Bhat Bus Mafia Figures Out How To Annoy Us Even More

[wooloomooloo]

Jingthing - are you okay, mate?

I'm failing to comprehend a cabal concerned with the big payday of a 10 or 20 baht fare.

Poor people trying to make a living is at the outer limits of my understanding.

[Jingthing]

Jingthing - are you okay, mate?

I'm failing to comprehend a cabal concerned with the big payday of a 10 or 20 baht fare.

Poor people trying to make a living is at the outer limits of my understanding.

The drivers are not poor. They are not rich either. I have no objection to drivers making a living and if anyone thinks that, they haven't bothered reading my posts. Get friendly with a few and ask them how much they make per day after expenses, also considering charter fares, which are massively overpriced by distance compared to a Bangkok taxi. It's the entire system that is an organized power play by the OWNERS of the vehicles. They are making the big money, from the leases. By controlling the baht bus AND fake taxi meter cars they have locked in a goldmine they will never give up unless they are made to give it up and no power here would dare try to make them give it up. I believe and this was confirmed by one taxi meter driver here anyway that the taxi meter drivers would make more money if allowed to use the meters, many more fares, but they are strictly forbidden from doing that under threat of enforcement by the monopoly power entity.

Edited May 17, 2013 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Are you people for real!

In England it's cost £5 for a return on a bus that's 200+ baht.

It's £3.90 for a return on a tram, that's 150+ baht

Shall I go on.

10 baht for a baht bus is cheap for a westerner, and is the right price for a thai national.

If the baht bus stops, pay the extra 10 baht to go where you want, if not walk!

Where is the scam, in my opinion it will stop congestion on 2nd road as less baht buses will be travelling through.

Scam hahahahahaha have you people gone mad.

Here we go.

This is not England.

These are open air cattle trucks.

People are packed in.

They have no obligation to run their expected routes.

There is no transfer system.

They aren't in any conceivable way equivalent to a modern English bus in a modern English economy.

That said, I would agree 10 baht per segment is definitely fair in this economy for this type of service.

Edited May 17, 2013 by Jingthing

[yoslim]

Yeah sure the poir baht bus drivers can't make a living, I see them search the bins on beachroad for food at night

[wooloomooloo]

I thought we weren't discussing private hire, Jingthing.

Where's the power in a ten baht fare from Jomtien Beach. I'm still left wondering, mate.

Edited May 17, 2013 by wooloomooloo

[Jingthing]

I thought we weren't discussing private hire.

Where's the power in a ten baht fare from Jomtien Beach. I'm still left wondering, mate.

I've already explained this multiple times. Not going to again. The info is there. Take it or leave it. Cheers.

[Jingthing]

Yeah sure the poir baht bus drivers can't make a living, I see them search the bins on beachroad for food at night

If they work the job they earn like the Thai middle class. It's no bonanza but it's ain't chopped liver either. The people getting RICH are the owners of the system, not the drivers. From the guaranteed leases.

[wooloomooloo]

You're one of my favourite posters, Jingthing. But can't dig this mafia stuff and all the rest.

I've more important concerns.

[Jingthing]

You're one of my favourite posters, Jingthing. But can't dig this mafia stuff and all the rest.

I've more important concerns.

If you think I'm obsessed with the word mafia, you are wrong. I don't usually use it. No need to. Just describe the structure of the system particularly the taxi and truck ownership monopoly, and that's all you really need to know. The reason there was discussion on the semantics of using mafia or not was because the OP of this thread put mafia in the title. I would not do that.

Edited May 17, 2013 by Jingthing

[wooloomooloo]

We all get excitable about particular subjects, mate. Inference or not, there's not much to worry about.

Get a moped.

[Jingthing]

...

Get a moped.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Are you people for real!

In England it's cost £5 for a return on a bus that's 200+ baht.

It's £3.90 for a return on a tram, that's 150+ baht

Shall I go on.

10 baht for a baht bus is cheap for a westerner, and is the right price for a thai national.

If the baht bus stops, pay the extra 10 baht to go where you want, if not walk!

