Land department to prohibit Uber Taxi service saying it’s unsafe and overcharge customers

[jpinx]

The thing everyone is missing is the fact that Uber is well-known to be the most intrusive app yet and reports all your mobile contents back to it's base servers -- even though it never asked your permission for that. There's a certain code in building apps that involves the app telling you what it needs to use and then asking for your confirmation. Uber does not do this. You guys wth that app installed are in for a nasty shock soon,,,,,,,

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/14/11/27/1451203/ubers-android-app-caught-reporting-data-back-without-permission

[djjamie]

what business is it of the government who I decide to ride in a car with?

Seriously f'd up taxi service is the reason Uber exists. Even some parts of the city no taxi will use a meter. Then when you try to get his taxi ID to make a complaint the driver will threaten you with violence.

The Land dept obviously are part of the taxi mafia monopoly scam.

It is amazing that some think that things that happen in other parts of the world are normal, but magically turn into conspiracies when in Thailand.

In most countries I know of if you do not have a taxi license you cannot drive a taxi. Simple. In Australia this is the case and there is no grand conspiracy between government agencies and the taxi mafia.

It aint hard to get your head around. If it is against the law then it is naughty. That means you should not be doing it.

With that said I think it is a wonderful idea and having seemingly travelled faster in the taxi than the plane after leaving the airport in Bangkok I would welcome this business initiative with welcome arms.

In fact Uber have announced they will comply with the law and hopefully we will see a continuation of there service.

But remember kiddies, if something is against the law it is bad. That means do not do it.

[impulse]

what business is it of the government who I decide to ride in a car with?

You can get into a car with whoever you want to.

But even in your own country, you can't legally take people's money for driving them around if you're not properly licensed, insured and registered to do so.

Neither can private drivers here.

[kaobang]

Taxi union and mafia prevail.

lol Bangkok taxi fares are between the cheapest in the world and most of the drivers are nice

if the driver refuses to use the meter, just stop an other taxi

Uber should understand the situation and limit the presence in expensive places

2 or 2.5 us dollars from Pra Ram 9 to RCA come on

Far from the cheapest, but I wouldn't do it for double the fares.

I presume if a Uber taxi accepts a customer ( because he is nearby ), I assume he cannot refuse to take them, otherwise the driver is struck off Uber.

I find drivers refusing to take me the biggest problem in Bangkok, and one I haven't experienced much in other cities

All prices converted into US dollars on April 16, 2011

The left price reflects little to no waiting in traffic, the right price reflects high-traffic situations plus night or weekend surcharges.

$0.90 – $1.58 Delhi, India

$0.97 – $1.29 Mumbai, India

$1.01 – $1.68 Cairo, Egypt

$1.15 – $1.73 La Paz, Bolivia

$1.16 – $1.85 Manila, Philippines

$1.25 – $3.00 Panama City, Panama

$1.27 – $1.73 Kuta, Bali, Indonesia

$1.28 – $1.91 Fez, Morocco

$1.29 – $2.14 Mexico City, Mexico

$1.32 – $1.98 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

$1.43 – $1.91 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

$1.53 – $3.06 Beijing, China

$1.53 – $1.91 Hanoi, Vietnam

$1.66 – $2.32 Bangkok, Thailand

$1.69 – $3.38 Kathmandu, Nepal

$1.84 – $2.76 Shanghai, China

$1.91 – $3.19 Marrakech, Morocco

$2.00 – $4.00 Quito, Ecuador

$2.06 – $2.94 Sofia, Bulgaria

$2.11 – $3.69 Montevideo, Uruguay

$2.13 – $3.19 Lima, Peru

i have been in 2 or 3 of the places on the list,but there is always WAITING in traffic in Bali and Vietnam.not to mention Jakarta where it takes 3 hours from one side to another.so the fares are more expensive

[ikke]

If it is popular with the end user then the most popular PM in the last decade should look at integrating it into society by allowing them to conform to the law.

I think it is a great idea.

With that said though it is refreshing to see the law actually being applied now and not ignored.

"the most popular PM" ????

