DLT: Over 10,000 complaints against Thai cab drivers received in past 5 months

[Woodsie888]

1000bt is NOTHING to most of these people because they can just make it up on the next few fares!

1,000 is a lot to these taxi drivers. It might not be to you or I, but I promise you, it is to them

[Baerboxer]

I know people will disagree with this, but despite what the rules may or not may say about taxi drivers having to take passengers, I can sympathize with them on choosing not to take some persons to where they want to go.

Many taxis have to be returned to the depot by specific times of the day for another driver to take over. If for example a cabby had to return his car at 4 pm on a Friday to its depot around Rama 4, and he was working Sukhumvit area at around 2pm, so 2 hours to play with. Some person stops him and asks him to take them to KSR or Pinklao, there is a very distinct possibility given the traffic on a Friday evening, that he would be unable to get there and back in 2 hours, and therefore does not want to go. What should he do? give up stopping for people and waste 2 hours of fare time on the of chance that someone asks him to take them miles away? My personal opinion is that taxis should have the right to pick and choose who they take, and where they take them, especially if they have a genuine reason that does not allow them to take them.

In 6 years or so, i could count the number of minor issues i have had with taxis on one hand.

There is some merit in what you say. However, the basis of their licenses is that they are part of the government's (all governments) public transport strategy. As such, they are required to accept all fares. The reality is that many pick and choose all day, not just because its end of shift or nearly lunchtime. Extending the MRT,BTS, and improving bus and van services might also be part of the solution.

In over 20 years, I can count the number of serious incidents on one hand too. Small issues - don't sweat it. Taxis aren't perfect in any country I've lived in. Appalling in the UAE several years ago until they sorted it.

Couple of weeks ago got in a Taxi at Thong Lor to got to Lat Phrao, Town 'n Town. He wanted 300 baht no meter. Told him meter. He stopped the cab, and I got out. Walked a bit towards Ekkamai got another cab. Sure the traffic was busy but the fare was 100 baht - and he wouldn't take a tip! Really nice guy, very clean cab.

I use taxis a lot, over a long period of time. I reckon 2-3 % of journeys have had problems.

[marios]

Well what do u expect from a developing and lawless country! First world treatment?

This is a little unfair. Taxis in Bangkok, at least, are plentiful and cheap. This alone counters any occasional wrong doing. I am very happy and grateful for what we have in Bangkok. Could it be better? Maybe. The current state of affairs suits me.

[JesseFrank]

What can be said to the taxi drivers that refuse to take you? Nothing, I suppose.

My best guess would be just to take a photo of their ID# in the back and report them.

Just leave the back door open if they refuse the request to take you and move on, and or only half close it. They hate having to get out and close it themselves...

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Lmao, that sounds like a good way to get stabbed.

They would have to get out for that one as well.

[Somtamnication]

As we all know, it takes 100,000 complaints to start an investigation. So we are almost there!

[JamesDean3]

A lot of these taxi drivers are Red Shirts and they have disgusting attitudes especially when they are drunk.

[lumply]

i have heard this so clearly there must be some truth in it, but I think that this is the minority of London cabbies. I have caught london taxis for years and never had a problem, not once. Most are talkative, friendly people and just get you to where you want to be as quickly as possible. Also, never been refused by a london taxi to take me anywhere, in fact you get in before you tell them where you want to go.

Someone once told me details about the test that London cabbies have to pass in order to get their license. It sounded like the hardest test in the world.

London trainee Cabbies have to 'do the knowledge', an oral and a practical test. No mean feat

[GAZZPA]

Taxis are the very reason so many Thais will spend every baht they have to own a car. Contrary to what some know-it-all, do-gooder farangs claim, it has nothing to do with status or showing off. It's for their own safety and piece of mind.

Many (not all but a lot) of taxi drivers are the lowest form of human on the face of the earth. I HATE 'em!

Any farang that says they've never had a problem with them is lying and pretending to be the acceptable Thaier-than-though farang. Get over yourselves!

Those who claim to have never had a bad experience with a taxi probably only had to take them a short distance from one heavy traffic area to another heavy traffic area. Those of us that live on the outskirts of town have had miserable experiences getting taxis too & from the city. Even for those of us that speak Thai.

If your only taxi experience is from Q-Bar or Thong Lo soi 10 to the closest BTS stop, then your experience really doesn't count.

