Taxi drivers likely refuse to turn on meters in 8 spots across Bangkok

[webfact]

Taxi drivers likely refuse to turn on meters in 8 spots across Bangkok

BANGKOK, 26 August 2014 (NNT) - Traffic Police have launched a crackdown on taxi drivers refusing to turn on their meters and a number of arrests have been made across Bangkok.

Police found that taxi drivers are most likely to turn off their meters near Soi Nana, MBK Shopping Center and Central World Department Store. Plain-clothes police officers have been dispatched to monitor cab drivers’ behavior in many parts of the capital, particularly at eight spots where a number of complaints have been lodged against cab drivers.

The eight spots in Bangkok including the aforementioned three are Yaowarat Road, Future Park Rangsit mall, Mochit terminals, Platinum shopping complex, Patunam and the temple of the Emerald Buddha.

A large number of taxi drivers who refused to turn on meters or overcharged their passengers were arrested from July 1 to August 17. Over 2,500 drivers have been charged with driving without license and 150 with refusing to pick up passengers.

From September 30, police will toughen the rule on driving without a proper license to operate public vehicles.
Passengers who wish to lodge complaints over poor taxi services can call the traffic police hotline at 1197.

The National Council for Peace and Order has recently imposed stringent measures to crack down on illegal airport taxi operations and street vendors on crowded sidewalks.


-- NNT 2014-08-26

[Alwyn]

Over 2,500 BKK taxi drivers without a license!! I would have expected a few but 2,500 is absolutely incredible. It can't be true. Do they mean actual driving licenses or hire & reward licenses? Either way it's a lot

[JAG]

Well, I reckon that about 50% of the time the chap manipulating the controls bears no relationship to the mugshot on the dashboard, apart from the fact that they both come from Buriram of course!

[asdecas]

Over 2,500 BKK taxi drivers without a license!! I would have expected a few but 2,500 is absolutely incredible. It can't be true. Do they mean actual driving licenses or hire & reward licenses? Either way it's a lot

Very likely either or both. The idea is to make the fullest use of the rental period, which means keeping the taxi running 24 hours nonstop. Scant attention is paid to who does the driving - cousin, brother, uncle, father, son or village neighbour will do, I suspect.

[DrLom]

OOOOHHHHhh ! Farang. Meter off......... that's <deleted>ing where... 8 places my ass.

[JeremyBowskill]

I must almost always try and get in at one of those 8 places then..............

[Bluespunk]

'From September 30, police will toughen the rule on driving without a proper license to operate public vehicles.'

Erm.....why the delay?

[banglassie]

I never had real problems with this. If picking a taxi waiting st a tourist dedtinstion like the ones mentioned, asiatique or ksr well then they are likely scums.

But most guys on the road turn on the meter without a question.

I saw a taxi refusing a wedtern girl near samsen 8 a few days ago. A police came up and forced him to take her on meter. Personally i wiuld rather wait for a decent guy than going with a pissed off driver...

Refusing passengers is another dtory. Happens all the time.

Still most seem to except you if you know the prices, st least in my area.

From ksr to thewet it should be about 40 baht with meter. Tuktuk still ask for 60. When you tell them it's more expensive than taxi they either do not answer or possibly agree with 40 baht. If you stop one on the street you're dtill likely to get there for 30 baht though imo. Win moto is of course cheaper too for short distanses. But safety might concern some..

[toybits]

Include Pratunam/Platinum Dept store area in the list.

[Loles]

Ahhh dear my mates, no-one has any idea about taxi business.

These (rented) cars are used 24 hours by

- lessee WHO HAS A LICENSE AND TAXI PERMIT ALWAYS cause these have to attach to the rental contract,

AND

- his son, nephew, brother, father, grandson, grandpa, neighbor, brother in law, friend, .... who-ever etc.

When police has caught a driver without permission, this doesn't mean at all the car is without permission also, just they caught the son, nephew, brother .....

[Loles]

'From September 30, police will toughen the rule on driving without a proper license to operate public vehicles.'

Erm.....why the delay?

Too much work ?

[realenglish1]

This makes me happy I have been refused many times at MBK because they are trolling for Farang vacationers so they can over charge

Stick it to the cabbies

[tomross46]

This is a good step forward. I have found it is better to use the Yellow Green cabs. These steps could not have been taken before, to many politicians, police and influential people involved.

[IAMSOBAD]

Soi 11 is worst than any place in BKK. I volunteer to be one of the UNDERCOVER FOREIGN OPERATIVES as I am sure every member of TVF would also. Let us help fix all the broken parts. We live here and could be of so much help.

[MobileContent]

Almost all taxi's overcharge that are parked in front of a hotel. They also have to pay upfront money to join thhe taxi gang in front of the hotel, plus the hotel gets normally 500 Baht per taxi from the driver per month. Sukhumvit is a prime example.