Where is the scam, in my opinion it will stop congestion on 2nd road as less baht buses will be travelling through.

Scam hahahahahaha have you people gone mad.

Here we go.

This is not England.

These are open air cattle trucks.

People are packed in.

They have no obligation to run their expected routes.

There is no transfer system.

They aren't in any conceivable way equivalent to a modern English bus in a modern English economy.

That said, I would agree 10 baht per segment is definitely fair in this economy for this type of service.

I "like" everything you said except your last statement about ten baht definitely being a fair price. For the relatively short distance traveled for this price, often only 2-4 kilos, it's a complete ripoff. The fact there is no transfer system, other than paying another full fare, only adds to the insult.

Now i drive a car so am not directly affected by this problem, and I'm not really concerned about tourists, but I know many ordinary Thais for whom these high fares really impact their cost of living.

[wooloomooloo]

OMGIminPattaya - give the peasants a lift then, for free.

[patinseoul]

The price isn't the biggest issue for me. it's the rudeness of the whitey wranglers loading the passengers at the pattaya to jomtien stop. they are well aware of their monopoly-cartel-mafia-whatever- and the contempt in their treatment of the passengers has really gotten out of hand.

as far as price goes, i would be happy to just pay 20 baht for the jomtien run, and then just getting off where ever I wanted without having to go through a bus change etc. i think that would still be a bargain.

[anon8]

whitey wranglers :D

[raro]

I did NOT bother to read through all the posts. Forcing someone to do so would clearly violate the UN conventions on psychological warfare....

Is there ANYTHING that still needs to be said? Otherwise we can close it and you guys promise me NOT to open a Baht bus thread for say...a week when we have a completely new situation that needs to be addressed.

Deal?

[Awohalitsiktoli]

I did NOT bother to read through all the posts. Forcing someone to do so would clearly violate the UN conventions on psychological warfare....

Is there ANYTHING that still needs to be said? Otherwise we can close it and you guys promise me NOT to open a Baht bus thread for say...a week when we have a completely new situation that needs to be addressed.

Deal?

As the OP, I agree with you.

[Gsxrnz]

Um.... I was wondering if there is any official documentation on the web that clarifies the actual process by which the baht bus system actually operates as regards ownership of vehicles, issuing of permits to operate, leases paid (for vehicle ownership to a finance company?) annual tendering process (if any), price setting, responsibility for vehicle maintenance etc? I've searched but cannot find anything. Maybe somebody knows of a Pattaya City site that I cannot see?

Because it seems to me that much of the dialogue in these threads is somewhat speculative and I suspect assumptions are being made that may be only partially correct or skewed in some way. My main reason for saying that is that transport (of any kind) requires a return on investment for the operator otherwise the operator would not be operating.

Assuming the operator is the driver, then he/she will be paying for operating costs - if we know the structure of these costs (paid to whom and for what), then we have a chance at understanding who in the chain is making what income/profit, for what risk, and for what input.

I think if we had a definitive clarification of the business process regarding the ownership/licencing structure then posters would have the opportunity to comment on facts rather than speculation.

So if anybody had documentation that explains this, we'd all be better off. or am I being naïve? (rhetorical question).

[BugJackBaron]

Um.... I was wondering if there is any official documentation on the web that clarifies the actual process by which the baht bus system actually operates as regards ownership of vehicles, issuing of permits to operate, leases paid (for vehicle ownership to a finance company?) annual tendering process (if any), price setting, responsibility for vehicle maintenance etc? I've searched but cannot find anything. Maybe somebody knows of a Pattaya City site that I cannot see?

Because it seems to me that much of the dialogue in these threads is somewhat speculative and I suspect assumptions are being made that may be only partially correct or skewed in some way. My main reason for saying that is that transport (of any kind) requires a return on investment for the operator otherwise the operator would not be operating.

Assuming the operator is the driver, then he/she will be paying for operating costs - if we know the structure of these costs (paid to whom and for what), then we have a chance at understanding who in the chain is making what income/profit, for what risk, and for what input.

I think if we had a definitive clarification of the business process regarding the ownership/licencing structure then posters would have the opportunity to comment on facts rather than speculation.

