Asking "permission" From Taxi Drivers

[RadKiter]

I totally agree with you. The taxis are supposed to take you to your requested destination. That said, in Thailand poking your head in and talking to the driver gives you the opportunity to asses the situation. I have had some frightening rides from drivers that appear to be high on methamphetamine or some other drug.

[VocalNeal]

I think foreigners just need to forget it; they will all be better off.

Many countries were not ruled by the Romans, some nationalities do not travel well. But generally the old adages still work.

When in Rome, do what the Romans do.

[MikeENZ]

I tended to get into these situations at night in Bangkok, and in hindsight, while being "in the right" it was absolutely stupid of me. Fact is that while they are "obligated" to take you on the trip, lots of these taxi drivers are carrying a weapon, be it a tyre iron, pistol, knife or whatever, and its only a matter of time before I/you/whover else gets into an argument is injured or worse.

Just be thankful its bangkok and there are thousands or more metered taxis on the way, a few later and one will take you home, and not run by the taxi mafia or the islands, phuket, pattaya etc.

Noh that I'm living in Koh Tao (and ride a bike everywhere) I think I'm lucky I didn't get myself injured with some of the arguments I got with taxi drivers (one night in Param Gao comes to mind in particular).. Discretion is the better part of valour in these situations..

[kingstonkid]

As someone that is still learning the "mai penrai" it is interesting that cabbies are one of the areas that does not upset me. I understand that people are people and find that they are o different than cabbies in any other area i have been in.

My style of living is that if the gf is with me then i bow to here negotiating skills. if I want to handle something then I do it on my own so that they are talking tome and not her.

First reason is that I can never be sure if the gf understands my rant and second i hate getting upset at her because of someone elses stupidity.

[pete66]

Taxi drivers work shifts. They have to get the taxi back to "HQ" at a certain time or they get fined by their co-op or biz partner. So if their shift ends at 2pm and you hail them at 1.30pm and ask to go somewhere 45 minutes away, they say "may than" (not enough time). That's happened to me 100 times, so you wait for the next taxi. The idea of getting into an argument or fight because a taxi driver won't pick you up is bizarre in a country where there are more taxis than I've ever seen.

I do admit occasionally though the driver can be downright dismissive and rude, normally just by pulling a face or driving off without saying a word. In those circumstances, I just call him a <deleted> in Thai and wait for the next, hopefully more polite, driver.

Most are polite though in my experience.

[Newguy70]

Really is the OP for real !!!

IT IS NOT THEIR DUTY to take you anywhere my friend..

Its up to them if they want to take you !

Ask a tuk tuk hell take you anywhere you want to fo and i hope you get ripped off

God its people like you that cause problems for the rest of us.

Get if your high horse and relax

Yes it is

You can find numerous topics in various papers on this matter...

Fine for cabbies refusing service

• Published: 27 Aug 2012 at 19.44
• Online news:

Traffic police will introduce a new penalty for taxi drivers who refuse service to passengers by arresting and fining them without a prior warning, effective from Sept 1.

Unhappy passengers could now petition the police directly without having to submit their complaints to the Department of Land Transport as before.

The complainants must inform police of the registration number of a taxi whose driver refuses to take them where they want to go, said Pol Col Weerawit Wajjanapukka, chief of the Traffic Police Division’s ticket information centre.

Maybe you should try to be more informed before bashing someone!

Edited April 17, 2013 by Newguy70

[Tanuki]

I'm not going to push her into a confrontation with a fellow Thai;

Firstly, why would you want to push anyone into a confrontation with anyone, irrespective of their nationality?

Secondly, you have your own, kinda 'these are the rules, I'm gonna make people stick to them' way of getting taxis, but your wife and plenty of other people (myself included) have their own way of doing things.

Why do you want to change her behaviour? What difference would it make? If you flag a taxi down, state your destination and you get "ไม่ไป" as the response, get another one.

Relax. This is small stuff. You could, if you wanted to, turn it into big 'I know I'm right and I'm gonna prove it' stuff, but where would it get you?

It might get you to where you're going slightly quicker, but it might also get you nowhere, fast.

Why pick a fight over taxis? Hardly worth it really. Attempting to modify other people's behaviour is, in my opinion, rarely successful, contentious, argumentative, annoying, and slightly egotistical.

Many things are cultural differences, some things are just differences in the way individuals behave.

I think this is the latter.

you get "ไม่ไป" as the response.....Most of us can't read Thai and since this is a forum in English....

