Mo Chit moto-taxis fined THB5,000 for overcharging

[webfact]

Mo Chit moto-taxis fined THB5,000 for overcharging
By Coconuts Bangkok



BANGKOK: -- Two moto-taxi operators were arrested Sunday for charging a customer five times the going rate.

Bang Sue authorities announced the arrest of Kitthanachai Fanfong, 26, and Waraporn Rungruang, 44, men who allegedly tricked a passenger at BTS Mo Chit into paying THB960 for a 30-minute ride.

Supinthip Reulueng, 23, says she hired one moto-taxi for herself and another for her suitcase at BTS Mo Chit for a ride home to her condo near Kaset Junction. She didn’t negotiate the fare beforehand. While the ride should have cost her THB160 to THB240, the drivers demanded THB960.

Supinthip then went to the police, claiming they’d taken advantage of her.

Kitthanachai confessed he overcharged because he did not make any money that day. After the incident, he split the money with Waraporn and went home. [read more…]

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co//2014/07/29/mo-chit-moto-taxis-fined-thb5000-overcharging


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2014-07-29

[gemini81]

Nice one. About time. Swindling tourists for years....

[h90]

Nice one. About time. Swindling tourists for years....

well 1 case of how many thousands per day?

[NongKhaiKid]

Nice work routine and ethic, cheat one customer, make a couple of hundred baht and call it a day.

Wonder what the money was spent on.

[gemini81]

Nice one. About time. Swindling tourists for years....

well 1 case of how many thousands per day?

Its a start; something we haven't seen before. Previous minor efforts were a few organized places with signs and rates posted. At least they're doing something now!

[WEBLEDINK]

Just a question on the how the "System" works when getting caught and arrested? Do they release them without paying fine? Do they immediately take the Jersey when they commit an offense. This is nothing but robbery and a legal form of kidnapping for a fee? Loss of their permit to be taxi should be taken away immediately...It is nice to see that they get caught and when the news gets out, more will do the same and report these criminals on 2 wheels.

[Loles]

AND this silly girl why didn't make a deal before ???

Chinese ?

A bike for her and another one for her suitcase

TAXI ?

Edited July 29, 2014 by Loles

[iReason]

"According to investigators, both riders had criminal records. Waraporn was currently wanted on a warrant to face theft charges while Kitthanachai had a previous arrest for drug possession."

Lovely.

And one has to sit with these scum on the bike...

Edited July 29, 2014 by metisdead
Font reset to default forum font.

[SABloke]

AND this silly girl why didn't make a deal before ???

Chinese ?

A bike for her and another one for her suitcase

TAXI ?

My thoughtd exactlty 240 baht!!! Just take taxi

[Basil B]

Good one, I hope she got a refund as well.

And if they both had criminal records how did they register for the new system.

5K seems reasonable to me, probably another 10K and confiscation of their bikes if they were not registered.

Any registered Moto Taxis overcharging should also lose their bikes for a week or so.

[geodesic]

AND this silly girl why didn't make a deal before ???

Chinese ?

A bike for her and another one for her suitcase

TAXI ?

Many people don't bother making a deal before they get on the bike because they dislike haggling and confrontation and don't expect to get ripped off.

Why would you assume she is Chinese? This is primarily a Thai trait.

As for motorcycles instead of a taxi, probably because one of:

a) She didn't want to sit in traffic to get across town

There were no taxis available (common around 4 PM)

c) The taxis refused to go to her destination

etc.

The reasons are numerous. My wife doesn't like taxis because she was once harassed by a taxi driver. At least on a motorcycle she feels she has a chance to run away as the driver would have to stop in order to attack her. Psychological maybe but the fear of being in an enclosed space with a pervert is very real.

As for the whole situation, there is absolutely no reason in today's age of technology that motorcycle taxis can't be equipped with meters the same way taxis are. It is ridiculous that drivers are allowed to decide the fare based on how much money they have earned that day.

[Bountyhuntr]

The motorbike taxis near Mochit on JJ side are the worst. I asked them to go to Major Ratchayothin a few weeks ago which is normally 50 baht, 60 max. I got told 80 baht and when I said 50 about 4 of them shouted WALK!

Pretty funny.

Edited July 29, 2014 by liamstevens111

[3NUMBAS]

of course they will rip off newbies with mind blowing quotes for a short hop ,it all started in Phuket and has now spread all over the land

[theslime]

"According to investigators, both riders had criminal records. Waraporn was currently wanted on a warrant to face theft charges while Kitthanachai had a previous arrest for drug possession."

