GrabTaxi’s Pattaya launch @ Ocean Marina Yacht Club – Wednesday 17th September 2014

[veleron]

Good one AMP101,

Please go out and try things out before ranting like it is the end of the world. Unless you don't even have a smartphone and don't even dare to lose a few hundred baht.

The apps is very successful in many countries, if it is only good at calling ripped-off-taxi, they might as well target developed taxi countries only.

[Jingthing]

Thanks for the report. I said already I would be very happy to be shown to be wrong. So stop ragging on me dudes. I am pretty well shocked they used the meter and that the fare structure sounds reasonable!!!! OK will this last? Hope so!

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[AMP101]

Cool jingting Yes i really hope it can last. I hate having to use taxi bikes so i am really happy about this, will be great for getting out when it rains too!

[wpcoe]

Living off the baht bus grid, this could be a huge improvement for me. The moto-sai taxi guys out front often are gone after sundown, so this gives me newfound independence. I just dread going to the hospital for stuff that requires follow-ups like daily check-ups because of the moto-sai to baht bus system. e.g. Hopping on and off vehicles with a bandaged foot is literally a pain. Calling a meter taxi for door to door service will be so much better.

An alternative to the B250 "baht bus taxi" ride home for the 3km ride from Tesco Lotus with groceries. Imagine that.

I'm overseas now, but returning next week, and can't wait to try this new system. Like Jingthing, I'm cautiously suspicious to see if this pans out, but I hope we're both worrying about nothing.

[lapd]

Does that estimate I see in the app include the 40baht fee?

Edited September 24, 2014 by lapd

[khunjamesjohnson]

So the taxi drivers are now providing a legitimate service?

Strange.

What are they really up to I wonder?

[ricklev]

Because Grab Taxi doesn't target tourists it will work just fine in high season. Probably. The taxi cooperative will just increase the number of taxis as needed. Easy to do. For those still doubtful. Just try it!

Of course I could be wrong.....

[infinity11]

from the bits i could gather it sounds good

i did a small search and found this

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762361-grabtaxi-service-available-in-pattaya/

call me old fashion

can this be done on a computer or does it need a mobile app?

perhaps i will have to dig some more for the answer

[Keesters]

This is not a good APP for Pattaya.

If there was a legitimate, non scamming taxi service in Pattaya, I would use them almost daily.

NOTE: I have NEVER used the taxi service in Pattaya. Not once.

I don't like carrot. Never eaten it, not once.

[SurfRider]

.

I did a test booking, using their app, from Jomtien (near Thepprasit & 2nd Rd.) to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. Estimated fare was 114 to 171 Baht. Additional booking fee is 40 Baht, which their website says goes to the driver.

Normal fee for the same run from BPH to Jomtien using one of the taxis based at the hospital is 250 Baht. If all is as advertised, Grab Taxi is definitely a very worthwhile addition to the Pattaya public transport mix.

Their website states as follows:

"Know your rights! Get in touch with us if your driver doesn’t use the meter, overcharges, calls to cancel or doesn’t show up at the pickup point"

.

Edited September 25, 2014 by SurfRider

[lapd]

Tried to do it from Tuk com to Jomtien. Went through the menu and got a driver to accept. Then a few minutes later the driver cancelled. So I tried again. It waited for a driver to accept and this time it took a few minutes before a driver accepted. Then within a minute or two the driver cancelled again. I think it was the same guy. App shows a picture of the driver and I think his name. You can press a button to call the driver. Pretty slick app I gotta say.

So never got a driver and ended up walking down to the baht buses on 2nd road. Will try again another time. Could have just been an isolated thing. Maybe it will take some time for the drivers to get used to using the system.

Edited September 25, 2014 by lapd

[elfpattaya]

Used this yesterday, very impressed. Taxi from Soi Nernplubwan to Soi Lengkee was 146 Baht. I had to pay a booking fee of 100 Baht because it was over 6km, so the actual fare on the meter was 46 baht.

Very good driver and service, picked me up at home 15 mins after booking.

[lapd]

Used this yesterday, very impressed. Taxi from Soi Nernplubwan to Soi Lengkee was 146 Baht. I had to pay a booking fee of 100 Baht because it was over 6km, so the actual fare on the meter was 46 baht.

