Video: Motosai hero journalist Dejchat on why tuk-tuks are cheaper than motorcycle taxis

[webfact]

Video: Motosai hero journalist Dejchat on why tuk-tuks are cheaper than motorcycle taxis
By Coconuts Bangkok

Photo: Coconuts Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok motosai, citizen journalist, and all-around wonderful human being Dejchat Puangket is back in the limelight.

This time Dejchat's been profiled on Singaporean TV program “2 Wheels,” which came to interview him about his daily grind on the busy streets of Sukhumvit 71.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YyrUdvqETOY

We at Coconuts Bangkok were one of the first media outlets to profile Dejchat, after he tweeted and blogged photos and updates on the failed Valentine's Day 2012 bombings, and he was later featured on such global outlets as the BBC.

In a follow up interview, we nominated him as Global Person of the Year for 2012... and we stand by that bold assertion. [more...]

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2013/06/28/video-motosai-hero-journalist-dejchat-why-motorcycle-taxis-are-cheaper-tuk-tuks

-- Coconuts Bangkok 2013-06-28

[Xonax]

If only all Thai Motosai´s were good and honest people like him. Just a few weeks ago, a Thai Motosai driver tried to rip me off in full daylight in Sukhumvit soi 23/2, where I have been at least 100 times before. As always, I confirmed the price before jumping on, but this time the driver asked for the double of the standard rate for this soi. When I refused to pay the double price as normal, he just said "Farang pay more". Luckily I had small change, so after this short trip, I only paid him the standard price for this soi and walked away into Interchange Tower. Maybe it would have been a quite different scenario, if there had not been many people around, at the time of this incident?

Edited June 28, 2013 by Xonax

[JJttttt1]

Seems like I chose a wrong job..

[joeaverage]

i find tuk tuks are more expensive for the short hauls and come down in price for the longer runs (as compared to motorcycles)

[belg]

sick am... till seventy

[petedk]

If only all Thai Motosai´s were good and honest people like him. Just a few weeks ago, a Thai Motosai driver tried to rip me off in full daylight in Sukhumvit soi 23/2, where I have been at least 100 times before. As always, I confirmed the price before jumping on, but this time the driver asked for the double of the standard rate for this soi. When I refused to pay the double price as normal, he just said "Farang pay more". Luckily I had small change, so after this short trip, I only paid him the standard price for this soi and walked away into Interchange Tower. Maybe it would have been a quite different scenario, if there had not been many people around, at the time of this incident?

I agree that the motorsais on Sukhumvit 23 are some of the worst. It's normally 10 baht from Sukhumvit Road to SWU but I have been asked for as much as 50 baht and threatened when I refused to pay.

Similarily sometimes if it is very hot I will take a motorbike from MRT Petchaburi to SWU on Asoke. It costs 10 baht but I get so many excuses for 20 or 30 Baht. "After 4 pm" , "After 5 pm" "lunch time" "rot tit mak" even though I always ask the price before jumping on.

[A2Distribution]

Tired of all the rip-offs. Get yourself a motorcycle. Cheaper than any kind of other transportation. (About 1 THB/km)

I have a nice Honda Air Blade for sale, here on Thaivisa classifieds.

[atsiii]

The headline is reversed! The article and video are about why motorcycle taxis are cheaper than tuk-tuk's, not the other way around.

[SlideRiceFC]

I've taken them a few times but I'm hardly a regular so I'm sure I just haven't racked up enough rides to run into the bad guys. I heard so many bad things about them I tried my best to avoid them but one time I found myself running late to an appointment at a place I had never been. I was sure I was in walking distance but not sure how far or what direction I was supposed to walk. I was staring at the gps on my phone cursing AIS's horrid 3G service in my head and a motorcycle taxi driver asked if I needed a ride. My first thought was no, I can find it. But I asked how much and he said 20 baht. I thought that seemed high. Surely I was just steps away from this place so my mistrust was causing me to think I was going to hop on this bike, turn a corner and hop off and he would be 20 baht richer for finding a sucker. But it was just 20 baht and I don't have a clue where I was at. I stuck my hand in my pocket and fished out the only coins I had...18 baht. The only other cash I had was in 1000 baht notes that I didn't want to flash around and I knew it was be useless to pay a taxi with anyway. He saw the change in my palm and said ok. On the way he stopped and gave 5 baht of his own money to a homeless person. When we got to my destination it turned out to be waaaay further than I thought. Thank God I didn't try to walk. I pulled the 18 baht out of my pocket thinking it was money well spent and handed it to him. He looked at the change in his palm and asked if I had more. Great, here it comes. I told him no and he handed 8 baht back to me and pointed up at the sky and said it was hot today. He said to make sure to drink water. Then off he went.

Sometimes I would drink with the taxi guys on my old soi. They spoke very little English but were always happy to call me over for drinks. But it was always super awkward for me because they would never let me pay. I gave up protesting and tried to buy snacks but it always seemed like they were worried they were taking my food.

Anyway, always had good experiences thus far. *knock on wood* I still haven't alleviated my fears. Every time I approach one I think this will be the time that one decides to sully the reputation of those that came before. But so far it hasn't happened. Now, tuk-tuks and taxis are another story.

[boggle]

20 baht, 10 baht, 50 baht. My god I am so haapy I am not as poor as the rest of you guys! What a perthetic group!

[tonytigerbkk]

20 baht, 10 baht, 50 baht. My god I am so haapy I am not as poor as the rest of you guys! What a perthetic group!

