I was just in town for a day. and each one of the 6 song taews I asked demanded 100 B. In the past, the same destination would be 40, 40 B and that was a year ago. Ended up with some Tuk Tuk @ 70 B. what is going on? Have they formed a cartel?

If six songtaews asked for the same 100 baht..i think nothing is wrong...5555

Depends on the trip. Maybe they didn't like your circus pants. I went from CMU to Airport Plaza twice last week; "Som-sip." We have a brand new covered bus stop with 6 nice seats by my condo. I haven't seen one bus pull up to it since it was completed a month ago. It does serve the Thais quite well, as they can set their garbage down without bending over.

So glad it was only for one day otherwise a longer stay would have been completely ruined.

If you told us where your A to B was we could have really spoiled your holiday.

Collusion? Next you'll be suggesting that there's some connection in the total lack of public buses, or maybe even that this is the reason Chiang Mai has no Metro, as planned.

Depends on the trip. Maybe they didn't like your circus pants. I went from CMU to Airport Plaza twice last week; "Som-sip." We have a brand new covered bus stop with 6 nice seats by my condo. I haven't seen one bus pull up to it since it was completed a month ago. It does serve the Thais quite well, as thye can set their garbage down without bending over.

" yee sip "

As Spock would say "insufficient data"/

Depends on the trip. Maybe they didn't like your circus pants. I went from CMU to Airport Plaza twice last week; "Som-sip." We have a brand new covered bus stop with 6 nice seats by my condo. I haven't seen one bus pull up to it since it was completed a month ago. It does serve the Thais quite well, as thye can set their garbage down without bending over.

" yee sip "

he had me confused with Som sip - sounds like a really nice person

Would not surprise me if they were banding together. The time for mass transit is long overdue here in Chiang Mai. The taxi's have way to much clout with municipal government. They constantly pull up alongside when I am walking and blow for their horns to solicit me for a fare. The odd time when I really need one 90% shake their head and say they are not going in that direction. When they catch you out by the ring road its 250 bahts back in to the city as they know taxi's are few and far between out that far.

Does the OP speak any Thai?

Otherwise the taxi drivers would have assumed the OP is a stupid, naive tourist with loads of holiday money to splash around.

Yes it's collusion. The solution is to offer one of the drivers 90 baht. Once he begrudgingly accepts,go and tell the others. End of problem.

Does the OP speak any Thai?

Otherwise the taxi drivers would have assumed the OP is a stupid, naive tourist with loads of holiday money to splash around.

Yes, even a few words is better than nothing.

When I interact with a Thai where I'm going to give them money, the *first* thing I do is speak a few words of Thai. I believe that puts me in a different category of farang, and greatly reduces my chances of getting screwed.

Eeerr... no

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Depends on the trip. Maybe they didn't like your circus pants. I went from CMU to Airport Plaza twice last week; "Som-sip." We have a brand new covered bus stop with 6 nice seats by my condo. I haven't seen one bus pull up to it since it was completed a month ago. It does serve the Thais quite well, as thye can set their garbage down without bending over.

" yee sip "

I use yee sip in BKK. I use sao sip in CM. Seems to work fine and I get more consistent agreement from the drivers.

^ I don't think you use 'sip' when using 'sao' for twenty. I think it's just 'sao baht'

"I use sao sip in CM. Seems to work fine and I get more consistent agreement from the drivers."

Sao is 20, sip is 10. Sao baht is twenty baht. Maybe you get a chuckle from the drivers but they know what you mean.

Edit: WTK is too quick for me.

My Thai teacher at AUA taught us to say "Sao baht" - the only Northern Thai that I know.

^ I don't think you use 'sip' when using 'sao' for twenty. I think it's just 'sao baht'

Correct - when I think about it, I do just say sao baht.

If six songtaews asked for the same 100 baht..i think nothing is wrong...5555

From ARCADE (near the 2 bus stations) to the moat surrounding the Old Town and back.

