Thai Transport gets tough with 'Uber Taxis'

[ChiangraiTony]

scare of the unknown..

They know well and good what it means to their profits and it scares them. Someone figured out a good business using the technology that exists today. It was clever and some are scared of that. At least that is my take-away after digesting the information.

[samsensam]

LTD rules? crickey see the state of some of the taxis on the roads here, real piles of junk. how can such potentially dangerous vehicles be compliant with LTD rules?!

[Halion]

Yadee Yadee Yada Idiot

[surangw]

Land Transport department = taxi mafia

[casindonet]

scare of the unknown..

scared of competition

[elgordo38]

The Land Transport Dept has presided over a 'regulated' taxi system in which ,inter alia, passengers (Thai and farang alike) have been murdered, raped, bashed, robbed, cheated, denied service....but now wants to close down or regulate any threat to that broken system. Most taxi drivers are ok, some are simply terrific...but many are dreadful.

Forget Uber taxi's here in Chiang Mai get a bus system or a overhead rail system. The roads are jammed most of the time and the taxi's try ripping you off before they realize that you live here full time then their fare comes down to earth. I guess the taxi clik here have to much power with city hall and would never allow a bus service and that is a shame. I am 76 years old and still push bike to most places rather than spend time arguing with taxi drivers.

[Don Aleman]

If Thailand persists the Uber legal team is likely to take them to court and - WIN !

[Tokay]

Crooks hate competition.

[sead]

Well i Signed to UBER in Sweden just to see what its all about. They require a untouched envelope from Criminal records. This is same as they do when applying for guard or kindergarten teacher. They also demand your car to not be older than 8 years. You also have to send in your id card with picture . when your taxi comes you can check if registration plates and if the driver is the same one on the picture inside UBER app. Takes around 1 week untill they check your id and you become eligble. Cant get more safer than this.

[KCM]

Just took an Uber, awesome!

Clean car, a driver who actually would pass a driving test, free water and picked up in a spanking new Camry. Who wants a smelly, no seat belt, no MOT standard taxi when they can take an Uber.

Gee i must be lucky,i have never been in a smelly,no seat belt taxi and never been lost either.Bangkok taxis are the best all round taxi service in the world.What do you blokes want for 100-200 baht.

What I want is the option to be able to pay a higher price for a much better service.

You have been lucky with your experiences with Bangkok taxis.

I've had drivers who get lost, smell bad, drive dangerously, use turbo meters, play terrible music or talk radio loudly then are upset if you ask them to turn it down, take long routes, are obviously high on something, have air conditioners that don't work well and the list goes on. I have also had good taxi drivers, but I don't like the gamble of not knowing what I'm going to get. With Uber I also like the fact that my trip will be billed to my credit card so there is no need to make sure to have small bills for the taxi, since Bangkok taxi drivers often claim not to have change.

Since Uber started in Bangkok, I have had 100% good experiences with them, and I have used them very often. Uber has increased my quality of life in Bangkok. I don't take regular taxis anymore, and I hope I never have to again.

One positive thing that happened after one of my Uber rides; I got an email the day after an Uber trip and was informed that I would be getting a small refund since their auditing found that my driver didn't take the most direct route. I had not requested this, but their system caught it anyway.

[surangw]

If Thailand persists the Uber legal team is likely to take them to court and - WIN !

in a thai court ??

[whybother]

If Thailand persists the Uber legal team is likely to take them to court and - WIN !

If the law says that you have to be licenced to carry passengers, how exactly can Uber win?

[whybother]

scare of the unknown..

scared of competition

People need to realise that this isn't an issue with Uber and competition. There is no problem with licenced taxis using Uber. Grab Taxi hasn't been banned because they only allow licenced taxis.

The problem that most countries that have banned Uber, including Thailand, have, is that private cars are carrying paying passengers. They don't have insurance for that.

Uber says that they insure drivers, but that is only in the US.

[fforest1]

Regular Bangkok taxis are every where.They are dirt cheap..They get the job done.The majority

are very clean..

Reasons for using Uber.None...At least not in Thailand....

