Reasonableman]

From the piece:

Taxis are also prohibited from parking their vehicles in unauthorized areas or blocking traffic. Violators could face a fine up 500 - 1,000 baht.

All taxis are required to use their meters to determine the cab fares.

Sounds good to me.

[lensta]

If they want to help ease traffic matters they should reduce the number of taxis. There are an extimated 70,000 taxis in a city that only requires about half that number. Another thing would be for the taxi driver to accept all fares who flag them. I am fed up with the crap of taxi drivers telling me they do not or will not go where I want to go. Failure to accept a fare should result in hack licenxse revocation. Now, why won't this ever happen? The taxi mafia.

Let them go blow smoke up someone else's ass.

Seconded. What kind of crap taxi service refuses a fare? Have never seen this in any other country ever, it's ridiculous.

This used to really annoy the c-rap out me also until a mate told me what to do. Always open the back door when telling the driver where you want to go, if he refuses the fare, leave the back door open and walk away. This really p-isses them off especially if it is raining.

[gay4who]

what about the Police making it easy to report Taxi drivers who refuse to take you onboard by running the meter, ONLY by a set fee? There should be a number to call to report the taxi AND the police taking action against him/her. But like everything else you can whistle in your somtam for that to happen.

I agree with you totally! Being a native born Thai Citizen and having the cab drivers pick and choose what fares they like or don't like is frustrating. Doesn't help when you're all be yourself and the place has dim to no lights.

Thanks, So interesting that a Thai Person agrees the Taxi's methods are obnoxious, especially when the falang on here just say , "why you whinging its not that bad , blah blah blah.." .and the usual garbage

[gay4who]

From the piece:

Taxis are also prohibited from parking their vehicles in unauthorized areas or blocking traffic. Violators could face a fine up 500 - 1,000 baht.

All taxis are required to use their meters to determine the cab fares.

Sounds good to me.

What they are "prohibited" from doing and what they "do" are quite different

[Reasonableman]

Correction: "some farang" ;-)

[metisdead]

An offensive post has been removed as well as an inflammatory reply.

[Ulysses G.]

The police should be forcing them to use their meters. Who cares if their shirts are tucked in?

[Crushdepth]

Refusing a fare drives me nuts, especially when its a good fare and the traffic is ok. Adding rear seat belts would be a nice safety enhancement that might save society a few bucks.

Posted with Thaivisa Slapp http://apps.thaivisa.com

[Reasonableman]

It wouldn't hurt tho if they looked half presentable, now would it? Maybe both are achievable, over time.

The police should be forcing them to use their meters. Who cares if their shirts are tucked in?

[metisdead]

A post that was offensive and inflammatory has been removed as well as a reply. Discuss in a rational manner or don't bother posting.

[exeter]

Just enforce all the traffic laws, thats what you are paid to do, it will solve a lot of problems, checking to see if the driver has his pants on the wrong way round is not important!

[RupertIII]

It's ok to complain about BKK Taxi drivers, but in my experience I think in general that they are not bad. Ok, I drive; but when I use taxis I never have, and never have had, a problem. They may not be trained, like black cabbies are, but they will genuinely get you from A to B in the best way they know how, and always use the meter - unless YOU are a prick, of course!

The police getting tough on cabs would be time better spent on police getting tough with motorcycle riders, and employing the laws that apply to them.

They only stop a few helmetless, car cutting and scratching, and road blocking cycle users when the lecky bills come in! As a driver, I find taxi's generally ok, and it's the <deleted> brainless and lawless motorcycle morons that need more policing - for their sakes plus mine!

-mel.

Spot on, couldn't agree more!!

[scorecard]

If they want to help ease traffic matters they should reduce the number of taxis. There are an extimated 70,000 taxis in a city that only requires about half that number. Another thing would be for the taxi driver to accept all fares who flag them. I am fed up with the crap of taxi drivers telling me they do not or will not go where I want to go. Failure to accept a fare should result in hack licenxse revocation. Now, why won't this ever happen? The taxi mafia.

Let them go blow smoke up someone else's ass.

Seconded. What kind of crap taxi service refuses a fare? Have never seen this in any other country ever, it's ridiculous.