Very good driver and service, picked me up at home 15 mins after booking.

So they have mult-tier booking fees? Not a good sign at all! That is a gouge plain an simple. Booking fee is to cover the cost of booking...duh. That is costing them the same regardless of whether it's 1km or 1000km. It's a gouge plain and simple. Not much different than trying to get the higher off meter flat rates. Eliminates the negotiating is about all you can say about it.

Also 6km is nothing. I'm guessing they probably have multiple tiers. 10km, 15, 20 etc. Why not call it what it is. Flat rate supplement. A step back to just negotiating flat rates with these guys. Oh well, should not be surprised.

Edited September 27, 2014 by lapd

[ricklev]

Used this yesterday, very impressed. Taxi from Soi Nernplubwan to Soi Lengkee was 146 Baht. I had to pay a booking fee of 100 Baht because it was over 6km, so the actual fare on the meter was 46 baht.

Very good driver and service, picked me up at home 15 mins after booking.

So they have mult-tier booking fees? Not a good sign at all! That is a gouge plain an simple. Booking fee is to cover the cost of booking...duh. That is costing them the same regardless of whether it's 1km or 1000km. It's a gouge plain and simple. Not much different than trying to get the higher off meter flat rates. Eliminates the negotiating is about all you can say about it.

Also 6km is nothing. I'm guessing they probably have multiple tiers. 10km, 15, 20 etc. Why not call it what it is. Flat rate supplement. A step back to just negotiating flat rates with these guys. Oh well, should not be surprised.

The driver gets the booking fee and without a higher booking fee for longer pick ups none of the drivers would bid on the fare. Driver's must bid on their apps for fares.

Best not to use it if the price is higher than you want to pay. The app tells you in advance how much it will be. There is no negotiating. Easy enough to download the app and play around with different locations for estimates without making a booking.

It's not a dispatch service. I use it regularly in Bangkok and on occasion if I want to go somewhere out of the way, at a bad time, with bad traffic, no driver will bid on my trip and I can't use Grab Taxi.

There is an option to offer a tip if no driver bids, to encourage drivers' bidding, but I never do.

Edited September 27, 2014 by ricklev

[veleron]

Used this yesterday, very impressed. Taxi from Soi Nernplubwan to Soi Lengkee was 146 Baht. I had to pay a booking fee of 100 Baht because it was over 6km, so the actual fare on the meter was 46 baht.

Very good driver and service, picked me up at home 15 mins after booking.

So they have mult-tier booking fees? Not a good sign at all! That is a gouge plain an simple. Booking fee is to cover the cost of booking...duh. That is costing them the same regardless of whether it's 1km or 1000km. It's a gouge plain and simple. Not much different than trying to get the higher off meter flat rates. Eliminates the negotiating is about all you can say about it.

Also 6km is nothing. I'm guessing they probably have multiple tiers. 10km, 15, 20 etc. Why not call it what it is. Flat rate supplement. A step back to just negotiating flat rates with these guys. Oh well, should not be surprised.

Take a chill pill bro, the website says it will have the 100 baht booking fee for distance above 6km, no other distance tier stated.

[wpcoe]

Used this yesterday, very impressed. Taxi from Soi Nernplubwan to Soi Lengkee was 146 Baht. I had to pay a booking fee of 100 Baht because it was over 6km, so the actual fare on the meter was 46 baht.

Very good driver and service, picked me up at home 15 mins after booking.

So they have mult-tier booking fees? Not a good sign at all! That is a gouge plain an simple. Booking fee is to cover the cost of booking...duh. That is costing them the same regardless of whether it's 1km or 1000km. It's a gouge plain and simple. Not much different than trying to get the higher off meter flat rates. Eliminates the negotiating is about all you can say about it.

Also 6km is nothing. I'm guessing they probably have multiple tiers. 10km, 15, 20 etc. Why not call it what it is. Flat rate supplement. A step back to just negotiating flat rates with these guys. Oh well, should not be surprised.

Take a chill pill bro, the website says it will have the 100 baht booking fee for distance above 6km, no other distance tier stated.

The Richard Barrow web page says "Additional charges will also apply for distances beyond 6 kilometers of the city center" which makes it sound like it's not for any trip over 6km, it's only for trips that take the taxi 6km out of the city center (how do they define that?) IMHO, that seems reasonable, as if you are going a ways out of the city the chances of the driver being able to get a return fare are less.