Strange that you are against changing people's behaviour and find it egotistical yet you are attempting to change the OP's behaviour are you not? Much like the OP I feel that people should do their job, especially when it's the law. This passive approach of allowing these taxi drivers to flaunt the law is only encouraging them to continue.

[pete66]

Really is the OP for real !!!

IT IS NOT THEIR DUTY to take you anywhere my friend..

Its up to them if they want to take you !

Ask a tuk tuk hell take you anywhere you want to fo and i hope you get ripped off

God its people like you that cause problems for the rest of us.

Get if your high horse and relax

Yes it is

You can find numerous topics in various papers on this matter...

Fine for cabbies refusing service

• Published: 27 Aug 2012 at 19.44
• Online news:

Traffic police will introduce a new penalty for taxi drivers who refuse service to passengers by arresting and fining them without a prior warning, effective from Sept 1.

Unhappy passengers could now petition the police directly without having to submit their complaints to the Department of Land Transport as before.

The complainants must inform police of the registration number of a taxi whose driver refuses to take them where they want to go, said Pol Col Weerawit Wajjanapukka, chief of the Traffic Police Division’s ticket information centre.

Maybe you should try to be more informed before bashing someone!

If its a law, its another ass, because apart from Bangkok, very few places in Thailand have "Taxis". How does the law define a taxi? In Chiang Mai we have taxis but nobody uses them except for airport trips. We use red "song thaews" or tuk-tuks. Does the law apply to them?

Even if BKK, that law sounds remarkably unworkable. Not only because of the shift-work, but because if the taxi-driver knows he's going to get a 100B fare for 2 hrs in nightmare traffic, should he really be forced to take you?

Its great being a policeman or politician where extortion is the norm. Forcing a law on taxi drivers who hardly earn anything anyway is a step too far.

[Cleveland]

Really is the OP for real !!!

IT IS NOT THEIR DUTY to take you anywhere my friend..

Its up to them if they want to take you !

Ask a tuk tuk hell take you anywhere you want to fo and i hope you get ripped off

God its people like you that cause problems for the rest of us.

Get if your high horse and relax

when I read this post, even as a newcomer to Bangkok, I had to wonder if N47HAN was very drunk or high on crack.

It most definitely is their duty to take you, one it's a legal requirement, and two, it's their job.

Nice sentiment about being ripped off by tuk tuk drivers. Not.

[sausageandmash]

Sorry, I agree with your wife. There are tens of thousands of taxis in this city, why force someone to go somewhere they don't want to go. All the farang I hear constantly moaning about taxi problems in Thailand all do it like you do. Just barge in to someone's taxi and start treating them like a servant rather than a partner. It's just considered rude here, regardless if the law says they have to take all customers, and if you act rude to them they will do the same in return. It also marks you out as a newbie and they are more likely to try taxi scams on you, as long term farang usually don't do this. Besides being polite it is for your own benefit to ask first

One-sided generalisations a-plenty here. Firstly, it's mainly Thais that I hear complaining about taxi drivers. Secondly, most people are not rude to taxi drivers. It's the driver's behaviour that brings out the rudeness in good people.

Best thing to do is walk away, leaving his door open.

[Polkadotskies69]

I understand it can be annoying...I have this problem every single day and its easy to get into the thought train of "this would never happen in the uk...a taxi in London would legally have to take me" but the fact is that we are not in the uk/USA/Australia/Europe or wherever....this is Thailand...and you will always have taxis refusing you. Making this an issue is just not worth it. Best to just let it go and learn to pick more important battles to fight instead of this one...especially if its putting a strain on your relationship.

One thing I think is worse is when a taxi says he'll take you but then half way there he'll get angry and fed up and try to kick you out!...or is it just me who's had this problem?

Edited April 17, 2013 by Polkadotskies69

[FDog]

Really is the OP for real !!!

IT IS NOT THEIR DUTY to take you anywhere my friend..

Its up to them if they want to take you !

Ask a tuk tuk hell take you anywhere you want to fo and i hope you get ripped off

God its people like you that cause problems for the rest of us.

Get if your high horse and relax

Yes it is

You can find numerous topics in various papers on this matter...

Fine for cabbies refusing service

• Published: 27 Aug 2012 at 19.44
• Online news:

Traffic police will introduce a new penalty for taxi drivers who refuse service to passengers by arresting and fining them without a prior warning, effective from Sept 1.