BTW, I happen to know of two different women that have been raped or assaulted by a taxi driver on the outskirts of town (Prawet and Rangsit). Both of these women are Thai so this has nothing to do with a misunderstanding of language or culture.

Taxis are the main reason I am biting the bullet and paying the high price of owning a car.

Yes I rather sit in my own car in traffic rather than stand out in the rain begging for a ride or riding in a taxi with a driver hopped up on drugs driving in 3rd gear on the highway jerking the car by stomping on & off the accelerator!

Ugh! I can't stand them!

Ok rant over.

I must be a know it all, do gooder faring because if you believe that Thai's do not buy car because of status or showing off you are being delusional.. of course they do, they are obsessed with "face" and appearance. It is absolutely nothing to do with them hating taxis, if that was really the case why don't they just have a motorbike? (A lot of Thai's do). Its quicker, easier and cheaper then a car and you don't need taxis,, why? because a motorbike is not as impressive as a car thats why.

I have seen many shiny 4 wheel drive vehicles sitting outside of poor quality housing,, many,, and it has been published many times that the car scheme and cash back has created a lot of defaults where locals just cannot afford the repayments on the new cars. all to avoid taxis? I don't think so.

Anyway, rant over,

[razer]

Taxis are one of the many public faces of Thailand. The impression they give visitors is what the visitors take home and talk about.

[VINCENT2012]

the taxi system is what thailand looks like......a disaster.

only if you leave here long enough and know the language then you can avoid some unconfortable situation...for the rest ...just luck.

good day and good luck

[techboy]

Only 10,000?

Musta been forum members. Baw-haw-haw.

[smileydude]

Not surprising considering that anyone with a driver's license can drive taxi's as no background checks are done. Your taxi driver could be a convicted sexual offender for all we know. Main problem is there is no limit on the number of taxi's out there and the oversupply is overheating the competition to the point that only short routes within a certain radius of their stations are considered profitable so they refuse routes that are considered not to be worth it.

Solution:

1. Limit the number of taxi's operating in the city.

2. Do criminal background checks on taxi drivers.

3. Anyone who refuses a hire should be given a strike and fine. 3 strikes and your out.

Edited March 24, 2014 by smileydude

[Runamile]

@Hanno

No, it means its lawlessness is highly developed.

[techboy]

Well what do u expect from a developing and lawless country! First world treatment?

"Lawless" to anyone that makes a post like yours would entail crushing your crisps by bagging them with a can of beans. These good Thai folk don't have a chance.

[almafudd]

Also pls remember guys. Du4ing traffic time taxis actually lose money by sitting in traffic. Of course they wont want to take people to congested places. This is not entirely their fault. The gov't needs to fix the taxi fee problem. And ahyone who disagrees with this shouldnt waste their breath commenting coz they dont have any idea what they r talking about.

Been drinking before you posted this message?

[techboy]

Yeah. I've caught rides with a couple of nut jobs- one guy was half over the seat & in my face when I told him that he was going the wrong way. And some cab with a tweaked meter took me from the airport once. And for rush hour rides of some distance lots of them want the meter off and a high fare. Ooh- oooh it just gives me nightmares.

[Fullstop]

Over 10,000 complaints against cab drivers received in past 5 months

the number of complaints over taxi drivers' behavior made via the department’s 1584 hotline has exceeded 10,000 during the period of October 2013 - last month.

So which is it? 10,000 in 5 months or 10,000 during October?

[mok199]

i have lived in pattaya 15 years...........................................................................................i have been druged ,robbed,beatup,..and i still know...after all that ,my worst experiences in thailand have been in either a taxi or a scooter taxi....i would rather wlk 10 miles over broken glass than use a taxi ....

[JesseFrank]

Over 10,000 complaints against cab drivers received in past 5 months

the number of complaints over taxi drivers' behavior made via the department’s 1584 hotline has exceeded 10,000 during the period of October 2013 - last month.

So which is it? 10,000 in 5 months or 10,000 during October?

Maybe it is during the period of October 2013 (till) -last month, which seems to coincide with 5 months.

Just my thinking you know.

[OZEMADE]

My wife rings our regular Taxi from OZ. He picks us up from Swampy and takes us to Lop Buri where I store my car.