@veleron: Did you find the B100 fee on the grabtaxi.com web site? All I could find was http://grabtaxi.com/bangkok-thailand/2014/09/17/pattaya-launch/ and don't see it mentioned there.

[wpcoe]

GrabTaxi, a Trip Report:

I was on Pattaya Nua at an electric store near the bus station at 450pm, and decided to try GrabTaxi. I had downloaded the app this afternoon.

After registering the app, I selected the pickup location. Apparently there are only certain specific places you can select. I tried to set the pointer (circle) at the location of the electric store, but it said something like "location not found." I moved the selector slightly and it selected "Modern Love," a bridal store just up the street, which was fine with me.

For destination, I tried to select my condo and again, it was not found, so I had to slide the selector circle quite a distance until it finally found a usable location. I figured I would just tell the driver where I was actually going once I got in the cab.

Then, after a series of six attempts with "Sorry, we were unable to get you a driver," lo and behold I got one! Each time I pressed "Please try again" there were four taxis listed within .5km, but I wonder if they all declined since it was rush hour and they hoped to get a better fare.

After I was assigned a taxi, the driver called me. Of course, he speaks about as much English as I do Thai, but I managed to understand he was asking me where I was. I told him "Pattaya Nua, Modern Love." I thought the location would have been transmitted via the app? But, he didn't comprehend "Modern Love," which is understandable if the app didn't give him a map and/or GPS coordinates. I told him "Pattaya Nua near Sukhumvit" and he said he would look for me.

The app kept showing the taxi number, a small photo of the driver, and "Arriving in 5 minutes" for over ten minutes. In fact, it still showed that after I was already inside the taxi and on Sukhumvit.

Twelve minutes after the initial phone call, I was walking back toward the Tourist Information Center on Pattaya Nua to see if they could talk to him and explain exactly where I was. Just as I got to the Center, he pulled up to the curb. I wasn't sure prior to him pulling up, but the taxi number given by the app is their license plate number. I had five taxis pull up to me while I was waiting, and didn't know for sure if they were random drivers or the one sent by GrabTaxi. As soon as they asked "How much you pay?" I knew. :-)

The app showed the estimated fare as "THB112-168 (8KM)." When we arrived at my condo, the actual meter showed THB 44, and he added on THB40 and THB100 (my speculation about the application of that in my previous post above may well have been wrong) for a total of THB184. I gave him THB200 and let him keep the THB16.

There are some rough edges in the system, but I was aware going in that it is in the beta stage. I would like them to add the ability to just drop a pin at ANY location on the map for the pickup and drop off, and I think the driver should be advised exactly where the passenger's pickup point is.

To go from Pattaya Nua to the middle of Jomtien for only THB184 in air conditioned comfort during weekday rush hour was something I thought I'd never see!

[balo]

If you paid 186 baht you paid too much , the app clearly gives you an estimate between 112 and 168 baht, unless he drive you a longer distance than what comes up on the gps map. And why tip him ? For 200 baht you might as well grab a normal taxi and negotiate the fare .

Edited October 1, 2014 by balo

[SurfRider]

.
"There are some rough edges in the system...I would like them to add the ability to just drop a pin at ANY location on the map for the pickup and drop off, and I think the driver should be advised exactly where the passenger's pickup point is"

Good suggestions, but all you'll get here is comments from Forum members. You should contact GrabTaxi directly and report your experience and suggestions. They've asked for feedback from customers.

Here's their eMail address.

support.bkk(at)grabtaxi.com
,

[KittenKong]

The app showed the estimated fare as "THB112-168 (8KM)." When we arrived at my condo, the actual meter showed THB 44, and he added on THB40 and THB100 (my speculation about the application of that in my previous post above may well have been wrong) for a total of THB184. I gave him THB200 and let him keep the THB16.

You are very generous. I would have only been happy paying exactly the 44B it said on the meter, but of course I would never take a taxi in the first place.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

Used this yesterday, very impressed. Taxi from Soi Nernplubwan to Soi Lengkee was 146 Baht. I had to pay a booking fee of 100 Baht because it was over 6km, so the actual fare on the meter was 46 baht.

