Automatic kiosks set to improve taxi service at Suvarnabhumi Airport

[Lite Beer]

Automatic kiosks set to improve taxi service at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Jessada Jantarak

 

BANGKOK: -- Automatic queue-card kiosks will soon improve people's access to taxi services at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

"They should reduce waiting time [for taxis]," Colonel Boonchu Klinsakhon said at a press conference.

Working in response to the National Council for Peace and Order's policy, Boonchu - who heads the 2nd Field Artillery Regiment Queen's Guard - said yesterday efforts to regulate taxi services at Bangkok's key aviation facility had been progressing.

The airport's general manager Rawewan Netarakavesana said eight kiosks would be installed by the end of next month. "We will install kiosks at Gates 4 and 7 [on the first floor] of the terminal," she said.

She added that the airport had also sought to improve taxi services by arranging training courses for taxi drivers. "The courses cover English-language skills, respect for traffic laws, and service-mindedness," Rawewan said.

She added that she hoped taxi services available at Suvarnabhumi would become modern, safe, fast, convenient and accountable.

End to 'taxi mafia'

Before the NCPO intervened, "mafia-style" operations had reportedly plagued the airport's taxi services with bribe-paying taxi drivers allowed to select long-haul passengers. Such selective services made it harder for short-haul passengers to get a taxi ride.

A short ride from the airport starts from just Bt35, while a ride to faraway destinations like Pattaya can earn a taxi driver up to Bt3,000.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Automatic-kiosks-set-to-improve-taxi-service-at-Su-30239514.html

 

[thenation]2014-07-26[/thenation]

[ozsamurai]

Is it not common knowledge now that you go upstairs to Departures to get a cab and avoid all the scammers and fare loaders?

 

Oz

[David48]

Is it not common knowledge now that you go upstairs to Departures to get a cab and avoid all the scammers and fare loaders?

 

Oz

 

Mate, have you had a read of this?

 

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679139-cannot-get-a-taxi-anymore-at-3rd-floor-at-suvarnabhumi/

 

Maybe the situation has changed these past few months?
 

[saakura]

Is it not common knowledge now that you go upstairs to Departures to get a cab and avoid all the scammers and fare loaders?
 
Oz

 
Mate, have you had a read of this?
 
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679139-cannot-get-a-taxi-anymore-at-3rd-floor-at-suvarnabhumi/
 
Maybe the situation has changed these past few months?
 

It changed a year ago. Edited July 26, 2014 by saakura

[ozsamurai]

I flew back here in end of May from OZ, and did as I usually do... no problems.

 

Oz

[Maroon Watcher]

... and the last time a visited about a year ago, those nice pirates on the 3rd floor were operating a marshalled Cartel

They chose the price or you don't get home...

 

But they did smile alot (Until I tried to negotiate....)

 

 

Is it not common knowledge now that you go upstairs to Departures to get a cab and avoid all the scammers and fare loaders?

 

Oz

 

Mate, have you had a read of this?

 

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679139-cannot-get-a-taxi-anymore-at-3rd-floor-at-suvarnabhumi/

 

Maybe the situation has changed these past few months?
 

 

 

[nahkit]

I honestly don't understand what the fuss is about. In the 30 years I've been coming here I've only ever had one taxi driver who didn't use the meter. I've never had a driver refuse to take me into the city in favour of a more lucrative fare to Pattaya. Years ago, when I've been flying domestic and had hand luggage only, I used to go up to the arrivals to skip the queue but I certainly wouldn't have done it just to save the 50 baht service charge.

 

And this comment has me scratching my head in disbelief:

 

" Derogatory generalization has been removed."

 

I've never encountered any rudeness with the ladies at the taxi rank, there's hardly any interaction required. You walk up, tell them where you want to go, they write out a slip and hand you over to the driver.  

[MareeHH]

So last week we flew in and as usual headed to the taxi rank, received the 'slip'(which is a form which gives you the passenger information and a complaint form on the other side - not for the taxi driver). The dispatcher will give the driver another slip and ensure he knows where you are going. The driver pulls over just up the road and announces that it will be 600B for the trip to Siam and he needs the slip of paper we have! We insist that we prefer the meter, and with this he steps on the accelerator and gets us to our hotel in record time. Quite dangerous. Needless to say, no tip for him! Perhaps the new training is not working for this driver.

[wirat69]

Land before midnight, take the train!

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

Am I missing something here? I have lived in Thailand for over 11 years and I fly out quite often from both airports. I have never had an issue with the taxi's not using the meters from either airport.

On the other hand I live in the lower Sukhumvit area and on a daily basis I have a major problem with taxi's refusing to take me just a few blocks away. or refusing the meter and asking for several hundred baht to go around the corner.

