Crackdown On Cabbies Who Refuse To Take Passengers

[moto77]

How often do your hear when you've finally got a taxi home when it comes to paying the fare when you hand over a 100 baht note for a 60 baht fare that he's got no change and then next he says tip for me okay , drive on to the 7/11 and i'll get change smart arse !!!

I get the no change thing once a year or so, maybe less. Never had a taxi driver ask for a tip though.

I keep a bank roll of 100 20s and about 30 50s in my condo. Highly recommended. Having correct change saves a lot of time and grief.

[moto77]

How often do your hear when you've finally got a taxi home when it comes to paying the fare when you hand over a 100 baht note for a 60 baht fare that he's got no change and then next he says tip for me okay , drive on to the 7/11 and i'll get change smart arse !!!

I get the no change thing once a year or so, maybe less. Never had a taxi driver ask for a tip though.

I rarely take coins back from a taxi driver, unless he's a jerk. They don't make much money and we're usually talking about 25-50 cents here...

[KKvampire]

How often do your hear when you've finally got a taxi home when it comes to paying the fare when you hand over a 100 baht note for a 60 baht fare that he's got no change and then next he says tip for me okay , drive on to the 7/11 and i'll get change smart arse !!!

I've had that ," Ok sorry I can't pay the fare if you got no change", Amazing how they suddenly find some in a some place on the dash or pocket

[khaowong1]

It always makes me nervous when the government is involved in making me do something I don't particularly want to do. Like picking up passengers and having to take them somewhere I really don't want to go or don't have time to go. I for one don't get angry if I ask a taxi driver to take me somewhere and he say's no. I usually ask them first if they can go there, if they can't, I flag down another taxi and ask them. I have never had to wait past two taxi's.

So my advice is, to chill out. If you were in the same boat as these taxi drivers, what would you do? What would Buddha do? What would Jesus do?

[dantilley]

I've had some who genuinely didn't have enough change, including one who announced it as soon as we set off on the journey to avoid an unpleasant situation later.

Coins I also rarely accept back; perhaps if the fare is 87 THB and I hand over 100 THB note I might accept the 10 THB coin back. Usually round up to the nearest 10 though.

[khaowong1]

This paper is infuriating.

WHY all of a sudden is it such a serious offence to refuse a fare? Who decided to change the law? Where are they going to house all of these new inmates?

A fine for a minor offence and jail for refusing a fare???? Someone find this paper some journalists

They used to have "western" Jurno's then replaced them all with folks from India and Bangladesh. (Serous)

To save even more money, many of the proof readers are out sourced back in India. Hence, this is why so much just doesn't make sense and is shallow. Some times I am not sure which is more news worth the nation or notthenation.

So true! Many friends in the industry had to move to places like Singapore becoz those in power 'thought' an Indian could do the same job. Hence the drastic drop in quality, and huge rise in errors! TIT

Careful of judging the Indians so hastily. Some of the most intelligent, switched on workers in the offshore industry are Indian. And lovely chaps they are too.

I agree. In fact, one of my favorite tv shows was: Mumbai Calling. Anyone remember that one? Really funny..

[ayayay]

Lets be realistic, you flag down a cab and it is close to his knock off time

So, then he should switch off the vacant sign, and even more so, not stop to try to pick someone up.

And lets be realistic, when 5 taxis in a row refuse to pick up a tourist in a tourist area, its not that they are all just about to go off tbeir shift.

[khaowong1]

Lets be realistic, you flag down a cab and it is close to his knock off time

So, then he should switch off the vacant sign, and even more so, not stop to try to pick someone up.

And lets be realistic, when 5 taxis in a row refuse to pick up a tourist in a tourist area, its not that they are all just about to go off tbeir shift.

He's probably looking for a fare that is going his way back to where he has to turn in his taxi. You think...

[ayayay]

In the overall scope of things to bitch about I would personally put Bangkok taxis down near the bottom of my list. Maybe I have been exceptionally lucky but i have very rarely had any problems whatsoever with the taxis. Sure sometimes one will quote a flat fare or will shake his head no when I name a destination. But most of the time I am able to find another one ready to go with the meter in a matter of minutes. In my experience bangkok taxis are some of the best bargains anywhere. How many large cities can you ride an a/c taxi for a few miles and the fare is the equivalent of a few bucks and a tip is up to you. Try that in the USA or Europe and see how that works out. If you want something to whine about go to phuket and deal with the tuk tuk mafia there that want exhorbitant prices for an uncomfortable non a/c death trap ride with no meters in sight.

Let me guess, you dont live here, snd you just come here 2-3 weeks every year for holiday.