So if anybody had documentation that explains this, we'd all be better off. or am I being naïve? (rhetorical question).

Unlikely. There was a picture on some Baht buses a few years ago that showed prices based on distance zones but that seems to have vanished in the wind. It was the only time I ever saw something written about this and even then it seemed to be only about taxi use rates.

Why not ask that knowledgeable team at Pattaya People or Pattaya One - ?

[Gsxrnz]

Um.... I was wondering if there is any official documentation on the web that clarifies the actual process by which the baht bus system actually operates as regards ownership of vehicles, issuing of permits to operate, leases paid (for vehicle ownership to a finance company?) annual tendering process (if any), price setting, responsibility for vehicle maintenance etc? I've searched but cannot find anything. Maybe somebody knows of a Pattaya City site that I cannot see?

Because it seems to me that much of the dialogue in these threads is somewhat speculative and I suspect assumptions are being made that may be only partially correct or skewed in some way. My main reason for saying that is that transport (of any kind) requires a return on investment for the operator otherwise the operator would not be operating.

Assuming the operator is the driver, then he/she will be paying for operating costs - if we know the structure of these costs (paid to whom and for what), then we have a chance at understanding who in the chain is making what income/profit, for what risk, and for what input.

I think if we had a definitive clarification of the business process regarding the ownership/licencing structure then posters would have the opportunity to comment on facts rather than speculation.

So if anybody had documentation that explains this, we'd all be better off. or am I being naïve? (rhetorical question).

Unlikely. There was a picture on some Baht buses a few years ago that showed prices based on distance zones but that seems to have vanished in the wind. It was the only time I ever saw something written about this and even then it seemed to be only about taxi use rates.

Why not ask that knowledgeable team at Pattaya People or Pattaya One - ?

Nuh - I'll make a booking to have all my teeth extracted instead, probably a less painful exercise.

[raro]

Ok guys, since the OP has no objections, we can close this one and refocus on something else.

Hint: we haven't had pizza for a while...

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[jbrain]

Ok guys, since the OP has no objections, we can close this one and refocus on something else.

Hint: we haven't had pizza for a while...

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I'm in, just in time

[checkoutcomplete]

Are you people for real!

In England it's cost £5 for a return on a bus that's 200+ baht.

It's £3.90 for a return on a tram, that's 150+ baht

Shall I go on.

10 baht for a baht bus is cheap for a westerner, and is the right price for a thai national.

If the baht bus stops, pay the extra 10 baht to go where you want, if not walk!

Where is the scam, in my opinion it will stop congestion on 2nd road as less baht buses will be travelling through.

Scam hahahahahaha have you people gone mad.

Here we go.

This is not England.

These are open air cattle trucks.

People are packed in.

They have no obligation to run their expected routes.

There is no transfer system.

They aren't in any conceivable way equivalent to a modern English bus in a modern English economy.

That said, I would agree 10 baht per segment is definitely fair in this economy for this type of service.

I "like" everything you said except your last statement about ten baht definitely being a fair price. For the relatively short distance traveled for this price, often only 2-4 kilos, it's a complete ripoff. The fact there is no transfer system, other than paying another full fare, only adds to the insult.

Now i drive a car so am not directly affected by this problem, and I'm not really concerned about tourists, but I know many ordinary Thais for whom these high fares really impact their cost of living.

In that case, like the trains do you believe thai nationals should travel for free?

I don't use then that often, but when I do I think it is extremely good value. If I use it it is from tuk com to central festival, when my uncle was here I would take it as far as Soi 2 and it would only cost 10 baht.

If you want to complain about something, it should be the price of motorbike taxis, these are ridiculous. When I go to Bangkok on solo missions it costs from my house 100 baht to pattaya Nua bus station. It costs probably 5 baht in gasohol 91.

I wouldn't worry about baht buses.

The amount if times I have got a taxi to Soi Buakhauw it costs 40 baht I don't mind, but if I ask them to go 20 yards further they are asking for 60 baht. It's the same street, minimal extra distance, but they ask for the extra 20 baht.