Unhappy passengers could now petition the police directly without having to submit their complaints to the Department of Land Transport as before.

The complainants must inform police of the registration number of a taxi whose driver refuses to take them where they want to go, said Pol Col Weerawit Wajjanapukka, chief of the Traffic Police Division’s ticket information centre.

Maybe you should try to be more informed before bashing someone!

If its a law, its another ass, because apart from Bangkok, very few places in Thailand have "Taxis". How does the law define a taxi? In Chiang Mai we have taxis but nobody uses them except for airport trips. We use red "song thaews" or tuk-tuks. Does the law apply to them?

Even if BKK, that law sounds remarkably unworkable. Not only because of the shift-work, but because if the taxi-driver knows he's going to get a 100B fare for 2 hrs in nightmare traffic, should he really be forced to take you?

Its great being a policeman or politician where extortion is the norm. Forcing a law on taxi drivers who hardly earn anything anyway is a step too far.

Well if he is nearing the end of his shift all he has to do is turn his light off to indicate he can't take a fare. But if his light is on then he is available and must take you.

[USNret]

I understand it can be annoying...I have this problem every single day and its easy to get into the thought train of "this would never happen in the uk...a taxi in London would legally have to take me" but the fact is that we are not in the uk/USA/Australia/Europe or wherever....this is Thailand...and you will always have taxis refusing you. Making this an issue is just not worth it. Best to just let it go and learn to pick more important battles to fight instead of this one...especially if its putting a strain on your relationship.

This response most closely reflects my views. Yes, it's annoying. But no, it's not worth losing any sleep over. It's one of those mai bpen rai things, just let it go. 99% of the time, that's exactly how I deal with it.

[sausageandmash]

Reading your account of the way you treated a probably 45kg shop assistant and and reffering it to a ' battle '

( how childish ) and then seeing you were a great military hero and manager I personally think you are an out and out bully and hope one day a taxi driver gives you a slap.

Oh here we go. What would you have done? Let them fleece an extra month's subscription out of you for no reason?

If the girl didn't know the appropriate charage, that's her problem, not the OP's.

There are times to let things slide but this wasn't one of them.

You are quite right.

I remember last month I decided to sell an old white gold ring at a jewellery stall at Robinsons Ratchada. The rather young girl there gave us 2,600 Baht for it and we both signed paperwork and went on our way.

The next day, the girl called my wife, telling her that she had given us too much money for the ring and could we come back and make up the difference?

I told my wife "don't even think about it", as 1) it was the girl's mistake, so tough titty, and 2) this could easily be a scam

Quite rightly, we never went back.

[shtony]

I understand arround 4:00 pm, some taxi will change their shift, they have to turn the taxi to some one else to drive, and they can not go any where that you wish to..

[Wat dee]

My wife & I generally don't take "short" cab rides; we prefer to walk. I"d say 100 baht fare is about average for us which is a good 20-30 minutes drive. But the funny thing is, you are correct... a series of shorter trips would be more profitable for the driver than one long one due to flag drop. But try teaching higher math to a cab driver, much less teach them driving skills.

And you've been cabdriver for how long??

[Newguy70]

I have on many occasions had a taxi deny me service in front of a Thai police officer, Usually the officer just looks over, and then glances away.

Cabbies say 'no' to service refusal

• Published: 1 Jan 2013 at 17.43
• Online news:

More than 2,000 taxi drivers in Bangkok have pledged not to refuse service to passengers by choosing who to take or where to go.

The drivers made their promise on Tuesday as part of a campaign called “Taxi Jai Dee” (jai dee in Thai means kind, good hearted) initiated by the Royal Thai Police.

The campaign, which started Tuesday and will finish at the end of the 2014 New Year holiday week, was launched at Bangkok Bus Terminal (Chatuchak) where deputy national police chief Ruangsak Jaritek signed a commitment with Julie Sawangarun, president of Taxi Thai, Hua Jai Inter Club, representatives from the Taxi Drivers Association of Thailand and Wutthichart Kalayanamitr, managing director of The Transport Co.

[OxfordWill]

Ive had a samurai short sword, knife, gun and machete pulled on me by taxi drivers over 10 years of being here. I always ask first because some of them are seriously dangerous people and it is hard to tell which before you get in and annoy them.

Sometimes, when I am drunk, I have dutch courage and just get in. Usually, I am lucky and they dont go mental and actually take me home. But my experiences are worth noting.

Edited April 17, 2013 by OxfordWill

[DRONGOH]

The problem is with your wife, you say. And in more than one way.

