Bangkok taxi drivers threaten to stop using meters without fare hike

[webfact]

Taxi drivers threaten to stop using meters without fare hike
By Coconuts Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Taxi Cooperatives Network has requested a 10-percent fare hike due to increased energy prices and costs of living.

In a letter submitted to Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Monday, the group made three requests including a fare increase based on travel distance, extending the mandatory retirement age for taxi vehicles from nine to 12 years, and tax exemptions for their vehicles.

Network President Withoon Naewpanich said his group would wait some time for the government to consider the issues. If their requests are ignored, taxi drivers in the capital will completely stop using their meters and negotiate the fares with customers themselves.

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co//2014/09/24/taxi-drivers-threaten-stop-using-meters-without-fare-hike


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2014-09-24

[Stradavarius37]

1) Absolutely the fares should be raised - they are ridiculously low and have been for some time - Flag fall should be 50 baht.

2) Not in favor of extending the age limit of vehicles - safety issue. And they should be REQUIRED to have their damn seat belts functional and used.

3) Should have Glass partitions between driver and passenger - for both's safety.
4) Should have a credit card machine to process fares - this is 2014, not 1984.

5) All taxis should have GPS, and should have a service where you can order with est. arrival time - vehicle plate number, etc.

6) tax exemptions - seems reasonable for public transportation to have some tax relief.

[Fiddlesticks]

I would not be opposed to a 10% fare hike IF the taxi drivers would also agree that any metered taxi reported to not be using their meter would be liable for very stringent fines and/or suspension of their taxi license. I have found that BKK taxis still try to get foreigners to accept flat-rate fares to various destinations where the fares are well in excess of what the meter rate would have been.

It would be interesting to see just how excited the drivers would be to accepting a rate increase under this stipulation.

[Zonka]

They will get their 10% hike and then just continue to refuse to put the meter on.

[eeworldwide]

hold on a sec - most taxi drivers don't use the meters anyway!!!

[Phra Ek]

Price increase seems reasonable - but 12 years is a long time for a taxi on Thai roads!

I thought the grinding wheel bearing noise and juddering transmission was standard on the Altis until I rented a new one.

[SPB65]

hold on a sec - most taxi drivers don't use the meters anyway!!!

Pretty unfair comments IMHO with regard to most decent meter using taxi drivers. Even with an overdue reasonable fare rise Bangkok is still the best city I know for grabbing a taxi in terms of availability and price. Still prefer the Merc taxis in German cities though.

[kingalfred]

Great. Stop using meters and then tell us a price and then we pay what we deem fair at destination. bet the bkk taxi scum wont like that. And to all the farang on here saying " a fare hike is fair". it's the Bangkok and Thai people who will decide that and with their income static and cost of living going up I know what their view is.

[eeworldwide]

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hold on a sec - most taxi drivers don't use the meters anyway!!!

Pretty unfair comments IMHO with regard to most decent meter using taxi drivers. Even with an overdue reasonable fare rise Bangkok is still the best city I know for grabbing a taxi in terms of availability and price. Still prefer the Merc taxis in German cities though.

Yeah - I was being somewhat generic and facetious.

[SPB65]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

hold on a sec - most taxi drivers don't use the meters anyway!!!

Pretty unfair comments IMHO with regard to most decent meter using taxi drivers. Even with an overdue reasonable fare rise Bangkok is still the best city I know for grabbing a taxi in terms of availability and price. Still prefer the Merc taxis in German cities though.

Yeah - I was being somewhat generic and facetious.

Gotcha. I missed the cheeky twinkle in your eye as you typed it.

[terryp]

very easy ..start revoking licences for both taxi AND driver , as they are not adhering to the terms of the public transport taxi licence, I for one am sick of being refused taxi service in Bangkok

I find it quite irritating how falang know it alls say Increase the fares ..DONKEYS you are a small minority of the daily taxi fares made by THAIS on THAI salary's and with THAI living allowances ...just like me saying yes no problem triple all the airfares to Europe as they are below the real inflation costs

[chaiyapoon]

If they stopped the taxi mafia collecting their daily fees there would not be a need for an increase in fares.