Very good driver and service, picked me up at home 15 mins after booking.

Good report, Elfpattaya. $5 to go in air con comfort (I live on Nern Plub Wan too) in miserable Pattaya traffic with its constant blockages and delays to a busy street, and not have to negotiate with 3, 4 or 5 drivers to find a taxi. What's not to like?

On a Bangkok-focused FB page, there are nothing but compliments and strong recommendations for Grabtaxi service.

If this service develops into a dependable and affordable one for Pattaya, I might start leaving the motorcycle home more often.

Edited October 2, 2014 by Kaoboi Bebobp

[SurfRider]

"The location not found issue...needs sorting out before the app can be deemed fully useful"

You should report this issue to GrabTaxi - They are soliciting comments like yours. It might must make a difference and they might already have a fix for this. For example, you could get the GPS coordinates of the restaurant from Google Maps and give that information to them when you make the booking. The location should appear on the driver's map on his phone.

GrabTaxi Contacts:

eMail: support.bkk(at)grabtaxi.com

Phone: 02-021-2500 or 02-784-5559

[SurfRider]

.
"When you say give them the GPS co-ordinates when I make the booking, do you mean add it to the comments field?"

Yes, you can get the GPS coordinates from a Google Map by right-clicking any point on the map and selecting the "What's Here?" option. The coordinates will appear in a box on the upper-left of your screen. Copy and past them to the comments field.
.

[wpcoe]

Hmmm. I just realized another "rough edge" of the system that I should report: an inaccurate fare estimate.

If the standard service charge is B40 and I was subject to the B100 surcharge since the trip was over 6km, how could the "ESTIMATED THB112-168 (8KM)" possibly be vaild? That would assume a maximum meter fare of B28 ... for an 8km journey?

IIRC, the meter showed B30 at flag drop, so minimum fare should have been at least B170.

Imagine if the ultimate fantasy came true and Pattaya's metered taxis truly operated as metered taxis without using GrabTaxi. Only B44 for an air conditioned ride from the Pattaya Nua bus station to the heart of Jomtien!

[balo]

I wonder if all the taxi drivers that engage in this service , really use a gps in the cab? It must be connected somehow or maybe just somenne working for Grab just call them and tell them where to go .

[Subpar]

I tried the service last night for the first time, from Jomtien to a bar in Central Pattaya then back home later. Much later

Getting from Jomtien to my destination was fantastic, no problems at all and everything the App promises worked perfectly. The meter fare was about 72 Baht + the 40 Baht booking fee + I tipped the driver 40 Baht for a job well done which he truly appreciated . Rating: 10/10.

Getting home, the taxi didn't even have a meter and he wanted 250 Baht. I showed him the quote of something like 85 to 142 Baht the App quoted, and begrudgingly he said the fare was 142 Baht. Being well pissed at this time and in no mood to argue with thieving pricks, I paid him exactly 142 Baht. Rating: 0/10.

I don't use taxis much, have my own car(s), and my girl normally drives me anywhere if I'm going to get on the sauce. But I wanted to see if the service worked so my girl need not worry about staying up late waiting for a text to come and get me when drinking nights turn out to be later than expected. I think I'll trash the idea of using them again for a month before seeing if they can weed out the drivers that don't care about how things are suppose to work. If they can get them off the radar and have a large pool of honest drivers available, the service will do very well. If they can't get rid of them, it'll tank in no time.

[lemel]

I tried the service last night for the first time, from Jomtien to a bar in Central Pattaya then back home later. Much later

Getting from Jomtien to my destination was fantastic, no problems at all and everything the App promises worked perfectly. The meter fare was about 72 Baht + the 40 Baht booking fee + I tipped the driver 40 Baht for a job well done which he truly appreciated . Rating: 10/10.

Getting home, the taxi didn't even have a meter and he wanted 250 Baht. I showed him the quote of something like 85 to 142 Baht the App quoted, and begrudgingly he said the fare was 142 Baht. Being well pissed at this time and in no mood to argue with thieving pricks, I paid him exactly 142 Baht. Rating: 0/10.