Easy to change a taxi and the driver, but not so a thai "wife".

Dealing with female logic?

And what is that?

Desmond Tutu's Nobel price should go to you instead!!!!

What a statement!!

[Billmont]

Try getting one to take you south of the river after 10pm, esp if the drive lives in Essex

I was in central london, (West End) took in a show and then went for a meal and yes I left it too late. Decided to take a taxi, flagged one down and asked him to take me to south Essex. Before he had a chance to say no I told him I dont mind paying over the odds, no meter etc I just wanted to get home. He said stay there and in 10 minutes or maybe 5 a taxi will come and take you home. I thought well I do not have much of a choice so I thanked him and off he drove. 10 minutes later a taxi turned up and said you want to go to Essex and in I jumped. He told me a price, quite reasonable and off we went. It turns out he lived in Essex and was looking to a fare even part way. He said we just send out a a message saying finishing up now and looking for a fare to wherever they live and other divers pass it on if they get a fare and do not wish to go there.Being polite always helps, the same in Thailand. Here I usually let my wife speak to the driver and she usually gets success, sometimes a refusal but no problem for me I am not usually in a rush. Often I ask to keep the taxi to wait for me, agree a price or let the meter continue to run, up to the driver, here in Thialand the price of taxi's is cheap in any case. I do not need stress anymore, been there, got the tee shirt and sent it back. Now at the end of a journey I am relaxed, feels so much better.

[bikerider21]

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I couldn't find it....

I get frustrated by the apparent custom in Bangkok of sticking your head in a taxi, telling the driver where you want to go, then getting his assent or "permission" before getting in.

In my bull-in-a-china-shop style, I would not do this if traveling alone. I would just get in & insist on being taken to my destination. But 99% of the time, I'm with my wife & I cannot break her of this habit. The end result, of course, is that maybe 40% of the time, the driver doesn't care to go where we're going, and he'll drive up the road a bit & pick up somebody else.

I keep explaining to my wife that a driver, on duty, has to take you where you want... failure to do so is a reportable offense. But in her non-confrontational style, this makes no impact on her. She'll say "the driver is at the end of his shift" or "he's headed home" and our destination is out of his way. My retort, of course, that as long as his red sign is on, that means he's on duty and is obligated to honor his fare.

My issue perhaps is not so much with the driver as with my wife. After trial-and-error over the years, I'm not going to push her into a confrontation with a fellow Thai; this is abhorrent to her, I've done it to her in the past & always regret it. Then she reads stories about taxi drivers shooting their passenger & she's pretty sure we'll be the next victim. I have no fears on that line whatsoever, but it's no help in dealing with female logic.

I don't think this is always a matter of the driver wanting to go a longer distance for more fare; our rides will be upward of 100 baht which I consider to be an average intra-city taxi ride. And it's not a matter of using the meter or not; they always do & this isn't an issue. I think the driver's concern might be traffic congestion, or the likelihood of getting another fare after dropping us off (normally at a mall, or at our home in an Onnut moo baan.)

Has anyone found a diplomatic way of bridging this gap between driver & the Thai wife/gf?

[Maenamray]

Surely this is a problem of the meter rates being too low. In what other major city would you pay as little as you do in BKK? Have you noticed that the meter hardly changes for waiting time? So why would the taxi driver want to take you if he is going to end up sitting in traffic for an hour? I always ask, and if he says "No" I ask him for what I consider a reasonable price, and he then rarely says no. The thing to do is to argue for a fair price for taxis, and this would not be a problem.

[HerbalEd]

I'm not going to push her into a confrontation with a fellow Thai;

Firstly, why would you want to push anyone into a confrontation with anyone, irrespective of their nationality?

Secondly, you have your own, kinda 'these are the rules, I'm gonna make people stick to them' way of getting taxis, but your wife and plenty of other people (myself included) have their own way of doing things.

Why do you want to change her behaviour? What difference would it make? If you flag a taxi down, state your destination and you get "ไม่ไป" as the response, get another one.

Relax. This is small stuff. You could, if you wanted to, turn it into big 'I know I'm right and I'm gonna prove it' stuff, but where would it get you?

It might get you to where you're going slightly quicker, but it might also get you nowhere, fast.

Why pick a fight over taxis? Hardly worth it really. Attempting to modify other people's behaviour is, in my opinion, rarely successful, contentious, argumentative, annoying, and slightly egotistical.

