Bangkok Cabdrivers Protest Penalty For Refusing Fares

[Colabamumbai]

while we're at it, might as well include some penalty for the disgusting habit of cab drivers opening the driver side door to spit on the road at traffic lights or when stationary... winder what makes them want to spit so much....hmm...

What about when they stop to take a piss at the side of the road, while you sit in the cab. It has happened to me.

[noob7]

while we're at it, might as well include some penalty for the disgusting habit of cab drivers opening the driver side door to spit on the road at traffic lights or when stationary... winder what makes them want to spit so much....hmm...

What about when they stop to take a piss at the side of the road, while you sit in the cab. It has happened to me.

No Tip!

[Albacore]

while we're at it, might as well include some penalty for the disgusting habit of cab drivers opening the driver side door to spit on the road at traffic lights or when stationary... winder what makes them want to spit so much....hmm...

What about when they stop to take a piss at the side of the road, while you sit in the cab. It has happened to me.

I've definitely noticed that the perimeters of Bangkok's parks double as urinals for cab drivers.

[samtam]

I've noticed a sea change in taxi driver attitude since the gubernatorial election result. I live in Sathorn and asking them to go to Siam Paragon (at 2 pm yesterday) or Cenral Chidlom (at 10.30 am today) and other times and to nearby destinations seems to be met with the usual crap about traffic jams etc., as if Bangkok's traffic was somehow a new issue. Have I had a bad run, or have others noticed similar behaviour in recent days?

[forumuser10]

I've noticed a sea change in taxi driver attitude since the gubernatorial election result. I live in Sathorn and asking them to go to Siam Paragon (at 2 pm yesterday) or Cenral Chidlom (at 10.30 am today) and other times and to nearby destinations seems to be met with the usual crap about traffic jams etc., as if Bangkok's traffic was somehow a new issue. Have I had a bad run, or have others noticed similar behaviour in recent days?

Yes, they refuse very often. Some people argue, that they need to get better paid, in order to be willing to go to more places, to me, that seems absurd, it should be the opposite.

If they are little motivated to go somewhere, and they can afford to be picky to where they want to go, if they got paid more, they would get even more picky.

[Zolt]

I'm out of compassion for cab drivers. I had 20+ of them refuse a simple 20-minute ride up to Chaengwattana last week. It's almost all highway, no traffic to speak of at that time and it nets them about 200 baht on the meter. I can understand not wanting to go somewhere that will leave them stuck in traffic for the next 2 hours, but that??

[djlest]

From a Taxi drivers point of View (for refusing fares) and as someone who drives in Bangkok - there is actually some logic.
The traffic is horrendous at certain times of day, so Taxi drivers will stick to a close area it knows is not congested. In doing so it avoids sitting in traffic for hours on low metered earnings.
It also increases the earnings because the more short trips the more initial 35 baht fee it racks up.

Is it right? Nope.. not for us, and considering most congestion is caused by taxis and buses, the root cause.

Here are some logical steps most educated ministers might try.

1. Reduce taxis, there seriously is no reason to have more taxis than cars in a city, people can wait 5 mins for a taxi, one every 5 seconds is way too many.
2. Build some actual bus lanes or Inclined Bus stops to stop massive jams and road blocks from these stinking de-creped mamoths that just park in the second lane every few minutes and cause massive jams not to mention accidents
3. Improve BTS, MRT, Subway routes - they are way behind and have hardly improved the last 10 years.

4. Electric Tuk Tuks - and Motorcycle lane. Shared with bus lanes only. But where buses actually have an inclined Bus stop where passengers can safely get on and off without massive road blocks.

5. Fines for all motorcycles that veer into the 2nd and 3rd lanes, and buses and tuk tuks.
6. A clear definition that a FAST LANE is for faster vehicles and all slower vehicles MUST move out of the way for faster traffic, this reducing undertaking and major accidents and road rage.,
7. Better driving tests, they are absolutely a joke.
8. Police check points that dont block entire roads causing massive jams.

[Razzler1973]

We know why they refuse to do it but that's hardly the fault of the passenger who wants to go from A to B

My suggestion was don't be a cabbie or take up your concerns about the system with the taxi authorities.

Cabs in Hong Kong operate on 'Hong Kong side' or 'Kowloon' side and there was a (legit) fee to cross over the water. Maybe there can be additional charges for going close to certain areas

We have that at the moment in Dubai. Minimum fares and going close to problem traffic areas (Sharjah) it's an automatic AED 20 fee and everyone knows this, it's written there. Let the authorities decide on the best way to satisfy passengers and cabbies and me not have to worry about it

[weecree]

while we're at it, might as well include some penalty for the disgusting habit of cab drivers opening the driver side door to spit on the road at traffic lights or when stationary... winder what makes them want to spit so much....hmm...

What about when they stop to take a piss at the side of the road, while you sit in the cab. It has happened to me.

No Tip!

Im ashamed to say that not only did i tip my first ever taxi driver from the airport 100 baht (who took a piss half way there), i also paid 700 to get him to drive to khlong toei for my place (even though i agreed 500 when i stepped into his cab). Honestly... worst tourist brethren ever. Sorry follow up tourists, i helped encourage them until i got my head around it.

Chuay chai metuuuur duay khrap/kah... Since that point all taxi drivers have been nothing but angels. Except one dude that charged me 200 baht to go from mbk back to KT (day 2). In fact by day 2 i was so pissed off with taxi drivers that it made me hate thailand for my first week. I got over it though