[erectem]

so instead of fining them an official ticket, they get the usual tea money, correct ?

what is the crazed on ya ba taxi driver comes out with a big knife or asks his friends collegues to come to beat you up, you that were taking a piccie of his cabbie

what is a "piccie" pray tell?

[McMagus]

Slightly off topic but about refusing a fare. I am about 180 cm and 105 kg.. In Thong Lor one day I wanted a motorcycle taxi to take me to the BTS. The ignorant prick said .. 'You too fat' and laughed. So, I went to the guy right next to him and said in my best Thai .. I want to go to Thong Lor BTS and I will give you 100 Baht. It was only about 1 km away but it was stinking hot. and I said it loud so the prick could hear and waved the 100 B in the air. Then turned and grinned at him.

[wooly]

Why get stressed out over this. In my experience; over many years, just take another cab - there are thousands of them, and I have had far more good/nice drivers that <deleted>.

[hellodolly]

It really is amazing how so many middle-aged pink "heroes" choose to torture themselves volunterily!

Why stay in LOS if all you do is b**ch and moan about teamoney,cabs etc...Constant negativity against Thais is really

getting ...

Do you really want to this place to work like back home?!Expecting european standard with thai prices is not going to happen!

Here you enjoy the company of 5 foot+ 20+years old doll,and then cry about extra 50 cents you had to pay because thais are rasist.

Try to look at the positive...most of you are well over the hill so that might give you couple of extra years in this hellhole!

Interesting post. Intelligent and then Ignorant all in one post.

"hellhole"

[hellodolly]

In the overall scope of things to bitch about I would personally put Bangkok taxis down near the bottom of my list. Maybe I have been exceptionally lucky but i have very rarely had any problems whatsoever with the taxis. Sure sometimes one will quote a flat fare or will shake his head no when I name a destination. But most of the time I am able to find another one ready to go with the meter in a matter of minutes. In my experience bangkok taxis are some of the best bargains anywhere. How many large cities can you ride an a/c taxi for a few miles and the fare is the equivalent of a few bucks and a tip is up to you. Try that in the USA or Europe and see how that works out. If you want something to whine about go to phuket and deal with the tuk tuk mafia there that want exhorbitant prices for an uncomfortable non a/c death trap ride with no meters in sight.

Let me guess, you dont live here, snd you just come here 2-3 weeks every year for holiday.

I think they are confusing Taxis in Bangkok with the ones in Bali.

[HereIAm]

This paper is infuriating.

WHY all of a sudden is it such a serious offence to refuse a fare? Who decided to change the law? Where are they going to house all of these new inmates?

A fine for a minor offence and jail for refusing a fare???? Someone find this paper some journalists

They used to have "western" Jurno's then replaced them all with folks from India and Bangladesh. (Serous)

To save even more money, many of the proof readers are out sourced back in India. Hence, this is why so much just doesn't make sense and is shallow. Some times I am not sure which is more news worth the nation or notthenation.

Very funny. And where did you outsource your own proofreading ? (Serious, if you please, not "Serous"). You meant journos, not jurno's. You don't use an apostrophe for plurals. Just an 's' would do, simple. By the way it's outsourced, rather than out sourced. "Hence, this is why... " tsk tsk , "just doesn't make sense." Sometimes, not some times. Better you outsource to India ...

Edited August 28, 2012 by HereIAm

[jerrysteve]

I once saw a Thai lady with two small children in front of the World Trade Center at 9:30 p.m.

She stopped a cab, open the rear door opposite the drivers side and he must have refused to take her and her small children home I presume.

The neat thing she did was she left that rear door wide open, and the taxi driver had to get off of his posterior walk all the way around and close the door.

That was a CRACKUP! as opposed to a Crackdown.

[robblok]

Slightly off topic but about refusing a fare. I am about 180 cm and 105 kg.. In Thong Lor one day I wanted a motorcycle taxi to take me to the BTS. The ignorant prick said .. 'You too fat' and laughed. So, I went to the guy right next to him and said in my best Thai .. I want to go to Thong Lor BTS and I will give you 100 Baht. It was only about 1 km away but it was stinking hot. and I said it loud so the prick could hear and waved the 100 B in the air. Then turned and grinned at him.

Must have been humiliating, in general they don't seem to have any problems with having even 3 people on a bike. Myself i don't like driving with someone on the back as the weight makes it not as much fun as driving alone. But then again they selected this job.

[BwindiBoy]

LOBS!

[Fishface]

Just walk--, get to know the shops and the people. Walking is faster most times.

[uptheos]

How often do your hear when you've finally got a taxi home when it comes to paying the fare when you hand over a 100 baht note for a 60 baht fare that he's got no change and then next he says tip for me okay , drive on to the 7/11 and i'll get change smart arse !!!

I get the no change thing once a year or so, maybe less. Never had a taxi driver ask for a tip though.