Lovely.

And one has to sit with these scum on the bike...

I wonder if you can say to a Thai taxi rider, pardon me, are you by chance aThief or Speed User before one actually sat down or ask first. Think the speed part might screw ones chances of getting a quick lift.

[mok199]

tonight i will toast to this...hahah finally finally...

[Bountyhuntr]

In all fairness you should do your homework before arriving Thailand. Kind of your own fault.

[MESmith]

Now fine the places, including National Parks. zoos, elephant camps etc that overcharge "folk with a fairer skin" even when "resident" here (Thai DL).

[Tomtomtom69]

AND this silly girl why didn't make a deal before ???

Chinese ?

A bike for her and another one for her suitcase

TAXI ?

Many people don't bother making a deal before they get on the bike because they dislike haggling and confrontation and don't expect to get ripped off.

Why would you assume she is Chinese? This is primarily a Thai trait.

As for motorcycles instead of a taxi, probably because one of:

a) She didn't want to sit in traffic to get across town

There were no taxis available (common around 4 PM)

c) The taxis refused to go to her destination

etc.

The reasons are numerous. My wife doesn't like taxis because she was once harassed by a taxi driver. At least on a motorcycle she feels she has a chance to run away as the driver would have to stop in order to attack her. Psychological maybe but the fear of being in an enclosed space with a pervert is very real.

As for the whole situation, there is absolutely no reason in today's age of technology that motorcycle taxis can't be equipped with meters the same way taxis are. It is ridiculous that drivers are allowed to decide the fare based on how much money they have earned that day.

Loles, this story is about a Thai passenger, not a foreigner (i.e. Chinese). As you can tell from the OP, the name clearly is Thai. Who knows if the lady in question was ethnic Chinese, but since she's a Thai national there's no reason to debate ethnicity here. Since she's Thai she knew where the police station was and actually bothered to make a police report. I highly doubt most foreigners would bother, especially over 960 Baht. They might feel pissed off, but wouldn't expect any action to be taken even if they did make a police report.

[MGP]

How much do you pay for a ride from Pantip Plaza to Siam Paragon?

They asked for 60 and I complained, but there were around 10 taxi-bikers all them shouting "sixteee!" at unison. Is that farang price? A taxi for that short ride is around 45, without traffic jam.

Edited July 29, 2014 by MGP

[surinderek]

ME WANTS TO KNOW HOW THE GOT THE VESTS IN THIS NEW SYSTEM ?? SOME NOT RIGHT HERE

[pisico]

AND this silly girl why didn't make a deal before ???

Chinese ?

A bike for her and another one for her suitcase

TAXI ?

CAVEAT EMPTOR... TIT no Latin taught in schools.

[pisico]

How much do you pay for a ride from Pantip Plaza to Siam Paragon?

They asked for 60 and I complained, but there were around 10 taxi-bikers all them shouting "sixteee!" at unison. Is that farang price? A taxi for that short ride is around 45, without traffic jam.

True. But the folksy common wisdom is that a Tuk Tuk or Motorcy will be cheaper.

Absolute fallacy.

Tuk tuk, unless one is Thai and/or fluent in the language, will always be more expensive than a metered Taxi.

Motorcy: is the fastest way to become a traffic statistic. But, tell that to Thais and they will show you their amulets.

[horsewell]

You know I get really bored of asking the price before and having to negotiate every time I purchase something. I look for places with steady prices or written prices as much as I can. Even a price between 160-240 Baht seems like a huge range for the same trip.

What is a good price or bad price? Leave it to the "free market"? I don't know either.

[Tomtomtom69]

I almost always negotiate but one time going from Koh Kong bus station to the Thai border, 10km away by tuk-tuk (note to self: never catch a local long distance bus in Cambodia again; takes too long and took about 2 hours just to leave Phnom Penh - either bring my own Thai vehicle in or catch a taxi as I've done before or since) I didn't negotiate the fare, then the guy wanted 400 Baht. I told him 140 so he then went down to 250 but we settled at 230 or something in a combination of Baht and Vietnamese Dong (that's all I had left apart from thousands of Baht in 1000 bills which was not destined for that fare, but for Thailand). He was a bit pissed but I knew that the fare shouldn't be much more than 200. Since he got 190 in Baht and the rest in Dong, which he could easily exchange for Riel, all was good. He did ask me why I didn't negotiate the fare beforehand so I told him, well, you didn't say anything! Of course I almost always negotiate the fare in advance but the one time I made an exception it took a few minutes of him struggling and me calmly being firm about what I'll give him.

