webfact Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 DLT to raise Taxi fares in December; wants service improvementsBANGKOK, 28 October 2014 (NNT) — The Department of Land Transport is preparing to raise the fare rate for taxis this December, calling on business owners and taxi drivers to talk about the new regulations.The DLT Director General Teerapong Rodprasert said that the department today invited business owners and taxi drivers to inform them about government guidelines for taxi vehicles and service improvements before adjusting to the new fare.The DLT will increase the fare in two phases. First, the fare rate will be raised by 13 percent this December. The new rate will increase the fare by 7-8 percent when the taxi is moving, and raise the fare for stationary vehicles (parked or in a traffic jam) from 1.50 baht to 2 baht. The starting fare will remain the same at 35 baht.Meantime, every taxi vehicle must pass an inspection by the the DLT. The Department will then issue a certificate of vehicle condition to be used when bringing the car for an adjustment of the pricing meter. Taxi with an adjusted meter will display an advisory sticker from the DLT.For the second phase, the DLT will evaluate the service of Taxis. Drivers are required to have a Taxi driving license, be dressed properly, never refuse to accept any passenger, and always use the meter.The DLT Director General said that the adjustments are due to the higher cost of operation that is acceptable for the passengers, Taxi business owners, and private Taxi drivers.The new price has taken into consideration many factors such as the driver's wage, the cost or rent of the vehicle, fuel price, maintenance price, and other related costs. The new price will drive the market mechanism and improve the service. There are currently about 100,000 taxis registered with the DLT, said the Director General.-- NNT 2014-10-28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post bob4you Posted October 27, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted October 27, 2014 never refuse to accept any passenger, and always use the meter. Hahahaha never will happen, need a number to immediately report violations and have license of driver revoked, that will work. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StefanBBK Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 And drive sensibly.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted October 27, 2014 Author Share Posted October 27, 2014 New taxi fares to be enforced on December 1BANGKOK: -- New taxi fares in Bangkok will come into force on December 1 but the increase will be divided into two phases with the first phase lasting about six months during which the Land Transport Department will make an evaluation of the services. The starting fare remains unchanged at 35 baht and the rates are as follows 5.50 baht/km for the first 1-10 kilometres; 6 baht/km for the next 11-20 kilometres; 6.50 baht/km for the next 21-40 kilometres; seven baht/km for the next 41-60 kilometres and eight baht/km for the next 61-80 kilometres. The fare for a stationary taxi caught in the traffic is increased from 1.50 baht to two baht per minute.The new rate constitutes an increase of 13 percent but during the first six-month trial period the increase will be 7-8 percent, said Mr Thirapong Rodprasert, the director-general of Land Transport Department.After the announcement of the new taxi fare in the Royal Gazette, taxi drivers can bring their vehicles to the department or its branch offices to have their meters adjusted.Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/new-taxi-fares-enforced-december-1/ -- Thai PBS 2014-10-28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustBucket Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 DLT to raise Taxi fares in December; wants service improvements Dave Lee Travis drives a taxi now? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryp Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 7% is reasonable ..I will compensate by reducing my usual tip by 20%...that is until taxi service is professional clean and in safe cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NongKhaiKid Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 The DLT should stop calling on the taxi business to play by the rules and start enforcing them. If owners and drivers don't get the message it should be hammered home in no uncertain manner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustBucket Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 (edited) never refuse to accept any passenger, and always use the meter. Hahahaha never will happen, need a number to immediately report violations and have license of driver revoked, that will work. That won't deter anyone, the taxi driver will find a way to get hold of another in someone else's name somehow. What would work though is a 'three strikes and you're out' rule on a three tier basis. and I am not talking about the driver, I am talking about the car. Irrespective of who owns the car or who is driving it at the time. Tier 1 Each infringement goes against the car number in the database. As soon as it receives three strikes, the car is seized without argument and impounded. The registered owner must pay 10% of the value of the car for its return. The car then becomes a tier two. Tier 2 Same as above, it gets allowed three strikes in tier two and after the third strike the car is impounded again and the owner is hit for 30% the value of the car to get it back. Tier 3 As above but the car is crushed without argument. You have a dedicated team of say 15 officers in plain clothes with hidden recording equipment who just go around hailing taxis and reporting all those who break the rules. The fines cover those costs with plenty to spare I would say. Pretty vicious system, but they will fall into line, because we all know the taxi drivers don't give a damn about the police, but the owner of the car?.... I guarantee they will be very afraid of the geezers who own the taxis. Job sorted. Edited October 28, 2014 by RustBucket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thormaturge Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 In the decade since fares were last increased inflation has increased prices by 50%. That is the root cause of the poor service some drivers provide. This half-measure is pitifully inadequate and will ensure truly capable people find a better job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkinbkk Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Another feeble attempt just in time for the High Saeson. When will they understand you can't polish a turd! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wirat69 Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 In the decade since fares were last increased inflation has increased prices by 50%. That is the root cause of the poor service some drivers provide. This half-measure is pitifully inadequate and will ensure truly capable people find a better job. You can not apply a broad based statistic e.g. "inflation" to a specific sector of the market. Taxi Drivers have subsidies on locally produced fuel etc and locally made (vs previously imported) vehicles resulting in substantially lesser cost increases than those subjected to vagaries of exchange, seasons etc etc In more than 30 years in the Kingdom, I can recall only one bum taxi ride where he wanted a fixed fare from Morchit 1 to Morchit 2... and after the traffic jam cleared I am not so sure he got the bargain he thought he was going to get! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
54321 Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Tried to take a care taxi yesterday, a quick 60 bah journey. 1st taxi was an outright no, 2nd wanted 200 baht, third wanted 200baht. Walked a while and found a decent driver, gave him _a 20 baht tip. Stop subsidising their fuel, the city needs less, not more taxi drivers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren84310 Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 What are the odds that some taxis will adjust their own meters and it will be by more than 13% as most of their customers won't be able to work out the increase to their daily journey and just pay it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asdecas Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Tried to take a care taxi yesterday, a quick 60 bah journey. 1st taxi was an outright no, 2nd wanted 200 baht, third wanted 200baht. Walked a while and found a decent driver, gave him _a 20 baht tip. Stop subsidising their fuel, the city needs less, not more taxi drivers What is a 'care taxi'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnglishJohn Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 The new fares will be done ASAP and the rest of it will be disregarded. Money is everything here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxYakov Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Tried to take a care taxi yesterday, a quick 60 bah journey. 1st taxi was an outright no, 2nd wanted 200 baht, third wanted 200baht. Walked a while and found a decent driver, gave him _a 20 baht tip. Stop subsidising their fuel, the city needs less, not more taxi drivers Taxis and MB taxis are the scourge of Bangkok. Rickety, polluting buses are on my hit list also. They should get some decent buses/service and reduce the number of taxis (auto and MB) by 90%. Then what would all the unemployed taxi operators do without unemployment insurance? BTS and MRT are the only saving grace of Bangkok transport. Imagine what Bangkok would be like without them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranky Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 In defense of Thai cabbies - I have lived in Thailand for coming up on 20 years and can count on one hand the bad experiences involving Taxis and Motorcycle taxis. This is including travel to and from the airport on too many occasions to count (from Sukhumvit area to both DM and Swampy). When I arrived, in 1994 the starting rate in a cab was the same 35 Baht - at 25 Baht to the Dollar so the increase to today is negligible, if anything in real terms. Does anyone really begrudge giving a cabbie a tenner for a 30 KM trip ? Try that at Heathrow. Or Tokyo. Good Luck. It wont get you in the cab, let alone out of the airport. One can even get from Pattaya to Bangkok for twenty quid - that's 100 miles in a decent car, whaddyawantferchrissakes ? Would you drive an hour away from home, in the rain, knowing it would now take you two hours to get home at the end of ten hours in Bangkok traffic for 2 quid ? Let them choose, there are enough of them and as previously noted the BTS and underground are excellent. Neither existed when I got here. Increase choice - Introduce decent cars with higher pricing like Jakarta ? Lastly, always give an extra tip if the photo on the permit matches the boat race of the driver. You wont have to do this too often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baerboxer Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 I've had more taxi's refuse journeys since the Junta announced they were clamping down on them than ever before. Stopping that simply will not happen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BudRight Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 RUN THE <deleted> METER!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realenglish1 Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Taxi Driver ---- I promise to pick up ever person that asks Not going to happen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razer Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Anybody ever read The Myth of Sisyphus? That is what it is like to change Thailand for the better and bring it into the 21st Century. First .... they need "The police to get out there and work". Not in newspaper headlines. Start firing police who don't get out and do their job. Follow labour guidelines ... give them written warnings... then send them on their way.. Taxi drivers will start taking police seriously when that happens as will all the others who pull Thailand down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 Taxi drivers told not to refuse passengers before the new fare is appliedBANGKOK, 28 October 2014 (NNT) – The Department of Land Transport (DLT) has told taxi drivers not to refuse passengers in a seminar that focused on improving taxi services before the new fare is applied in December.DLT Director-General Theerapong Rodprasert chaired a seminar where taxi companies and drivers have participated. Among the requirements relayed to them to improve their services include the need to have the vehicles inspected. Safety gears must be also functional and the car must be free from any odors.The temperature inside the vehicle should always remain comfortable and seats are not broken. A driver is required to have a driving license and is forbidden from turning away passengers.For every car that has been approved, a sticker verifying the service will be given and the operator will also be able to increase the fare by as much as 8 percent based on the distance traveled.However, the fare should not go any higher during the first stage of price adjustment. If there is any service improvement reported after 6 months, the drivers will be able to increase the fare again by 13 percent.