Last year after a visa run, I asked a driver how much back to Kad Suah Keow from the bus terminal. He asked for 200baht which I thought was more or less reasonable for a direct trip, one passenger only.

No such luck. School was coming out, and so he stopped and picked up as many high school students as he could. Then eventually stopped at KSK.

I pretended to write down his driver and plate number, and he immediately waved a few notes in my face. I told him to forget it - just stirring him up.

If six songtaews asked for the same 100 baht..i think nothing is wrong...5555

From ARCADE (near the 2 bus stations) to the moat surrounding the Old Town and back.

What did you expect to pay? You are asking for the driver to take you to the moat and RETURN which means he cannot pick anyone else up on the way. Next time ask for a single journey at 20 baht and then get another driver to bring you back at 20 baht, this way the driver can get other passengers on the way.

"I use sao sip in CM. Seems to work fine and I get more consistent agreement from the drivers."

Sao is 20, sip is 10. Sao baht is twenty baht. Maybe you get a chuckle from the drivers but they know what you mean.

Edit: WTK is too quick for me.

Not only do they know what you mean but they know you are a tourist. Depends where you are going. If they say see sip I will counter with yie sip and often come to an agreement on sam sip. Again it depends on where you are going. The bus station seems to have a higher price.

I can't even imagine trying to get a songthaew on the ring roads. I also like to say sawdecup (hello not sure of the English spelling) to the driver before I state my destination. This lets him or her know I am not a tourist. Never never under any circumstances do I ask how much. Yie Sip is the standard price and if they want more they will say so.

If six songtaews asked for the same 100 baht..i think nothing is wrong...5555

From ARCADE (near the 2 bus stations) to the moat surrounding the Old Town and back.

Yes they will ask for more at the bus stations. But you failed to mention that you wanted a round trip. Did you expect them to wait for you also?

Good luck getting from the back entrance to CMU to Airport Plaza for 20....Thapae Gate or KSK, yes, but keep in mind, they have to turn north at the moat, then U-turn, then turn east at the corner, then u turn again...And in fact the ones that have their wives "helping" them will say 60...20 from Maharaj Hospital; probably, but some just won't be going that way.

Depends on the trip. Maybe they didn't like your circus pants. I went from CMU to Airport Plaza twice last week; "Som-sip." We have a brand new covered bus stop with 6 nice seats by my condo. I haven't seen one bus pull up to it since it was completed a month ago. It does serve the Thais quite well, as thye can set their garbage down without bending over.

" yee sip "

I use yee sip in BKK. I use sao sip in CM. Seems to work fine and I get more consistent agreement from the drivers.

" Sao baht "

they must have seen you coming because i've just returned from a long weekend in CM and found the song taew drivers to be refreshingly straight forward and i was never over charged - or at least i paid what the thai passengers were paying!

maybe your attitude or attire marks you out as a target for over charging?

they must have seen you coming because i've just returned from a long weekend in CM and found the song taew drivers to be refreshingly straight forward and i was never over charged - or at least i paid what the thai passengers were paying!

maybe your attitude or attire marks you out as a target for over charging?

Just curious, what attire makes you a target for over-charging, and better still how should we dress to get the best price?

they must have seen you coming because i've just returned from a long weekend in CM and found the song taew drivers to be refreshingly straight forward and i was never over charged - or at least i paid what the thai passengers were paying!

maybe your attitude or attire marks you out as a target for over charging?

Just curious, what attire makes you a target for over-charging, and better still how should we dress to get the best price?

Looking like you: over-charge. Looking like amexpat: good price. Free if sitting in front.

Foreigners (non-Thai) that try to speak Thai to song teaw drivers when the foreigner doesn't know Thai language as well as they think they do, probably gets scammed and doesn't even know it. The definition of "scam" as used in this thread is a pretty loose definition.

Two off topic posts commenting on spelling errors have been removed.