He charges Tb2000 for the trip, bearing in mind he has to get back to Bangkok. He told me his car runs on Petrol/Gas and whilst on gas most of the time he stated it works out about Tb1.00 per 1Klm.

We do the opposite on the return back to OZ trip. All up he gets Tb4000.00 NO complaints here.

[Runamile]

One of the worst aspects of Suthep's little escapades is the demise of the metered taxi in Bangkok. Nonetheless, even at the height of the troubles, Democracy Monument in chaos, etc, I found that , roughly for every two refusals to use the meter, a third taxi would come along happy to use it. Just refuse, but, yes, we should report as well. My feeling, though, is that mass refusal to accept unmetered rates would work a lot more quickly than occasionally fining a few drivers. It is we that create the unmetered taxi.

[gemguy]

Over the years I have been in 4 minor accidents in the Taxis I was in.

The first 2 times I said in Thai: "Not my concern" and paid them more than what was on the meter while they did not say anything.

The 3 rd. time the driver tried to grab me and keep me in the cab but I threw the money at him and got out of the cab quickly

The 4 th. time the cab driver said: Your right, not your problem" and he got out and waved down another cab for me and sent me on my way.

About 10 % of the cab drivers are <deleted> without a doubt and soon as you get in the cab the bad attitude starts while having to listen to them whining and complaining about the traffic and more or less letting you know they feel they made a mistake agreeing to take you where you told them to go.

They are all trying to figure out where there is no traffic back up or traffic jams but more often than not they turn you down and drive off to some other area and end up in a traffic jam....and lose money.

All too often Some of them do not listen to what you tell them and or they are confused or they have Som Tom on their minds ....as I like to tell my Wife.

Meantime something myself and my wife have noticed over the years:

About 50% of the time when you get into the cab the inside of the cab reeks /stinks of a spicy, garlicky, pungent odor that sometimes almost makes a person gag because it is so overwhelming.

My wife rolls down the window until the odor is tolerable.

Anyone else ever noticed that awful smell in inside all too many of the taxi cabs???

[Lupatria]

Complaints of Bangkok taxis rising

what are they complaining about?

[rondii]

The worst I ever got taken was by a London cabbie. Does that mean England is a developing and lawless

I don't believe this, London cabbies are the best in the world. Perhaps he picked up attitude.

Maybe, and the same applies here with some of the loud-mouthed rude arrogant tourist and Expat pieces of crap they have to deal with. if your polite and friendly then few problems here, and no more problems than in Sydney or many other first world cities.

[rondii]

The worst I ever got taken was by a London cabbie. Does that mean England is a developing and lawless

I don't believe this, London cabbies are the best in the world. Perhaps he picked up attitude.

Maybe, and the same applies here with some of the loud-mouthed rude arrogant tourist and Expat pieces of crap they have to deal with. if your polite and friendly then few problems here, and no more problems than in Sydney or many other first world cities.

[kurnell]

Surprised there are no complaints about the farty atmosphere inside the cabs??

[mok199]

The worst I ever got taken was by a London cabbie. Does that mean England is a developing and lawless

I don't believe this, London cabbies are the best in the world. Perhaps he picked up attitude.

Maybe, and the same applies here with some of the loud-mouthed rude arrogant tourist and Expat pieces of crap they have to deal with. if your polite and friendly then few problems here, and no more problems than in Sydney or many other first world cities.

hahah when did you move here....35 posts ago......i love your innocence

[monkeycountry]

I take taxis all the time when I am in Thailand and have few problems. The biggest issue is taxi drivers not wanting to take me to where I want to go, but apart from that it has been (mostly) smooth sailing......

Since the ONLY purpose of a taxi is to take you where you want to go, one might consider that a fairly big problem

[hanno]

the taxi system is what thailand looks like......a disaster.

only if you leave here long enough and know the language then you can avoid some unconfortable situation...for the rest ...just luck.

good day and good luck

Maybe you need to get out of Thailand .

I do not speak the language but I stick to my point: in 20 years of taking taxis in Thailand, I have had few problems and never really been uncomfortable. I pay too much some times and you know what? I don't care. It is still dirt cheap even compared to neighboring Malaysia (never mind Europe or Oz) and I still believe most cabbies are trying very hard to make an honest living the hard way. And heck, if they have to deal with some of the posters on here, they certainly are way underpaid

[steven100]

Bangkok taxi's ..... don't get me started

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