[KunMatt]

Regular Bangkok taxis are every where.They are dirt cheap..They get the job done.The majority[/size]

are very clean..[/size]

Reasons for using Uber.None...At least not in Thailand....[/size]

As repeated throughout this thread so far, there are many reasons to use a professional taxi service like Uber or GrabTaxi over the mafia taxis in Bangkok. If people want to pay extra for a new, clean and safe car which will definitely pick them up and take them to where they want to go with good service then what is your issue with that? If you want to try an old stinking taxi with no seatbealts in the back to save 25B then that's totally your choice too.

[easybullet3]

a 2000 baht fine is not really scary enough to discourage unlicensed taxi drivers!

[vijer]

US$40 billion? Seriously...who makes this crap up?

I tried using Grab Taxi....you see them being heavily promoted in Bangkok....tried 4 times to order a cab...never worked and have since deleted the APP.

They probably meant 40 billion Baht, but even that seems excessive.

[vijer]

As a very biased Brisbane taxi driver, may i make a few points which apply in Oz and may well here.

A vehicle registered 'private' and operated to carry paying passengers will invalidate TPPI and Comprehensive insurance policies. Comprehensive for a cab is ~AUD4000/year.

Taxi drivers also carry public liability insurance which covers customers entering or leaving the cab

Taxi drivers are required to have annual health checks as well as criminal and driving history checks.

Detection of ANY level of alcohol or drugs, by police or Transport Enforcement, in my system will cause loss of licence. Good luck in ever getting it back.

Do you think any of that applies to Thai taxis? I rather doubt any of it applies.

[vijer]

Who in their right mind needs this service in Thailand where there are an excess of taxis (unless it is raining) and the cost of taxi service is cheap?

[vijer]

Regular Bangkok taxis are every where.They are dirt cheap..They get the job done.The majority[/size]

are very clean..[/size]

Reasons for using Uber.None...At least not in Thailand....[/size]

As repeated throughout this thread so far, there are many reasons to use a professional taxi service like Uber or GrabTaxi over the mafia taxis in Bangkok. If people want to pay extra for a new, clean and safe car which will definitely pick them up and take them to where they want to go with good service then what is your issue with that? If you want to try an old stinking taxi with no seatbealts in the back to save 25B then that's totally your choice too.

I disagree with you. Not only are most taxis clean, most are new, and rarely do you get a taxi driver that drives carelessly. In the US finding a taxi can be difficult, not here in Thailand. And in the places where Uber is doing well the Uber taxis are cheaper than the regular taxi which is one of the benefits. Impossible to make a Thai taxi cheaper. Also, I have never heard there to be mafia taxis in BKK, Phuket is the only place I have heard of this.

[KunMatt]

Regular Bangkok taxis are every where.They are dirt cheap..They get the job done.The majority[/size]

are very clean..[/size]

Reasons for using Uber.None...At least not in Thailand....[/size]

As repeated throughout this thread so far, there are many reasons to use a professional taxi service like Uber or GrabTaxi over the mafia taxis in Bangkok. If people want to pay extra for a new, clean and safe car which will definitely pick them up and take them to where they want to go with good service then what is your issue with that? If you want to try an old stinking taxi with no seatbealts in the back to save 25B then that's totally your choice too.

I disagree with you. Not only are most taxis clean, most are new, and rarely do you get a taxi driver that drives carelessly. In the US finding a taxi can be difficult, not here in Thailand. And in the places where Uber is doing well the Uber taxis are cheaper than the regular taxi which is one of the benefits. Impossible to make a Thai taxi cheaper. Also, I have never heard there to be mafia taxis in BKK, Phuket is the only place I have heard of this.

Well, you're wrong. Either you are very lucky or you are oblivious to the reality.