Many things are cultural differences, some things are just differences in the way individuals behave.

I think this is the latter.

Very well said ... and very Buddhist. Why complain about the what you cannot change? It does no good and just makes you feel worse.

[Stjohnm]

I still take the BTS, MRT or River Taxi's 90% of the time, this is something I rarely experience, most of the time I'm getting pestered by Taxis stopping to enquire as to whether I want them, when I hadn't even hailed them.

[atyclb]

Really is the OP for real !!!

IT IS NOT THEIR DUTY to take you anywhere my friend..

Its up to them if they want to take you !

Ask a tuk tuk hell take you anywhere you want to fo and i hope you get ripped off

God its people like you that cause problems for the rest of us.

Get if your high horse and relax

First off; I really admire the definitiveness and apparent expertise espoused in your proclamation"

Next off; are you aware of the Bangkok law / legislation passed within the last year that makes it law that the taxi must take passengers to their desired destination and must use the meter? Are you aware of the tel # hotline to call with complaints? Most of the complaints are from THAI PEOPLE and the taxis are fined. I believe 1000 baht is the fine.

Anyway never fear, you are in the right country to make grandiose proclamations that need not be based upon reason, logic, fact, or common sense. Keep on smiling.

[HerbalEd]

Really is the OP for real !!!

IT IS NOT THEIR DUTY to take you anywhere my friend..

Its up to them if they want to take you !

Ask a tuk tuk hell take you anywhere you want to fo and i hope you get ripped off

God its people like you that cause problems for the rest of us.

Get if your high horse and relax

Relax ... yeah ... great advice.

[atyclb]

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I couldn't find it....

I get frustrated by the apparent custom in Bangkok of sticking your head in a taxi, telling the driver where you want to go, then getting his assent or "permission" before getting in.

In my bull-in-a-china-shop style, I would not do this if traveling alone. I would just get in & insist on being taken to my destination. But 99% of the time, I'm with my wife & I cannot break her of this habit. The end result, of course, is that maybe 40% of the time, the driver doesn't care to go where we're going, and he'll drive up the road a bit & pick up somebody else.

I keep explaining to my wife that a driver, on duty, has to take you where you want... failure to do so is a reportable offense. But in her non-confrontational style, this makes no impact on her. She'll say "the driver is at the end of his shift" or "he's headed home" and our destination is out of his way. My retort, of course, that as long as his red sign is on, that means he's on duty and is obligated to honor his fare.

My issue perhaps is not so much with the driver as with my wife. After trial-and-error over the years, I'm not going to push her into a confrontation with a fellow Thai; this is abhorrent to her, I've done it to her in the past & always regret it. Then she reads stories about taxi drivers shooting their passenger & she's pretty sure we'll be the next victim. I have no fears on that line whatsoever, but it's no help in dealing with female logic.

I don't think this is always a matter of the driver wanting to go a longer distance for more fare; our rides will be upward of 100 baht which I consider to be an average intra-city taxi ride. And it's not a matter of using the meter or not; they always do & this isn't an issue. I think the driver's concern might be traffic congestion, or the likelihood of getting another fare after dropping us off (normally at a mall, or at our home in an Onnut moo baan.)

Has anyone found a diplomatic way of bridging this gap between driver & the Thai wife/gf?

Divorce

[Razzler1973]

The cab thing in BKK annoys me. In Dubai we have a system that if there any problems you call the central cab office/municipality and report the driver. Get a reference number, they usually fine them, they text you or call you back to let you know it's been handled.

I can't be doing with cabbies deciding where and when they will go. I know there is traffic, etc, we have those issues too but don't be a freaking cabbie then. All this 'no meter' stuff too or anytime it bloody rains!

Need a way to stop them doing it in BKK, maybe fining them too. Here I will just sit in the cab and tell him to take me and that he'll be reported and fined. If they're getting fined they get arsy and you get out but they 'learnt their lesson' so to speak

It amazes me that the Thais themselves take this so well 'I want to go ... no, ah, ok' as the driver drives away.

The 'end of shift' thing is the oldest one in the book

[Dr Wanchai]

Your frustration is not justified. If you do not like "sticking your head in", the simple solution

is , don't use taxis. Either walk or use a bus.

Taxis may be a public service, but they have every right to decide who to let into their cars

and where they want to go, as much as you can decide who to let any salesman into your

house.

[joseph49]

you are on their turf, what if the positions were reversed,

would you like some farang telling you how to do your job?