Not all taxi drivers are bad, that's unfair but there are plenty who give their industry a bad name.

You think it's bad now, you should have seen it 25 years ago, service was simply not in the playbook. Back then 99% of the taxis were very very old and totally unroadworthy, glass in windows totally missing, most had either no air-con or it was unfixable, driver had to stop and manually adjust the carburettor again and again, and more.

There are two good examples (from othe countries) that could be followed, Singapore and HK. In Singapore it's difficult to get a licence to drive a taxi, and even one simple violation brings severe unishment. I think it's two violations and your taxi licence is cancelled forever, with no review possible.

Overall, service in the main Chinese cities has also improved enormously in the last few years, both taxis and buses.

Edited March 3, 2012 by scorecard

[Curt1591]

.... road blocking cycle users ....

I also drive. I have never been slowed up due to moto riders. Yes, they do stupid moto rider tricks, but that's their problem.

I think that taxis are the single biggest contributor to the traffic problems, at least on surface streets. But, it has nothing to do with a dress code!

They never pull out of traffic to pick up a fare, even when there is an obvious turn out opportunity.

They always take two lanes when scouting fares, the far left and the one next to it. This way, they can pull over for a fare, or pass if needed, only to block the two lanes again.

Edited March 3, 2012 by Curt1591

[p_brownstone]

It's quite common for a Taxi to refuse a fare around 3.30 or so in the afternoon - this is because it's a hired Taxi and the driver has to return it to the Lot around 4.00. If your destination is in a different direction to the Lot he has no time to take you there and return the Taxi on time - I find that entirely reasonable. (And frankly people who take revenge on the Taxi driver when this happens - by leaving the door open - are being very petty and small minded ......... and increasing the traffic problem in Bangkok because the driver has to get out to close the door.)

I do get bemused when I flag down a Taxi in heavy traffic and the driver refuses to let me board because "rot dtit", even when I point out that there will still be a traffic jam whether he has a paying passenger in the Taxi or not they very rarely see the point!

Patrick

[2unique]

If they want to help ease traffic matters they should reduce the number of taxis. There are an extimated 70,000 taxis in a city that only requires about half that number. Another thing would be for the taxi driver to accept all fares who flag them. I am fed up with the crap of taxi drivers telling me they do not or will not go where I want to go. Failure to accept a fare should result in hack licenxse revocation. Now, why won't this ever happen? The taxi mafia.

Let them go blow smoke up someone else's ass.

Seconded. What kind of crap taxi service refuses a fare? Have never seen this in any other country ever, it's ridiculous.

This used to really annoy the c-rap out me also until a mate told me what to do. Always open the back door when telling the driver where you want to go, if he refuses the fare, leave the back door open and walk away. This really p-isses them off especially if it is raining.

a mate used to do that until a taxi driver pulled a gun on him (admittedly 6 or 7 years ago) on Sukhumvit soi 26 - my mate said he went from drunk and obnoxious to sober and repentant in about the time it took to pee his pants a little!

[kartman]

With the drivers shirt tucked in you will be able to see the gun tucked under his belt in future, so not a silly regulation.

[Gonsalviz]

Oh boy, More money for for the BIB.

[laurentbkk]

what about also all those thai drivers who stop anywhere just to go and buy some soup or to eat some stuff on the road side ? they are worse than taxi drivers for annoying other drivers. Governments should send people to LEARN how to drive ... that would be better than annoying those taxi drivers who try to make a living ... Reducing the amount of taxi in Bangkok would also be a good solution.

[fred110]

If they want to help ease traffic matters they should reduce the number of taxis. There are an extimated 70,000 taxis in a city that only requires about half that number. Another thing would be for the taxi driver to accept all fares who flag them. I am fed up with the crap of taxi drivers telling me they do not or will not go where I want to go. Failure to accept a fare should result in hack licenxse revocation. Now, why won't this ever happen? The taxi mafia.

Let them go blow smoke up someone else's ass.

They should use the odd/even tag numbers to work alternate days. Cut number of cabs in half, they will save gas money and still get the same number of fares on the days they work.