And what a pathetic answer.

[Monkeyrobot]

20 baht, 10 baht, 50 baht. My god I am so haapy I am not as poor as the rest of you guys! What a perthetic group!

It's not the money, it's the point that once they start that shit they think they can get away with it all the time , like a 100B taxi ride turns into a 200 baht ride then a fight starts. I always ask and if they charge too much I just get the next guy . When I am in a meter taxi if the fare is 80B and the driver is polite I will give him a 100B anyway.

[BigRick]

Stick with the BTS or a taxi Motos are dangerous I watched a tragic acident happen when I was helping during the floods. I saw the whole thing it was very disturbing the driver thought he could cut across an oncoming bus off one the main roads near Dusit not seeing the truck on the side of the bus it creamed them never seen bodies bend like that one died ugly thing to see <The passenger of course> The driver had at least two broken legs unless you can bend you legs in front of your knees. All for a shortcut I have seen the same in Vietnam just dangerous most of the guys may be good riders but some of them are reckless.

[sydneyjed]

I was running late for an appointment from Petchburi Rd and had to be at Asavanant down on soi 55 in 10 minutes so the only possible way to get there on time was with a taxi moto...

The guy got me there in just over 5 minutes but not without overtaking a cement mixer on the inside lane and the metal slav of the truck practically nearly touching my face at one stage...ok for say getting up from the back of Bumungrad to the top of soi 1 but for longer journeys you are increasing the chances of maybe something happening!

[Payboy]

Motosai Hero Journalist

Interesting article, but since when was tweeting and blogging considered acts of heroism?

[kurnell]

90% of taxis drivers are painful, whereas 90% of motosai riders are painless.

[ableguy]

20 baht, 10 baht, 50 baht. My god I am so haapy I am not as poor as the rest of you guys! What a perthetic group!

This post is pathetic

[HerbalEd]

90% of taxis drivers are painful, whereas 90% of motosai riders are painless.

90% of taxis drivers are painful, whereas 90% of motosai riders are painless.

Not my experience at all ... and I've taken hundreds of taxi rides in BKK over the past thirty years. On average, I'd say it's 10-20% bad taxi drivers.

Sure we need to keep our eye out for the bad guys, but I think a lot of people are too uptight in their (mis)assumption that their driver is a bad guy and thus any little thing that hints at that is taken as sure proof .... plus the driver may sense the hostility, which pisses him off, and thus the situation becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.

It's irks me also when a driver tries to rip me off, but with Thai style I try ... not always successfully ... to mai pen rai. However, I think some here are far more indignant than the situation calls for when they run into problems here in Thailand ... and then justify their indignation with the ole "It's the principle."

[roamer]

Personally I'm always happy to ride in a taxi or moto guy, they are always Thai ! OK, helps that I speak the language, but speaking English in London is no guarantee that I will be understood by 90% of minicab drivers. And I certainly know which capital specialises in rip off artists, it ain't Bangkok.

Of course I could always take a regular London licensed cab with no language problems, provided I have called up my bank manager first to arrange the overdraft.

Edited July 1, 2013 by roamer

[kurnell]

90% of taxis drivers are painful, whereas 90% of motosai riders are painless.

90% of taxis drivers are painful, whereas 90% of motosai riders are painless.

Not my experience at all ... and I've taken hundreds of taxi rides in BKK over the past thirty years. On average, I'd say it's 10-20% bad taxi drivers.

Sure we need to keep our eye out for the bad guys, but I think a lot of people are too uptight in their (mis)assumption that their driver is a bad guy and thus any little thing that hints at that is taken as sure proof .... plus the driver may sense the hostility, which pisses him off, and thus the situation becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.

It's irks me also when a driver tries to rip me off, but with Thai style I try ... not always successfully ... to mai pen rai. However, I think some here are far more indignant than the situation calls for when they run into problems here in Thailand ... and then justify their indignation with the ole "It's the principle."

The dilemma is getting to those 10-20%. You are lucky if 1 in 5 will pick you up.

[HoudiniXLogic]

I always ask for their services using the same obnoxious loud voice that they speak to each other in. "NONG! PAI SIAM! TAO RAI???? OHHYYY PAENG PAI!!! KHANG TEE RAEW KHAA 30 BAHT! ARAI NIA?? KEE KHONG NEE WAAA"

[HidyHo]

I was running late for an appointment from Petchburi Rd and had to be at Asavanant down on soi 55 in 10 minutes so the only possible way to get there on time was with a taxi moto...

The guy got me there in just over 5 minutes but not without overtaking a cement mixer on the inside lane and the metal slav of the truck practically nearly touching my face at one stage...ok for say getting up from the back of Bumungrad to the top of soi 1 but for longer journeys you are increasing the chances of maybe something happening!

After one hairy ride from Panthip Plaza back to Sukhumvit, I've learned not to tell the motorcycle (or taxi driver) to "go fast".

[MrHammer]

I have taken hundreds of motosai rides and out of all those I can remember only a handful where the driver was reckless or tried to overcharge. Now, I rarely take motosais around the tourist areas because the price is higher there. It is not cheating but simple market forces. Even then, if you don't look, talk and behave like a tourist it is usually only 10-20 baht more than the average fare.

The only problems I have encountered has been motosai drivers mumbling about my weight (100 kg) and honestly I don't blame them. These small scooters are not made to carry 150 kg+ over road bumbs and potholes and they are their livelyhood. So now I have decided to lose weight to save the motosai drivers from destroying their livelyhood.