[JohnThailandJohn]

1) Absolutely the fares should be raised - they are ridiculously low and have been for some time - Flag fall should be 50 baht.

2) Not in favor of extending the age limit of vehicles - safety issue. And they should be REQUIRED to have their damn seat belts functional and used.

3) Should have Glass partitions between driver and passenger - for both's safety.

4) Should have a credit card machine to process fares - this is 2014, not 1984.

5) All taxis should have GPS, and should have a service where you can order with est. arrival time - vehicle plate number, etc.

6) tax exemptions - seems reasonable for public transportation to have some tax relief.

Agree with all except the credit card. Until prices go up significantly, just no need to increase their costs by adding this service. Not only do the machines cost money and need to be connected via a wireless connection but they would lose around 3% (probably more based on the low sale price) of the fare to to the card company for each transaction.

I would also add one other thing if they put in partitions and that would be to allow the back windows to be tinted.

PS. You can call and book a taxi.

[edwardandtubs]

Great. Stop using meters and then tell us a price and then we pay what we deem fair at destination. bet the bkk taxi scum wont like that. And to all the farang on here saying " a fare hike is fair". it's the Bangkok and Thai people who will decide that and with their income static and cost of living going up I know what their view is.

Their income is static because there's no culture of annual wage increases. And your solution? To deny the taxi drivers a wage increase.

The 'trickle down effect' hasn't come to ordinary Thai people yet but needs to start somewhere. Why not get the ball rolling by allowing taxi drivers to earn a living wage?

[Basil B]

Must have heard their colleagues in Pattaya do not use their meters...

[edwardandtubs]

[airconsult]

Are we back to having to call the ridiculous complaint line if they refuse to use meter?

There was a period were you could report to any police.

[WhizBang]

1) Absolutely the fares should be raised - they are ridiculously low and have been for some time - Flag fall should be 50 baht.

2) Not in favor of extending the age limit of vehicles - safety issue. And they should be REQUIRED to have their damn seat belts functional and used.

3) Should have Glass partitions between driver and passenger - for both's safety.

4) Should have a credit card machine to process fares - this is 2014, not 1984.

5) All taxis should have GPS, and should have a service where you can order with est. arrival time - vehicle plate number, etc.

6) tax exemptions - seems reasonable for public transportation to have some tax relief.

Point 1: Agreed, but also should have a hefty fine (10,000 baht) for FAILING to use meter.

Point 2: Agree on both points.

Point 3: Yes, sort of agree, but.... TiT

Point 4: No. Not at these prices. If you cannot afford to pay cash, take a bus. Also far to convenient a way for crooked taxi drivers to skim your credit card.

Point 5: Basically agree with GPS, but... TiT. As for part 2, no this is not Singapore, just won't work.

Point 6: Agree.

[WhizBang]

hold on a sec - most taxi drivers don't use the meters anyway!!!

Not true.

[uptheos]

1) Absolutely the fares should be raised - they are ridiculously low and have been for some time - Flag fall should be 50 baht.

2) Not in favor of extending the age limit of vehicles - safety issue. And they should be REQUIRED to have their damn seat belts functional and used.

3) Should have Glass partitions between driver and passenger - for both's safety.

4) Should have a credit card machine to process fares - this is 2014, not 1984.

5) All taxis should have GPS, and should have a service where you can order with est. arrival time - vehicle plate number, etc.

6) tax exemptions - seems reasonable for public transportation to have some tax relief.

Agree with all except the credit card. Until prices go up significantly, just no need to increase their costs by adding this service. Not only do the machines cost money and need to be connected via a wireless connection but they would lose around 3% (probably more based on the low sale price) of the fare to to the card company for each transaction.