Strangely, whenever I visit Bangkok I never have a problem with cabbies. The fact that I have no idea where I'm going is irrelevant, as I always seem to end up at the place I asked for (a couple of times I've had to cross the road) and the fare has always been on the meter. I guess living there and using them regularly is a different matter.

[catweazle]

Wonder if there ever will be a crackdown on crackdowns...

I actually would like to apply with local authorities for a crackdown on bargirls who refuse to go "longtime"

[lostmark]

In my experience, I have found the ride quality to be largely unaffected by the use/non-use of the meter. This wouldn't be my qualification for choosing a taxi driver anyway, I would look at the guys face.

Shame I'm not so good at judging a Thai womans face.

On the last legs of my relationship with my thai ex-wife, as I was waiting for a bus to the airport, it had been raining and things were going slow, but I was still sure that I had ample time to get to the airport.

My ex suggested I get in this particular taxi, which I didn't feel was necessary, anyway the two of them managed to convince me that I needed this taxi so I got into it.

I didn't like the look of the guys face, he didn't use the meter, but again, my prime concern was that I was moving, so that was relegated in my mind.

We drove through a part of Bangkok which makes the dodgiest parts of the UK that I have witnessed, look like disneyland in comparison. The driver started veering off the obvious road and towards a building where there were "dudes" hanging out, and I was getting nervous, so I prayed to God. Within seconds 4 big american style police cars arrived on the scene, the driver changed course, and I was followed all the way to the airport, whereafter I guess they had words with the taxi driver.

My feeling was that I was lucky on this occasion and something bad was planned, I am convinced that my ex was in on it.Yeah, I was one of those idiots that got caught out, I allow myself one fuc_k-up. It won't happen again. I know what they're like now and how it's all set up.

Edited August 30, 2012 by lostmark

[HereIAm]

In my experience, I have found the ride quality to be largely unaffected by the use/non-use of the meter. This wouldn't be my qualification for choosing a taxi driver anyway, I would look at the guys face.

Shame I'm not so good at judging a Thai womans face.

On the last legs of my relationship with my thai ex-wife, as I was waiting for a bus to the airport, it had been raining and things were going slow, but I was still sure that I had ample time to get to the airport.

My ex suggested I get in this particular taxi, which I didn't feel was necessary, anyway the two of them managed to convince me that I needed this taxi so I got into it.

I didn't like the look of the guys face, he didn't use the meter, but again, my prime concern was that I was moving, so that was relegated in my mind.

We drove through a part of Bangkok which makes the dodgiest parts of the UK that I have witnessed, look like disneyland in comparison. The driver started veering off the obvious road and towards a building where there were "dudes" hanging out, and I was getting nervous, so I prayed to God. Within seconds 4 big american style police cars arrived on the scene, the driver changed course, and I was followed all the way to the airport, whereafter I guess they had words with the taxi driver.

My feeling was that I was lucky on this occasion and something bad was planned, I am convinced that my ex was in on it.Yeah, I was one of those idiots that got caught out, I allow myself one fuc_k-up. It won't happen again. I know what they're like now and how it's all set up.

Looks like you escaped becoming another farang news report and another topic for discussion on Thai Visa

I just wonder why the police followed the cab all the way to the airport instead of stopping him there, opening the doors, enquiring with the passengers and menacing the driver enough to make him wet his pants.

[richard_smith237]

This paper is infuriating.

WHY all of a sudden is it such a serious offence to refuse a fare? Who decided to change the law? Where are they going to house all of these new inmates?

A fine for a minor offence and jail for refusing a fare???? Someone find this paper some journalists

They used to have "western" Jurno's then replaced them all with folks from India and Bangladesh. (Serous)

To save even more money, many of the proof readers are out sourced back in India. Hence, this is why so much just doesn't make sense and is shallow. Some times I am not sure which is more news worth the nation or notthenation.

Very funny. And where did you outsource your own proofreading ? (Serious, if you please, not "Serous"). You meant journos, not jurno's. You don't use an apostrophe for plurals. Just an 's' would do, simple. By the way it's outsourced, rather than out sourced. "Hence, this is why... " tsk tsk , "just doesn't make sense." Sometimes, not some times. Better you outsource to India ...

A perfect example of how to make yourself look like a w@^&er to everyone you don't know !!!... Contribute something of value to the thread instead !!!

On Topic: I personally don't mind the cab driver who honestly refuses to take me somewhere there are many reasons why including that they may not know the location and risk getting us lost. It's in our advantage not to go with taxi drivers who for whatever reason don't want to take us.

Personally I deplore the taxi who agrees to take me, then when he finds out he can't scam me because I speak sufficient Thai and know the directions they change their mind and ask me to get out... This is when leaving the door open can be satisfying.