Bringing either your own vehicle or renting a taxi is the way to go for those trips I'd say. Got a good driver who is honest and takes me directly to my destination. Sure, it might cost a bit more than a combination of bus + tuk tuk but it sure beats the hell out of the chances of getting ripped off or trying to rip your hair out in frustration.

[DEQ]

I almost always negotiate but one time going from Koh Kong bus station to the Thai border, 10km away by tuk-tuk (note to self: never catch a local long distance bus in Cambodia again; takes too long and took about 2 hours just to leave Phnom Penh - either bring my own Thai vehicle in or catch a taxi as I've done before or since) I didn't negotiate the fare, then the guy wanted 400 Baht. I told him 140 so he then went down to 250 but we settled at 230 or something in a combination of Baht and Vietnamese Dong (that's all I had left apart from thousands of Baht in 1000 bills which was not destined for that fare, but for Thailand). He was a bit pissed but I knew that the fare shouldn't be much more than 200. Since he got 190 in Baht and the rest in Dong, which he could easily exchange for Riel, all was good. He did ask me why I didn't negotiate the fare beforehand so I told him, well, you didn't say anything! Of course I almost always negotiate the fare in advance but the one time I made an exception it took a few minutes of him struggling and me calmly being firm about what I'll give him.

Bringing either your own vehicle or renting a taxi is the way to go for those trips I'd say. Got a good driver who is honest and takes me directly to my destination. Sure, it might cost a bit more than a combination of bus + tuk tuk but it sure beats the hell out of the chances of getting ripped off or trying to rip your hair out in frustration.

From Koh Kong bus station to the border in a tuk-tuk should be 7 USD (driver pays the bridge tolls). I love the way Cambodian tuk-tuk drivers rush to drive off as soon as you tell them your destination. You have to be pretty assertive to call them back and negotiate the fare.

Edited July 29, 2014 by DEQ

[iReason]

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"According to investigators, both riders had criminal records. Waraporn was currently wanted on a warrant to face theft charges while Kitthanachai had a previous arrest for drug possession."

Lovely.

And one has to sit with these scum on the bike...

I wonder if you can say to a Thai taxi rider, pardon me, are you by chance aThief or Speed User before one actually sat down or ask first. Think the speed part might screw ones chances of getting a quick lift.

I've passed on the occasional middle o' the day reeking drunk motorbike guys, and the twitching, babbling, yaa baa Taxi drivers at night as well.

I have actually told them to pull over.

In a polite way...

Edited July 29, 2014 by iReason

[bkkstooge]

The sheer arrogance of these guys never ceases to amaze me, they act like they're doing you a favor by providing a taxi service and then when you in clearly spoken Thai ( and not some b***erdized version of Laos) give directions on how to get to your destination which means they cannot f++k around trying to overcharge you with the excuse of the distance they would've covered and therefore don't get their thieving rip off price, they get all shirty and in your face (if you're lucky). I am so glad they are getting a hard time from this current administration, it's been way too long over due and all of the above applies to taxi drivers as well.

[daveAustin]

Good effort police, now sort those thieving bastards in Phuket!

[rametindallas]

Kitthanachai confessed he overcharged because he did not make any money that day.

Sounds like a legitimate reason to me to rip someone off... NOT

I would like to see some 'sting' operations set up. Get some clueless looking Farang to allow himself to be taken advantage of and then the authorities swoop in.

By my apartment on On Nut to the BTS is more than 2 km and it costs 20 Baht. From BTS Ratchathewi to Pantip Plaza is less than one kilometer and sometimes they want more than 40 Baht. I walk because the taxi is on the other side of a busy intersection and, while it would be cheaper than the MC taxi, it is more trouble than it is worth. I could use the exercise anyway. Anything local or not close to BTS/MRT and I take my own MC.

[JohnThailandJohn]

30-minute ride using two motorcycle taxis? Under a thousand baht doesn't seem so unreasonable or at least not 5x's the going rate. I have never taken a 30-minute motorbike taxi ride before, didn't even know they had posted rates for this long of a journey but would think that people shouldn't be in Thailand if they don't know to ask the price first when there is no posted price ... actually would think this would be the case anywhere.