[SoiBiker]

The thing everyone is missing is the fact that Uber is well-known to be the most intrusive app yet and reports all your mobile contents back to it's base servers -- even though it never asked your permission for that. There's a certain code in building apps that involves the app telling you what it needs to use and then asking for your confirmation. Uber does not do this. You guys wth that app installed are in for a nasty shock soon,,,,,,,

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/14/11/27/1451203/ubers-android-app-caught-reporting-data-back-without-permission

Yeah. Or maybe we aren't.

http://thenextweb.com/apps/2014/11/27/ubers-app-malware-despite-may-read/

[iReason]

Taxi union and mafia prevail.

lol Bangkok taxi fares are between the cheapest in the world and most of the drivers are nice

if the driver refuses to use the meter, just stop an other taxi

Uber should understand the situation and limit the presence in expensive places

2 or 2.5 us dollars from Pra Ram 9 to RCA come on

Unless it's a holiday of sorts and they try to charge you 5 times as much while covering their I.D. plates with cardboard.

And then, be prepared to encounter 7 or 8 more "Taxis" doing the same thing until you get fed up and start walking.

[Yme]

There's always GrabTaxi or Grab Car - both of which operate legally in Thailand and haven't as yet attempted to bully journalists or unlawfully track passengers trips

[surangw]

nothing to do with competition with the connected taxi mafia, right ?

[TacoHell]

good thing is is Uber is valued at $40B USD and is known to "lobby" governments into submission.

[wooloomooloo]

Illegal for whom? The host or the guest?

[djjamie]

If it is popular with the end user then the most popular PM in the last decade should look at integrating it into society by allowing them to conform to the law.

I think it is a great idea.

With that said though it is refreshing to see the law actually being applied now and not ignored.

"the most popular PM" ????

????

[RichardThailand]

good thing is is Uber is valued at $40B USD and is known to "lobby" governments into submission.

Taxi union and mafia prevail.

lol Bangkok taxi fares are between the cheapest in the world and most of the drivers are nice

if the driver refuses to use the meter, just stop an other taxi

Uber should understand the situation and limit the presence in expensive places

2 or 2.5 us dollars from Pra Ram 9 to RCA come on

Maybe you should the service before talking such rubbish. I've taken Uber a couple of times a week for around a year here and in other countries so I think I know what I am talking about. I was shocked to read some of the comments from guys here and mentioned to her "most people are posting to say how bad Uber is".

So here's her reply telling me about the people who replied to this post:

"Those people are cheap, you know that"

Made me laugh ...

Edited November 29, 2014 by RichardThailand

[ricklev]

I use Uber and UberX daily. It's been such a pleasure to avoid the crap shoot of taking a taxi. I'll sure miss it. Grab Taxi started off good, but, unfortunately, too high a percentage of annoying drivers now use it. The odds of having an unpleasant experience with Grab Taxi increased with greater participation and continue to increase.

[wooloomooloo]

Illegal for whom? The host or the guest?

A very pertinent and serious question. Anyone know the answer?

[TacoHell]

There is no UberX in Phuket for now, just Uber Black. If you don't know the difference, Uber Black is a licensed taxi, that has a nicer car, Camry, Fortuner etc. I have used many times, and its actually on par or cheaper. The drivers are polite, provide bottled water for free in all instances. After each ride you can rate your driver, 1 to 5 stars.

You should not forget, that the Thai Drivers involved with Uber, are willing to work harder more times per day to achieve a higher income based on volume.

Uber has standards for its drivers.

[Kf6vci]

"Illegal"?! What about taxi drivers who use someone else's license? Go on and look at the photos and then look at the drivers...

If they were concerned about safety, then they would check who these people are who drive with someone else's permit...

[TacoHell]

Illegal for whom? The host or the guest?

A very pertinent and serious question. Anyone know the answer?

You think the land department can pass laws at a whim? Its another BS story invented.

[SamMunich]

Let's face it, UBER and all those other "share economy" businesses are crap!

They only help their owner(s) to make a big profit by offering service at below cost rates through using people, who think they can make some money by the side. Too bad, this doesn't work out for anybody except the owners of Uber et al. Why is everybody so upbeat about this hustle kind of business?

As a matter of fact it kills of lots of jobs of decent working people, be they taxi drivers or others, and not only in Thailand, but all over the world. What is left are underpaid people, who struggle to make ends meet. Remember the old mom-and-pop-shops? Gone with 7/11. Remember the book shops, where you could peruse books at leisure? Gone with Amazon. The fashion boutiques, where the real trendy stuff would be? Gone with H&M and again Amazon et al. In the end, you can't even touch and feel what you buy, nor can you check or ask about the goods. Buy it from what you get to know online and be damned. And lots of people are out of work, for the riches of a few people, that are a pain in the lower back.

