My favorite Thailand stings are always the ones announced in advance. The beauty is you know positively, right from the start, it doesn't have a chance of working.

I prefer this rather than raising my hopes that some kind of change is possible.

Isn't part of the reason that drivers prefer you to pay a flat rate is that all of that money is effectively 'off the books'.

Metered money is exactly that and they need to then pay some of it to their boss?

If the flat rate is 80% of the metered rate but it's all going to the driver rather than the 50% that's left over after paying his dues to the taxi company determined by what the meter says, which one do you think he's going to choose?

This is all fun and games until the taxis block the roads going in and out protesting the police harassment. The police chief will be removed and the next day things will go back to normal.

meter-taxi here is still more expensive then bkk, bullshit taxi!

They will arrive in police cars sirens wailing.

Isn't part of the reason that drivers prefer you to pay a flat rate is that all of that money is effectively 'off the books'.

Metered money is exactly that and they need to then pay some of it to their boss?

If the flat rate is 80% of the metered rate but it's all going to the driver rather than the 50% that's left over after paying his dues to the taxi company determined by what the meter says, which one do you think he's going to choose?

Since one can realistically only take a metertaxi at the airport with ticket, no. It is not of the books, even if flat rate agreed.

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hardly a insurmountable problem assuming the desire to solve is there...

Here's what I stated and have heard from friends that have taken metered taxis

>>flat fare comes out at the same rate or cheaper

So I haven't changed any statements, merely saying that now the flat rates are often cheaper than the metered rates. Yes, you would think that Somchai is good about which fare puts the most money in his pocket, but we don't know what goes on behind the curtain in regards to kicking back to the company. Well, maybe you do since you seem to know it all.

I simply have trouble believing that members here actualy think the cabies would take the lower flat fare over the higher meter fare.

Obviously I was wrong, some members here really believe something like that, incredible.

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What I think is "incredible" is the price for an airport taxi, metered, or not, on Phuket, compared to a metered taxi in the Capital of Thaland, Bangkok.

Now, that's incredible.

funny you should mention that......

local tuk tuk & taxi maffia agrees with this ?