-- NNT 2014-10-28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnie99 Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Excellent news. Taxi drivers told not to refuse fares. That'll fix it, then. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickirs Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 <script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script> never refuse to accept any passenger, and always use the meter. Hahahaha never will happen, need a number to immediately report violations and have license of driver revoked, that will work. That won't deter anyone, the taxi driver will find a way to get hold of another in someone else's name somehow. What would work though is a 'three strikes and you're out' rule on a three tier basis. and I am not talking about the driver, I am talking about the car. Irrespective of who owns the car or who is driving it at the time. Tier 1 Each infringement goes against the car number in the database. As soon as it receives three strikes, the car is seized without argument and impounded. The registered owner must pay 10% of the value of the car for its return. The car then becomes a tier two. Tier 2 Same as above, it gets allowed three strikes in tier two and after the third strike the car is impounded again and the owner is hit for 30% the value of the car to get it back. Tier 3 As above but the car is crushed without argument. You have a dedicated team of say 15 officers in plain clothes with hidden recording equipment who just go around hailing taxis and reporting all those who break the rules. The fines cover those costs with plenty to spare I would say. Pretty vicious system, but they will fall into line, because we all know the taxi drivers don't give a damn about the police, but the owner of the car?.... I guarantee they will be very afraid of the geezers who own the taxis. Job sorted. A very well thought detailed process. But wouldn't it be simpler in Tier 1 to just cancel the taxi license? Anyone taking a taxi without a license on display inside deserves whatever behavior the driver shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeycountry Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 "Taxi drivers told not to refuse passengers before the new fare is applied" But afterwords everything will be back to normal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangkokGastronaut Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 never refuse to accept any passenger, Four taxis refused to take me to Swampy last night.... this ain't gonna happen. Never in a month of Sundays. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveAustin Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 In defense of Thai cabbies - I have lived in Thailand for coming up on 20 years and can count on one hand the bad experiences involving Taxis and Motorcycle taxis. This is including travel to and from the airport on too many occasions to count (from Sukhumvit area to both DM and Swampy). When I arrived, in 1994 the starting rate in a cab was the same 35 Baht - at 25 Baht to the Dollar so the increase to today is negligible, if anything in real terms. Does anyone really begrudge giving a cabbie a tenner for a 30 KM trip ? Try that at Heathrow. Or Tokyo. Good Luck. It wont get you in the cab, let alone out of the airport. One can even get from Pattaya to Bangkok for twenty quid - that's 100 miles in a decent car, whaddyawantferchrissakes ?You state you've been here 20 years and yet you make a classic newbie mistake by comparing Bangkok with first world capitals where people are earning at least 10x. Do you also reckon police corruption would stop if they were paid properly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thhMan Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 I wonder who will start printing and selling the stickers for the Taxi people.... Wouldnt it be simpler if the police just did their job and took this issue seriously... Leaving it up to the taxi operators to police themselves is just going to go wrong.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennw Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Soi Jai Samarn connects Sukhumvit Soi 4 and 6. It is narrow and one way and clearly marked with no parking signs. Usually there are between 6 to 12 taxis illegally parked there waiting for "day trip tourists" from the adjacent hotels. Tonglors finest pass regularly, but they only clamp private cars, (very few). Dont even bother asking any of these taxis to take you to a local destination, they will only take day trippers for a negotiated amount. Oh! just a warning, be careful if you walk this Soi the remaining road space makes it dangerous especially when the motor bike taxis come the wrong way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeycountry Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 (edited) I wonder who will start printing and selling the stickers for the Taxi people.... Wouldnt it be simpler if the police just did their job and took this issue seriously... Leaving it up to the taxi operators to police themselves is just going to go wrong.... After the last meeting with taxi drivers on Samui, it was agreed that they would start the meter at 50 baht and charge a 50 baht service charge. It is now clearly displayed with stickers on all taxis. however, as everyone expected, not a single taxi has ever installed a meter, and could never dream of doing so, so now the rate is simply whatever fixed rate they charged before ... plus 100 baht http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/751260-day-two-of-taxi-meter-rules-enforcement-but-has-it-made-any-difference-in-koh-samui/ Edited October 28, 2014 by monkeycountry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now