Crackdown on Bangkok taxi drivers who refuse to accept passengers

[webfact]

Clampdown on taxi drivers who refuse to accept passengers



BANGKOK: -- The Land Transport Department in cooperation with the 11th Army Circle have started a clampdown on taxies in Bangkok to make sure that they use meters and do not reject passengers.

Colonel Virat Wongchan, deputy commander of the 11th Army Circle, said Wednesday that the clampdown on taxi services was one of the policies of the National Council for Peace and Order to ensure more safety and better services for the passengers.

Uniformed and plainclothes military and land transport officials will be deployed at eight “high-risk’’ points where taxi drivers are prone to violate regulations such as refusing to accept some passengers.

The “high risk” points include Future Park Rangsit, Yaowaraj road, Mor Chit bus terminal, Central World shopping mall, Mahboonkrong shopping mall, Paltinum mall in Pratunam, Soi Nana, Temple of the Emerald Buddha or Wat Phra Kaew.

Land transport director-general Mr Atsathai Rattanadilok na Phuket said officials would check the driving licences and ID cards of the cabbies. Violation of this requirement will be liable to a 1,000 baht fine and/or one-month jailterm.

The cabbies, he added, must use meters and must not refuse to accept Thai passengers or they will face stern action from the authorities.

There are about 160,000 taxies operating in Bangkok and its suburbs and up to 20 percent of the drivers do not have the licences. Most of the complaints against taxi drivers deal with their use of rude language with passengers and rejecting passengers in favour of foreign passengers.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/clampdown-taxi-drivers-refuse-accept-passengers/


-- Thai PBS 2014-08-14

[Bluespunk]

"The cabbies, he added, must use meters and must not refuse to accept Thai passengers or they will face stern action from the authorities."

So it's ok to reject non-Thai passengers? Got to say prejudice isn't hidden from sight in the LOS

I actually do think cabbies should have a choice in whether or not to accept a fare, but this policy is clearly borne out of paranoia. The perseption being foreigners are never turned down and accept the metre not being used.

[sjjmmi]

Never ending clampdown

[Prbkk]

The problem is exacerbated by the habit of passengers opening the front door to tell drivers their destination. This gives drivers the easy option of declining. I don't know why people just don't get in the back and then tell the driver where they want to go ( probably because of fear of being kicked out with menace? ).

[chooka]

This old clampdown again. The taxi drivers will continue to bare their naked behinds and fart in the face of authority. They will continue to laugh at this constant toothless crackdown and it will be business as usual.

[terryp]

start revoking licences ..... this should also be done on Samui etc ..impound the taxi or scrap it......that will soon stop them

[thaipod]

They need to look into the taxis on Sukhumvit road. I was refused by at least 8 drivers around 2-00 pm yesterday . I don't know what there game is it's a 120 fare.

[BigBadGeordie]

Its a sad state of affairs when a country needs to impose martial law to get the taxi drivers to switch their meter on!

[laurentbkk]

rejecting passengers in favour of foreign passengers

Many time I have been rejected and I am foreigner.....

[ramrod711]

The problem is exacerbated by the habit of passengers opening the front door to tell drivers their destination. This gives drivers the easy option of declining. I don't know why people just don't get in the back and then tell the driver where they want to go ( probably because of fear of being kicked out with menace? ).

Or hacked to death with a machete.

[Bobobirdiebuddy]

We all know when the cab stops, the window slides down and you get that "look", he ain't gonna take you. He'll gaze for a moment down the road and with a slight shake of the head say, "Mai pai." This crackdown, like all the previous crackdowns, will accomplish nothing. And we all noted the following: "must not refuse to accept Thai passengers" so once again, Thailand sanctions discrimination against foreigners just as double pricing, refusing legal residence over 60 to get the senior discount on the BTS. Thailand shows its distain for us.

[jacky54]

The problem is exacerbated by the habit of passengers opening the front door to tell drivers their destination. This gives drivers the easy option of declining. I don't know why people just don't get in the back and then tell the driver where they want to go ( probably because of fear of being kicked out with menace? ).

That would be acting logically, there is no word in Thai for logic.

[Andyfez]

1000 baht fine is laughable.

Whats the number for reporting these problems anyway? It might be quite satisfying to use it.

[ezzra]

Ok, this is going to work for sure, this time it's not crackdown, it's a clampdown...

[Tatsujin]

Saturday evening, Sukhumvit near Soi 7 . . . 5 drivers in a row refused to take me to near On Nut BTS . . . and this was with a Policeman standing right beside me who (even though I told him they were refusing to take me) acted dumb and ignored me and eventually moved away . . . doubt much is going to change.

[IMA_FARANG]

I live only a block or so in a residence from one of the areas mentioned in the article where I often catch a taxi.

I've had the problem of taxi drivers refusing me often on long trips in Bangkok.

I'm just passing on this info for Farangs who have been refused service.

Sometimes they may be refusing you, but often you are there at the wrong time.

Many taxi drivers do not own the taxi they drive, they RENT the taxi from the owner or owner's company. An 8 hour shift is often how they rent it. Quite often that 8 hour shift they have the taxi for is from 6 a.m. to 2.p.m. .... the peak time for people going to work.

Someone else has the shift after their shift finishes.

Often the OWNERS will fine the divers if they do not return the taxi on time when their shift ends because the next shift driver is waiting for the taxi to be returned for him to start his shift.