I don't use taxis much, have my own car(s), and my girl normally drives me anywhere if I'm going to get on the sauce. But I wanted to see if the service worked so my girl need not worry about staying up late waiting for a text to come and get me when drinking nights turn out to be later than expected. I think I'll trash the idea of using them again for a month before seeing if they can weed out the drivers that don't care about how things are suppose to work. If they can get them off the radar and have a large pool of honest drivers available, the service will do very well. If they can't get rid of them, it'll tank in no time.

I would have paid him the money exactley as well, did you report him subpar? it seems strange that he got a job with grabtaxi without a meter, maybe its a scam going on and they need to know about it to stop it happening again!

[khunjamesjohnson]

I tried the service last night for the first time, from Jomtien to a bar in Central Pattaya then back home later. Much later

Getting from Jomtien to my destination was fantastic, no problems at all and everything the App promises worked perfectly. The meter fare was about 72 Baht + the 40 Baht booking fee + I tipped the driver 40 Baht for a job well done which he truly appreciated . Rating: 10/10.

Getting home, the taxi didn't even have a meter and he wanted 250 Baht. I showed him the quote of something like 85 to 142 Baht the App quoted, and begrudgingly he said the fare was 142 Baht. Being well pissed at this time and in no mood to argue with thieving pricks, I paid him exactly 142 Baht. Rating: 0/10.

I don't use taxis much, have my own car(s), and my girl normally drives me anywhere if I'm going to get on the sauce. But I wanted to see if the service worked so my girl need not worry about staying up late waiting for a text to come and get me when drinking nights turn out to be later than expected. I think I'll trash the idea of using them again for a month before seeing if they can weed out the drivers that don't care about how things are suppose to work. If they can get them off the radar and have a large pool of honest drivers available, the service will do very well. If they can't get rid of them, it'll tank in no time.

I would have paid him the money exactley as well, did you report him subpar? it seems strange that he got a job with grabtaxi without a meter, maybe its a scam going on and they need to know about it to stop it happening again!

He must have been Burmese.

[balo]

I tried the service last night for the first time, from Jomtien to a bar in Central Pattaya then back home later. Much later

Getting from Jomtien to my destination was fantastic, no problems at all and everything the App promises worked perfectly. The meter fare was about 72 Baht + the 40 Baht booking fee + I tipped the driver 40 Baht for a job well done which he truly appreciated . Rating: 10/10.

Getting home, the taxi didn't even have a meter and he wanted 250 Baht. I showed him the quote of something like 85 to 142 Baht the App quoted, and begrudgingly he said the fare was 142 Baht. Being well pissed at this time and in no mood to argue with thieving pricks, I paid him exactly 142 Baht. Rating: 0/10.

I don't use taxis much, have my own car(s), and my girl normally drives me anywhere if I'm going to get on the sauce. But I wanted to see if the service worked so my girl need not worry about staying up late waiting for a text to come and get me when drinking nights turn out to be later than expected. I think I'll trash the idea of using them again for a month before seeing if they can weed out the drivers that don't care about how things are suppose to work. If they can get them off the radar and have a large pool of honest drivers available, the service will do very well. If they can't get rid of them, it'll tank in no time.

I would have paid him the money exactley as well, did you report him subpar? it seems strange that he got a job with grabtaxi without a meter, maybe its a scam going on and they need to know about it to stop it happening again!

Please report the taxi driver to the head office. If they are not following the meter and ask for a higher price than what was promised they should be removed from this service. Especially at night I imagine a lot of the drivers will charge more for farang, even if both locals and tourists use the same service.

[Subpar]

I wouldn't even know what his number was to report him. And anyway we're in Thailand, reporting him would have zero consequence.

Having a clear head now and thinking back on the ill-fated return trip, here's what I think went wrong: The booking part of it was all fine, and withing perhaps 30 seconds of the job going out the message came back that "we've found you a driver" (same as it did for the outbound journey). But with the outbound trip, I could see the taxi coming towards me on the App GPS where-as for the return leg, the taxi didn't move from where he was (close to Central Festival) on my GPS which I thought was odd. The taxi called my phone when he arrived to say he was outside and as best as I can remember, he didn't have a Grabtaxi sticker across the top of his windscreen like the outbound car did. So what *may* have happened is a driver in the Grabtaxi program might have accepted the job, then fobbed it off to one of his buddies.

What I do know is next time using this service, if the taxi that pulls up doesn't have a meter I won't get in it.