I have tried the complaint line but if you are not fluent in Thai they won't talk to you and even if they do nothing happens (I know after 11 yrs I should be fluent but I am not).

11 plus years ago when they started to enforce the meters laws, the complaint line worked and the drivers were actually afraid to get reported and the drivers complied most of the time.

The best solution is to reform the complaint line, put it in English too and follow up on complaints and fine bad drivers and punish repeat offenders by revoking their licenses.

It worked before, just make it work again!!!

[MareeHH]

This was the first time it has happened to us in the 10 years we have been visiting Bangkok.

[bronco10250]

Is it not common knowledge now that you go upstairs to Departures to get a cab and avoid all the scammers and fare loaders?
 
Oz

 
Mate, have you had a read of this?
 
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679139-cannot-get-a-taxi-anymore-at-3rd-floor-at-suvarnabhumi/
 
Maybe the situation has changed these past few months?
 

It changed a year ago.

Sorry, guys... it did not, same as usual!
I arrived yesterday at swampy and just went up to the dept level and grabbed a taxi home as I usally did, and will also keep doing until there is a real reform to the AoT controlled taxi mafia at the airport!

[yermanee]

 

 

 

Is it not common knowledge now that you go upstairs to Departures to get a cab and avoid all the scammers and fare loaders?
 
Oz

 
Mate, have you had a read of this?
 
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679139-cannot-get-a-taxi-anymore-at-3rd-floor-at-suvarnabhumi/
 
Maybe the situation has changed these past few months?
 

It changed a year ago.

Sorry, guys... it did not, same as usual!
I arrived yesterday at swampy and just went up to the dept level and grabbed a taxi home as I usally did, and will also keep doing until there is a real reform to the AoT controlled taxi mafia at the airport!

 

 

Or in other words until they drop the 50 Baht surcharge.

 

Yermanee
 

[mdmayes]

The Sky Train is a good way to bypass the pirates.

 

[dabhand]

Perhaps I am being selfish but, from my experience, I really see no need to change the current system. I usually just pitch up at the ground floor taxi rank with rarely a queue, state my destination, get the paper and head over to the taxi with the driver. No problem. 

 

OK, having Pattaya as the destination probably helps but I read the threads with tales of woe and just wonder if I am using a different airport than those folk.

 

I can see the price advantage to pre-arranging a airport pick-up. Tried that a good few years back and, being of a rather impatient nature, any delay in locating the waiting driver after a long flight, no matter how slight, was not what I wanted. Particularly as the chances of experiencing a queue at the taxi rank were so rare.

 

As for the 'pig in a poke' approach of going up to departures to save a couple of hundred baht or so - no thanks. At least there is some possibility of redress with the receipt from the taxi rank - maybe the complaints process needs to be improved per the comments of an earlier poster.

 

To my mind, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!       

[HerbalEd]

I honestly don't understand what the fuss is about. In the 30 years I've been coming here I've only ever had one taxi driver who didn't use the meter. I've never had a driver refuse to take me into the city in favour of a more lucrative fare to Pattaya. Years ago, when I've been flying domestic and had hand luggage only, I used to go up to the arrivals to skip the queue but I certainly wouldn't have done it just to save the 50 baht service charge.

 

And this comment has me scratching my head in disbelief:

 

"Anything is better than dealing with the rude, miserable cows at the airport taxi rank."

 

I've never encountered any rudeness with the ladies at the taxi rank, there's hardly any interaction required. You walk up, tell them where you want to go, they write out a slip and hand you over to the driver.  

Ditto to that. Over the past thirty-five years I've taken hundreds of taxis from the airport and only once did I have a driver try to scam me. And while some drivers may de indifferent, most are courteous enough, and some are very friendly indeed. 

 

I wonder about those on tv.com who tell of so many terrible problems they have with Thais. I think many may be either grossly exaggerating or lying ... or the "victims" themselves attract or make their own problems. If you expect problems ... or look long enough ... you're sure to find them.

 

Sure, I've had some problems in Thailand, but not enough to make me want to leave. For sure the good far outweighs the bad.

Edited July 26, 2014 by HerbalEd

[jpduggan]

Is it not common knowledge now that you go upstairs to Departures to get a cab and avoid all the scammers and fare loaders?

 

Oz

    I came in 6 weeks ago and headed up to the 4th fl and if I was still there I couldn't get a cab. Thats all changed now.

[metisdead]

Posts containing overly derogatory generalizations toward Thais have been removed.

[solstan]

So last week we flew in and as usual headed to the taxi rank, received the 'slip'(which is a form which gives you the passenger information and a complaint form on the other side - not for the taxi driver). The dispatcher will give the driver another slip and ensure he knows where you are going. The driver pulls over just up the road and announces that it will be 600B for the trip to Siam and he needs the slip of paper we have! We insist that we prefer the meter, and with this he steps on the accelerator and gets us to our hotel in record time. Quite dangerous. Needless to say, no tip for him! Perhaps the new training is not working for this driver.