That is why between 1 p.m. and 3 p,m. is the WORST time to try to catch a taxi at those choke points the article mentions.

The 50 or 100 Baht fine the owner charges the driver for not returning the taxi on time may be a small matter to you, but to the driver it means a big cut in what he makes in his 8 or 12 hour shift.

Sukhumvit road and the traffic there is one of the places the drivers hate to go ESPECIALLY lower Sukhmvit (the " Farang Ghetto" area).

That is often what you as a "Stupid Farang" just don't understand, and you are the one who often the one who causes the problems.

Instead of waiting at a taxi queue, and getting rejected, walk down the street a block or so and try to flag down a taxi there.

You might be surprised how much easier it goes to do that.

[zydeco]

CTW is a nightmare. For Thais and non-Thais. I don't even know why the taxis pull up through the drive, they don't seem to take anybody anyway. Paragon is much better--but the line for taxis is huge. BTW, I just got refused yesterday at the taxi line at Central Pinklao. Central Pinklao! The guy refused a 100 baht trip from there to Phutthamonthon. Well, the new Central Salaya is now open. Don't need Pinklao anymore anyway.

[4evermaat]

The problem is exacerbated by the habit of passengers opening the front door to tell drivers their destination. This gives drivers the easy option of declining. I don't know why people just don't get in the back and then tell the driver where they want to go ( probably because of fear of being kicked out with menace? ).

Actually, you want to give taxi the option to reject the destination. This may be a minor inconvenience, but better for both parties to mutually go in the same desired direction.

As to just jumping in the back of a metered taxi cold turkey, I havent seen that ever in thailand; you always ask first. Now a song-theaw with a FIXED route is different.

[brimacthai]

Last week it took me three tries the get a taxi from Mor Chit bus terminal and this was at 5am so traffic to my destination would not have been a problem for the driver. Though I must say I rarely have any issues about the meter any where in Krung Thep.

[harrry]

I hope that they only accept Thai passengers is a translation error. If it is not the administration has lost a lot of my respect. .

[zydeco]

BTW, the best way to get across the river to the Thonburi side from Sukhumvit is to use one of the mini van services. It's only 25 baht, and they don't turn you down.

[luk AJ]

All true, but where else you find taxis for that price? If you don't like the rejections, use Uber or Grab Taxi and it is still a fraction of what you would pay in your home country. Anyway a crack down is not the way to deal with such problems...

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[kdw512]

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They need to look into the taxis on Sukhumvit road. I was refused by at least 8 drivers around 2-00 pm yesterday . I don't know what there game is it's a 120 fare.

It happens to me all the time on Sukhumvit, the cabbies between Soi 3 and Soi 11 are sharks! They should send the undercover officers there!

[ebean001]

I wonder why they still have martial law across the country?

[maddermax]

That's right. Tell the delinquent taxi drivers where the officers will be so that they are forewarned! Whatever happened to spot checks?

[scorecard]

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The problem is exacerbated by the habit of passengers opening the front door to tell drivers their destination. This gives drivers the easy option of declining. I don't know why people just don't get in the back and then tell the driver where they want to go ( probably because of fear of being kicked out with menace? ).

Agree, in fact a student group at one university has put up signs to this effect telling people to not ask first, just get in and refuse to get out if the taxi driver says no, unless it's within 30 minutes of the 4:00 pm taxi shift change.

I might add the same actual university regularly reminds female students, faculty and staff to not travel alone in taxis.

[JDGRUEN]

I have been refused taxi service all over Thailand - if I am not going in the direction they want to go - or the fare not big enough - then it is next taxi...

On Koh Samui - they should just remove about 80% of the taxis as they are useless - sit parked most of the day waiting for the demanded 500 baht to go 2-3 kilometers... It is posted at the airport 500 Baht or no go (and the distance is quite short to the hotels... The van service the same drive is 150 baht... The Koh Samui authorities should bring in the side car tuk tuk as used in Ao Nang - much more sensible. And/or convert taxis to the enclosed utility trucks as in Ao Nang... The 4 door sedan taxis in small resort towns are mostly useless when other forms of transportation are available that are more suitable to short distance transport of families of tourists. I noticed in Koh Samui that it did not take long for tourists to go for the song taows even though hopping in and out of them is a bit ungainly for older tourists - they do it anyway... The side car Tuk Tuks in Ao Nang are just great - easy to use - cheap. The standard more modernized tuk tuk of the older design are great too. They really get the job done in Nong Khai ... they make a trip to Tesco a real snap... door to door service... not much haggling as they have to post a readable fare schedule. I am not proposing tuk tuks for big cities - but they are much more appropriate for short distance 2-3-4 even 5 kilometers in resort towns or small towns...

Ao Nang Side Car Tuk Tuk

[Whale]

Seems a lot of posters are not only unhappy about the current taxi services in general but also unhappy about any attempt to improve them.

Is there any reason Thais think we foreigners are baa?

[ZAKY]

rejecting passengers in favour of foreign passengers

Many time I have been rejected and I am foreigner.....

Me too, i am also a foreigner; same thing happen; some says that it happen mostly during school time morning and afternoon. But the worst is at arrival exit at Suv airport where a fixed price is applied by all group if taxis refusing to put meter on.

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[stevehaigh]

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Never ending clampdown

at least they mean something these days