[Alwyn]

Over 2,500 BKK taxi drivers without a license!! I would have expected a few but 2,500 is absolutely incredible. It can't be true. Do they mean actual driving licenses or hire & reward licenses? Either way it's a lot

Very likely either or both. The idea is to make the fullest use of the rental period, which means keeping the taxi running 24 hours nonstop. Scant attention is paid to who does the driving - cousin, brother, uncle, father, son or village neighbour will do, I suspect.

It used to happen in England cabbies would share a taxi, but they would both have a license and green badge although I believe that was not the case with independent taxi firms, particularly Indian owned ones, in that case cousins and uncles etc would just pretend to be the real driver, so I suppose it's not so shocking? I worked with an Indian chap when I was a kid who used to take driving tests for his family and friends!

[timmyp]

I have never had this problem, but I hear about it often.

I understand that the taxi drivers need to follow the laws, etc., but it's hard not to have sympathy when I consider how little they make.

Er, before I get flamed: I'm not justifying their actions, just saying that many are in a bad situation and are understandably driven to trying to rip people off.

And of course there are jackasses out there as well who will just rip anyone off for the sake of doing it...

[shaul19]

we have that problem usually in BKK airport . our condo in Bangna is between 120 to 150 Baht and if we go to the official the drivers are angry and mad as they waited long time in the queue. I and my Thai GF are tacking taxi in the 4th floor at the departing see ask always if it with meter most of the times the drivers agree and sometime refusing. at the first time we went into taxi without asking and the driver refused to open the meter and asked for 600 b we refused he went down to 500 B we asked to bring us back to the terminal and he did it.

[AlphMichaels]

This news just makes my day.

I like to rattle off the 4 digit taxi number in Thai now while I grab my phone and pretend I'm dialing in a complaint. In the last month or so I've had 2 or 3 see me do this and say "OK, OK". I turn my head up a bit and smile, saying..., "sai guun bai...., mai dai" (too late..., cannot).

Made a couple of them squirm.

[Sparkles]

Try Chiang Mai where all taxis have meters and a sign on top of the taxi to that effect ,by law,but NO DRIVER EVER TURNS ON THE METER.Every trip is negotiable and usually twice the price you pay in Bangkok. They never cruise for customers just sit and wait for base to call them.

[Halion]

They need to hit these people and hit them hard as the taxi scenario is very detrimental to the overall perception of this country. It is an industry laced with corruption and renegades.

Needless to say there are many taxi drivers who are are not of this ilk but try getting a taxi late evening fro Silom or Sukhumvit to Laksi and 70% will either ask for double the fare or simply refuse.

[xen]

In Sukhumvit this morning had at least nine cabs refuse to take us from Nana BTS up to Suk 71. Then we got a cabbie who didn't quite understand the mechanics of using a clutch and doing gear changes in conjunction with depressing the clutch and then letting the clutch out smoothly. He did not even know his way around lower sukhumvit and needed directions but that is forgivable. Then he droves using the tyres on all the ripple lane dividers.Thunk Thunk thunk thunk ......... Kept all of us awake tho. Usually have no problems with cabbies but must be a bad 24 hours for us.

[drand11]

SUKHUMVIT SOI 4, 5, 11 ARE FULL OF THIEVING TAXI drivers that wait aĺl day to find a sucker tourist!

[trogers]

'From September 30, police will toughen the rule on driving without a proper license to operate public vehicles.'

Erm.....why the delay?

You have to ask for the year...

[GuyL]

I don't go often in the Khao San Road area nowadays, but I was there a few weeks ago because one of my cousin was visiting Bangkok with his girlfriend and had chosen to stay there a couple of days.

From there, we once wanted to go to the Hua Lamphong Railway Station. We had to stop more than a dozen of cabs before finding one that accepts to turn the meter on. The regular cost is around 60 baht, but it seems that more than 90% of the taxi drivers ask to be paid a fixed amount of 200 baht for this fare, trying to take advantage of tourists and other foreigners.

I'm a Westerner but I speak decent enough Thai to give correct directions to the taxi drivers. I haven't had this kind of problem for a long time elsewhere in Bangkok and was quite surprised by the amplitude of this phenomenon around KSR!

[oztaurus]

Soi 11 is worst than any place in BKK. I volunteer to be one of the UNDERCOVER FOREIGN OPERATIVES as I am sure every member of TVF would also. Let us help fix all the broken parts. We live here and could be of so much help.

Are you here on the correct visa to be doing that kind of work?

Does it fall under the prohibited occupations for foreigners?

[razer]

The question is, how long will this enforcement of the rules last? Just today I saw a motorbike taxi with a high school girl on the back run through a red light dodging traffic at a major BKK intersection, and the policeman there did nothing .... nothing ... and he saw it!

I have faith in the intentions of the military government but little faith in the police.

[ChrisY1]

'From September 30, police will toughen the rule on driving without a proper license to operate public vehicles.'

Erm.....why the delay?

There's only so many "crack downs" they can handle at once.....

[upena]

Include in front of any hotel, mall, restaurant, bar area

[balo]

Never had a problem with taxis not using meter in Bangkok . Except one time , in the silom area late at night. Then I had to walk to a nearby soi and the taxis were back using meter again.

So this is onlly a problem in the tourist areas.