I would also add one other thing if they put in partitions and that would be to allow the back windows to be tinted.

PS. You can call and book a taxi.

No. they'd simply charge you an extra 3-5% like lots of other places.

[kingalfred]

Great. Stop using meters and then tell us a price and then we pay what we deem fair at destination. bet the bkk taxi scum wont like that. And to all the farang on here saying " a fare hike is fair". it's the Bangkok and Thai people who will decide that and with their income static and cost of living going up I know what their view is.

Their income is static because there's no culture of annual wage increases. And your solution? To deny the taxi drivers a wage increase.

The 'trickle down effect' hasn't come to ordinary Thai people yet but needs to start somewhere. Why not get the ball rolling by allowing taxi drivers to earn a living wage?

ahh so taxi drivers "living wage" will " trickle down" to all thais! Haha .

[Fred Flinstone]

Bon appetite to those lucky drivers who i leave a bottle of red bull behind in the back seat-

You deserve every drop

[GarryP]

hold on a sec - most taxi drivers don't use the meters anyway!!!

Not true.

Agreed. For many years now I have not had any taxi refuse to use a meter. Nor have I needed to argue that they use the meter. It has always been taken as granted that they will, and they have. But then I have not been taking taxis from upper Sukhumvit or upper Silom . The worst I have encountered is taxis refusing my custom, but that was based on destination (three cabs in a row is my record).

Also, what is all this taxi mafia business in Bangkok? Some people don't know what they are talking about. Yes, some taxi rental companies charge quite a bit for 12 hours, but that does not stop the prospective drivers seeking more affordable rental companies.

[xminator]

Maybe PM Prayuth should treathen to be the first country to ditch Taxis for Uber...

[EdWilliams]

Agree with an increase, and also with the seatbelt rule. It would be so amazingly simple to rule that there needs to be a working seatbelt for every passenger, especially as there is often a belt but with the connector hidden below the seat. Free and instant improvement on road safety (especially given the condition of both some of the cars and the drivers). The police would love the increased bribe potential too, bless them.

[RtotheC]

The only honest ones are the ones that use the meters. I say give them a raise, the dishonestones won't really be effected.

[Card]

I won't get a taxi without a meter. So if I refuse and tell him 'meter', do you really think the driver will pull away? They need the money and usually I can do without a taxi. Eventually one of them will give in. I certainly won't.

[belg]

wow, i wish i could start a business and have tax exemptions on all my sales

[lvr181]

I have had drivers refuse to use a meter (I let them go) but generally speaking, those I have used, will use a meter. And I am happy to tip them for good service.

But, I think that as costs rise the drivers should be given a commensurate % increase to compensate then for those rising costs. Farangs would expect that it their own countries.

[impulse]

1) Absolutely the fares should be raised - they are ridiculously low and have been for some time - Flag fall should be 50 baht.

2) Not in favor of extending the age limit of vehicles - safety issue. And they should be REQUIRED to have their damn seat belts functional and used.

3) Should have Glass partitions between driver and passenger - for both's safety.

4) Should have a credit card machine to process fares - this is 2014, not 1984.

5) All taxis should have GPS, and should have a service where you can order with est. arrival time - vehicle plate number, etc.

6) tax exemptions - seems reasonable for public transportation to have some tax relief.

Agree with all except the credit card. Until prices go up significantly, just no need to increase their costs by adding this service. Not only do the machines cost money and need to be connected via a wireless connection but they would lose around 3% (probably more based on the low sale price) of the fare to to the card company for each transaction.

I would also add one other thing if they put in partitions and that would be to allow the back windows to be tinted.

PS. You can call and book a taxi.

No. they'd simply charge you an extra 3-5% like lots of other places.

I understand there are some Russian card processors willing to do the processing for free. Well, almost free...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762731-russian-card-skimmer-arrested-at-hua-mark-bangkok/

Seriously, I'm not handing my card over to anyone in Thailand that I can't find if things go bad...