Taxi Driver

[ishan14]

This is what just happened. A few mins back, Me and my wife, we were waiting for a taxi outside my house but because there were no taxi's there we started to walk towards the "pak soi". On the way, this taxi just popped out of nowhere, the cabbie had parked his car in the trees with everything turned off (it was impossible to see him) and as soon as he saw us , he turned the cab on and started flashing the headlights. I raised my hand to signal him and when he reached me , i told him where i had to go and he said fine, lemme just turn my cab around i'll brb. I was waiting for the cab there and when that guy came back , he had a girl sitting inside, on reaching us he and the girl inside started asking me and my wife to get in and that the girl will pay for us too bc she iss going to the the same place aswell . I said NO THANKS and walked away and that <Snip!> kept on following with his window panes down , askin me to get in until we found another taxi. I'm sure his intentions were wrong. THIS WAS THE WIERDEST TAXI RELATED INCIDENT THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME IN BKK. Has anybody here ever experienced something of this kind here ?

BTW Sorry for any punctuation mistakes.

Edited September 4, 2012 by metisdead
: Profanity

[smokie36]

<sigh> This stuff never happens to me. Right to be cautious at 3am though...

[wellred]

I would have been scared if I was alone. You did the right thing by refusing the cab.

[Judecalling]

<sigh> This stuff never happens to me. Right to be cautious at 3am though...

Poor Smokie : ))

oops - forgot to say 'steer well clear'. x

(edited again for typo)

Edited September 4, 2012 by Judecalling

[autan]

I agree with yourself and the other posters. This is very strange and anything strange at 3am in BKK isnt good.

You did the right thing.

[CharlieH]

Correct to move on, good decision

[MiG16]

Next time if it's not an unplanned travel, you should call via the dispatch. Might mean a 20 min wait, but safer

[Pseudolus]

I think you are being a bit harsh on the cabby here. So you want to get a cab, he says let me turn around and there are no other cabs about. See a lady looking for a cab, a alone lady in the streets who hails him. He already has a customer lined up and he has given his word her would be back, but she is alone as well and might be in danger. She offers to pay for the trip as they are going in the same direction (more important for her to get into a taxi and off the street) so he agrees, comes back to tell the OP this, but they suspect he means them harm because he is a taxi driver in Thailand, but even so he follows them slowly to make sure they get a taxi and are safe. This is just as likely.

[mogandave]

Given it's just as likely, you still have a 50% chance of the trip ending poorly.

[lovelaos]

Was the lady passenger a bit of a sort? I agree with Pseudolus, it seems it might have been a win win situation, the woman is off the street, the driver gets a good fare and you get to your destination free of charge. This is the Asian way after all isn't it?

I'm glad I don't live in a city which puts me in a paranoid state of fear.

[tominbkk]

It is weird for sure, but what do you think may have been the scam had you decided to get in? That's what I am not sure about, how they would profit from it.

[bendejo]

If it was all on the up and up then he would have just taken off as he had his fare/customer (the woman). If he wasn't going to make anything more from the trip why was he stalking you?

I think they were up to something, maybe trafficking something they shoudn't, and this way if they got stopped and caught they could have engaged in that well-loved Thai sport "blame the farang."

[Pseudolus]

It is weird for sure, but what do you think may have been the scam had you decided to get in? That's what I am not sure about, how they would profit from it.

We don't know enough information. When the taxi rocked up initially, was it going to be a meter taxi, or was a bargain struck? Did the OP and wife speak Thai? Did the driver speak good English?

[meom]

I think the OP just missed out on a perfect threesome with the girl going the same way and offering to pay

[ishan14]

It is weird for sure, but what do you think may have been the scam had you decided to get in? That's what I am not sure about, how they would profit from it.

We don't know enough information. When the taxi rocked up initially, was it going to be a meter taxi, or was a bargain struck? Did the OP and wife speak Thai? Did the driver speak good English?

It was a meter taxi. My wife's a thai and i speak good thai myself. The area was latphrao and it was not that deserted that the cabbie thought of "helping" the girl and btw i forgot to write, when i was waiting for my wife , i saw that girl come walking from the "pak soi" . It looked more like she just came down from a cab because why would she come walking inwards when everyone knows there are no taxis inside and trust me man the situation was much more creepier than it sounds. That cabbie also looked like he was high on ya ba or sumthing

[richard_smith237]

Next time if it's not an unplanned travel, you should call via the dispatch. Might mean a 20 min wait, but safer

Both my Wife and I have tried booking taxis through dispatch on numerous occasions. The system is terrible - We always (about 80% of the time) get a call back from dispatch to tell us that no one has taken our fare.

We continually try and 'chance' that we might get a taxi via dispatch as it costs no extra time when booking in advance (i.e. 30 mins), but realistically we always have to walk 100m to the main road and flag down one of the many taxis.

It appears to me that the 'Dispatch' system is flawed and un-reliable.

Regarding the Op: He did well to trust his instincts, no good could have come from that situation and he'd have just been placing himself and his wife and unknown risk with what appears to be a fruit-cake of a driver....