 

Been to Bngkok many times but only once had a problem with a driver that wanted a fixed prize, he told me it was 400 to Sukhumvit ... and that was this year.  It is about 100 over if not during rush hour ... so not a big problem. But these "hunters" that try to get you inside with a nice prize tag of 1000 only for you ... they make me a bit mad! 
The ones working the counters have been very helpful every time, at least to me and if a guy tried t get the paper Id probably get he camera rolling at once ... in a descrete way ;) 

[bkkjames]

 

I honestly don't understand what the fuss is about. In the 30 years I've been coming here I've only ever had one taxi driver who didn't use the meter. I've never had a driver refuse to take me into the city in favour of a more lucrative fare to Pattaya. Years ago, when I've been flying domestic and had hand luggage only, I used to go up to the arrivals to skip the queue but I certainly wouldn't have done it just to save the 50 baht service charge.

 

And this comment has me scratching my head in disbelief:

 

"Anything is better than dealing with the rude, miserable cows at the airport taxi rank."

 

I've never encountered any rudeness with the ladies at the taxi rank, there's hardly any interaction required. You walk up, tell them where you want to go, they write out a slip and hand you over to the driver.  

Ditto to that. Over the past thirty-five years I've taken hundreds of taxis from the airport and only once did I have a driver try to scam me. And while some drivers may de indifferent, most are courteous enough, and some are very friendly indeed. 

 

I wonder about those on tv.com who tell of so many terrible problems they have with Thais. I think many may be either grossly exaggerating or lying ... or the "victims" themselves attract or make their own problems. If you expect problems ... or look long enough ... you're sure to find them.

 

Sure, I've had some problems in Thailand, but not enough to make me want to leave. For sure the good far outweighs the bad.

 

 

I understand what you guys are saying but with your being here so long - no doubt have accompanying Thai skills, it's quite different experience than a fresh off the plane newbie tourist to Thailand. Remember your first trip into Don Muang, the chaos to find the taxis and mumble in English Cow San Road or Suck Hum Vit...

 

Nowadays we just jump in and tell him in Thai where we want to go and most (not all) give up with the bs...

[stubuzz]

 

A short ride from the airport starts from just Bt35, while a ride to faraway destinations like Pattaya can earn a taxi driver up to Bt3,000.

 

Airport to Pattaya beach = 123km.  3000/123= 24bt a km.

 

 

[belg]

i feel somewhere that the 50 b surcharge (why the hell in the first place?) will double soon

[dantilley]

... and the last time a visited about a year ago, those nice pirates on the 3rd floor were operating a marshalled Cartel

They chose the price or you don't get home...

 

Shouldn't that be "they chose the price or you go downstairs to get a taxi instead"???

[SeaVisionBurma]

I have never paid a fixed/negotiated price for a taxi in Bangkok, nor will I ever in future.  I'm never that lazy or in a rush that I can't find the next taxi who will use their meter as required - rather than take a taxi who refuses to.

[nisakiman]

 

 

A short ride from the airport starts from just Bt35, while a ride to faraway destinations like Pattaya can earn a taxi driver up to Bt3,000.

 

Airport to Pattaya beach = 123km.  3000/123= 24bt a km.

 

 

 

 

Yes, but don't forget he's got to get back to Bangkok, and it's very unlikely he'll get a fare. So that makes it 260 Km, which is 12 Baht / Km.

 

Like a couple of others here, I've never had a problem with taxis from the airport, DM or Swampy. I haven't had to wait long, it's been on the meter every time, and I don't think I've ever had an unfriendly driver. Quite the opposite, in fact; they are normally cheerful, friendly and helpful. Doubtless the anticipation of a tip (which is always forthcoming if I'm happy with the service) encourages them, but that's what the business is all about. It is a service industry, and in the final equation, the cabbie who looks after his customers will always make more money than the surly scammers. And the brighter cabbies know this.

[bubba]

Unlike the standard taxi queue downstairs, I have never once been asked to pay anything but the meter upstairs at departures. Having just dropped passengers off, these drivers are more than happy to have a fare back out, rather than deadheading back to the city. There is no wait, and I can select the driver and car that I want, not the one to which I am arbitrarily directed. 

 

BTW, the turnstiles now move both ways, and there is no guard to tell you that you cannot exit to the taxi lane. There were reports about a month ago stating that the official AOT policy would be to allow these drivers to collect passengers there, but not wait. That seems to be the case, as recently I have not seen many taxis sitting around waiting, and none of them exit their cars to tout.