Edited November 29, 2014 by SamMunich

[4jasmin]

while reading all your comments here, a google advertisement appeared

http://www.mydriver.com/

you can not stop people having great ideas, which are accepted well by the people

just take this great idea with taxis in bangkok

http://grabtaxi.com/bangkok-thailand/

its just a little "smell", of what is comming

a new idea "grabs" its customers by itself

Edited November 29, 2014 by 4jasmin

[Thai at Heart]

what business is it of the government who I decide to ride in a car with?

Seriously f'd up taxi service is the reason Uber exists. Even some parts of the city no taxi will use a meter. Then when you try to get his taxi ID to make a complaint the driver will threaten you with violence.

The Land dept obviously are part of the taxi mafia monopoly scam.

As in most countries, the law says that to be a taxi you have to be registered as a taxi.

This model will go boom the first time someone has an accident and it turns out that the passenger isn't covered because the car is acting as a business vehicle.

[TacoHell]

what business is it of the government who I decide to ride in a car with?

Seriously f'd up taxi service is the reason Uber exists. Even some parts of the city no taxi will use a meter. Then when you try to get his taxi ID to make a complaint the driver will threaten you with violence.

The Land dept obviously are part of the taxi mafia monopoly scam.

As in most countries, the law says that to be a taxi you have to be registered as a taxi.

This model will go boom the first time someone has an accident and it turns out that the passenger isn't covered because the car is acting as a business vehicle.

You fail at every level, Uber insures its drivers. Think before you open your pie hole

[djjamie]

while reading all your comments here, a google advertisement appeared

http://www.mydriver.com/

you can not stop people having great ideas, which are accepted well by the people

just take this great idea with taxis in bangkok

http://grabtaxi.com/bangkok-thailand/

its just a little "smell", of what is comming

a new idea "grabs" its customers by itself

"a new idea "grabs" its customers by itself"

​With that mentality cocaine would be a wonderful business opportunity for Thailand…I had a friend that had a great idea to import coke to Thailand, unfortunately being illegal he spent time in jail. Rightly so. If it is illegal then suffer the consequences. Until coke is legal it is not allowed. It is against the law.

Kinda like the great taxi idea in Bangkok.

If I smell illegal activity that people defend then reform is not working, but luckily the Junta are on top of this, Ubar are changing their behavior so as to be come legal and all is good.

​Thats is called a process towards reform and is a classic example of a rod to recovery.

[whybother]

Illegal for whom? The host or the guest?

A very pertinent and serious question. Anyone know the answer?

You think the land department can pass laws at a whim? Its another BS story invented.

They already have laws that say a taxi has to be registered.

[TacoHell]

Illegal for whom? The host or the guest?

A very pertinent and serious question. Anyone know the answer?

You think the land department can pass laws at a whim? Its another BS story invented.

They already have laws that say a taxi has to be registered.

They are registered you dolt.

[whybother]

Illegal for whom? The host or the guest?

A very pertinent and serious question. Anyone know the answer?

You think the land department can pass laws at a whim? Its another BS story invented.

They already have laws that say a taxi has to be registered.

They are registered you dolt.

Not all Uber "taxis" are registered taxis.

Did you actually read the OP?

Edited November 29, 2014 by whybother

[TacoHell]

Illegal for whom? The host or the guest?

A very pertinent and serious question. Anyone know the answer?

You think the land department can pass laws at a whim? Its another BS story invented.

They already have laws that say a taxi has to be registered.

They are registered you dolt.

Not all Uber "taxis" are registered taxis.

Did you actually read the OP?

1. please quote properly before you reply.

2. Its a bullshit story from somchai foot in mouth. Thai visa loves to stir the shit

.

3. Uber is still alive and well

[MJP]

What's 'Uber'?

[whybother]

1. please quote properly before you reply.

2. Its a bullshit story from somchai foot in mouth. Thai visa loves to stir the shit

.

3. Uber is still alive and well

1. What was wrong with the quote? If it wasn't displaying properly, blame the Thai visa app.

2. Why is it a bs story? Uber has been banned in a lot of countries for the same reasons.

3. Just because the app is still working doesn't mean that it is legal for an unregistered taxi driver to charge people for driving them somewhere.

Maybe you should read the OP before you start calling people names. It makes you look like an idiot.

Edited November 29, 2014 by whybother

[DaffyDuck]

The same thing happened to über in Germany, other European cities, as well as in New York City. This is nothing special, or Typical Thailand.