[arthurwait]

It's a strange one. I would have done the same as you and walked away.

It could be all sorts of scams.

Maybe they know each other and she wanted to go home, but they were going to get someone to pay for it, missing purse routine at the end or a lot of sob stories in the cab to guilt you.

Maybe she is his gig and they were having it away before he spotted a fare.

Maybe they were somewhere drinking together and were both going home and you would have still got the sob stories.

Maybe you would have got a "You want lady" routine.

Was it near any hotels or appartments ? Maybe he was waiting for her while she was erm ...busy.

Edited September 5, 2012 by arthurwait

[bkkjames]

I think you are being a bit harsh on the cabby here. So you want to get a cab, he says let me turn around and there are no other cabs about. See a lady looking for a cab, a alone lady in the streets who hails him. He already has a customer lined up and he has given his word her would be back, but she is alone as well and might be in danger. She offers to pay for the trip as they are going in the same direction (more important for her to get into a taxi and off the street) so he agrees, comes back to tell the OP this, but they suspect he means them harm because he is a taxi driver in Thailand, but even so he follows them slowly to make sure they get a taxi and are safe. This is just as likely.

I admire your intentions with this post - but sadly the choice between giving the cabbie and the gal the benefit of the doubt vs erring on the side of prudance - prudance wins. 3am and other things, my spidy senses say not worth it.

[wellred]

I think you are being a bit harsh on the cabby here. So you want to get a cab, he says let me turn around and there are no other cabs about. See a lady looking for a cab, a alone lady in the streets who hails him. He already has a customer lined up and he has given his word her would be back, but she is alone as well and might be in danger. She offers to pay for the trip as they are going in the same direction (more important for her to get into a taxi and off the street) so he agrees, comes back to tell the OP this, but they suspect he means them harm because he is a taxi driver in Thailand, but even so he follows them slowly to make sure they get a taxi and are safe. This is just as likely.

It's possible there was no harm intended but how was the OP to know? Would you have? In a foreign country where crime and scams are not uncommon and at that time of the night it's best to be on the safe side.

[bobobo]

Within doubt....etc You did the right move. I've done the same..

[transam]

I think you are being a bit harsh on the cabby here. So you want to get a cab, he says let me turn around and there are no other cabs about. See a lady looking for a cab, a alone lady in the streets who hails him. He already has a customer lined up and he has given his word her would be back, but she is alone as well and might be in danger. She offers to pay for the trip as they are going in the same direction (more important for her to get into a taxi and off the street) so he agrees, comes back to tell the OP this, but they suspect he means them harm because he is a taxi driver in Thailand, but even so he follows them slowly to make sure they get a taxi and are safe. This is just as likely.

Hmmmmmmmm, think your a bit naive for 99% OP safety. I was a London mini cab driver for many years and know the possible scams/whatever. .............

[besth]

Can't completely discard Pseudolus theory, but it very much sounds like the cabby and passenger were ready to take to OP and wife somewhere where they would have been liberated of mundane goods.

In any case, better be safe than sorry.

[Gaccha]

How did you get a taxi driver to stop with a passenger....

I asked 25 taxis in a row--with no passengers-- and they refused my 7minute journey....

[MiG16]

Next time if it's not an unplanned travel, you should call via the dispatch. Might mean a 20 min wait, but safer

Both my Wife and I have tried booking taxis through dispatch on numerous occasions. The system is terrible - We always (about 80% of the time) get a call back from dispatch to tell us that no one has taken our fare.

We continually try and 'chance' that we might get a taxi via dispatch as it costs no extra time when booking in advance (i.e. 30 mins), but realistically we always have to walk 100m to the main road and flag down one of the many taxis.

It appears to me that the 'Dispatch' system is flawed and un-reliable.

I have a couple or more numbers for taxis Ive used and felt comfortable in - either they drove safely, spoke politely, or are lady cab drivers, or live in my neighbourhood.... so I asked for their numbers and use their service on other occasions

[jacktrip]

no such thing as a free ride. if one is offered there is a back end.

[yourauntbob]

Better safe than sorry so its good you didnt get in the car. You should have taken notice of the license plate and maybe called it in though.

[Gaccha]

I noticed in Khon Kaen with their new cabs, they all wanted me to have their tel numbers. It seems pretty cutthroat... And with only 35 cars at the time....

[barky]

I think the OP just missed out on a perfect threesome with the girl going the same way and offering to pay

If you count the cabbie it's four.....that thought might make you a little limper lol.

[tinfoilhat]

ive had a taxi driver with his girlfriend in the passenger seat before.

i probably would have kept walking as well.

hardly likely i would have posted the incident however.

shame you didn;t get another video of nothing, say maybe one of the wheels, or the back of the drivers head.

[ishan14]

ive had a taxi driver with his girlfriend in the passenger seat before.

i probably would have kept walking as well.

hardly likely i would have posted the incident however.

shame you didn;t get another video of nothing, say maybe one of the wheels, or the back of the drivers head.

Hey kitty why don't you read the OP b'fore you post a reply. I have written in the op that the girl was another passanger and not the driver's girlfriend.