If you look down Sukhumvit 4, 11 or any of the other tourist sois you will see the taxi mafias. They are the guys who hang around in groups outside hotels and bars waiting for customers and won't use meters or take people where the drivers don't want to go. They also protect their sois from other taxis picking up on these sois. I lived on Soi 11 for a while and I've seen it get much worse and more of these guys than 5 years ago. One time we picked up a tuktuk on soi 11 and several taxi drivers shouted at him angrily as he drove along the soi and one taxi driver ran out and threw a kick at our tuktuk driver's head. When we asked him why he said because they are mafia and he wasn't permitted to pick up customers on this soi, he was dropping some customers off when we got in.

I still live in Bangkok and take at least 2 taxis every day, as I have done for the last few years. About 9/10 street taxis do not have working seatbelts in the rear seats. I'd say 50% of the taxis have the seatbelts but only about 20% of those actually have the clips accessible. Every time I ask the driver why they hide the clips they always say because the Thai customers who cram 5 people into the back of a cab don't like to sit on the clips.

Usually if I am travelling with my young son and there are no seatbelts in the rear then I will sit in the front seat and hold him on my lap, and nearly every time I take a normal taxi I have to do this so I am sure that there are no seatbelts in the back of normal taxis. One time I got into the front and as he drove off I realised that the front seatbelt was totally broken, I asked the driver whether he knew it was broken and he just laughed and shrugged it off. Obviously I stopped the cab and me and my son got out but it shows the attitude these guys have for your safety.

The last time I took a normal taxi to the airport (before I knew of GrabTaxi): no seatbelts in the rear so my wife and daughter are seated there with no safety belt, I'm in the front with my son on my lap, the guy drives at 140km/h in 60 and 80km/h limits and talks on the phone the whole time. Every time I tell him to slow down he slows down to 100km/h for a minute and sneaks back up to 140km/h until I have to tell him to slow down again. Oh, and it was raining heavily and at night time too.

Now I just use GrabCar which is the limousine service of GrabTaxi. The fare is maybe 50% more than a normal metered taxi but you get a new Camry where everything works as it should and the driver does his job properly. If there is no GrabCar available then I use GrabTaxi and they are always in better shape and safer than normal street taxis.

So again, if you want to take a normal taxi then that is your choice but why do you have a problem with a professional taxi service that offer a service that people, like myself, want to pay more for??

[whybother]

US$40 billion? Seriously...who makes this crap up?

I tried using Grab Taxi....you see them being heavily promoted in Bangkok....tried 4 times to order a cab...never worked and have since deleted the APP.

They probably meant 40 billion Baht, but even that seems excessive.

Apparently they have sold a share of the company which would value the whole company at 40 Billion dollars.

[vijer]

US$40 billion? Seriously...who makes this crap up?

I tried using Grab Taxi....you see them being heavily promoted in Bangkok....tried 4 times to order a cab...never worked and have since deleted the APP.

They probably meant 40 billion Baht, but even that seems excessive.

Apparently they have sold a share of the company which would value the whole company at 40 Billion dollars.

Apparently they haven't, $18 billion is the highest I could find. But I was responding to the $40 billion of the poster. Still stand by my statement that $40 or $18 or even $1 billion is excessive. Doesn't mean there aren't a lot of chumps out there, stock prices have almost zero to do with real profits, at least in the short term.

[whybother]

US$40 billion? Seriously...who makes this crap up?

I tried using Grab Taxi....you see them being heavily promoted in Bangkok....tried 4 times to order a cab...never worked and have since deleted the APP.

They probably meant 40 billion Baht, but even that seems excessive.

Apparently they have sold a share of the company which would value the whole company at 40 Billion dollars.

Apparently they haven't, $18 billion is the highest I could find. But I was responding to the $40 billion of the poster. Still stand by my statement that $40 or $18 or even $1 billion is excessive. Doesn't mean there aren't a lot of chumps out there, stock prices have almost zero to do with real profits, at least in the short term.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-27/uber-backers-see-enough-opportunity-for-40-billion-value.html

[vijer]

Regular Bangkok taxis are every where.They are dirt cheap..They get the job done.The majority[/size]

are very clean..[/size]

Reasons for using Uber.None...At least not in Thailand....[/size]

As repeated throughout this thread so far, there are many reasons to use a professional taxi service like Uber or GrabTaxi over the mafia taxis in Bangkok. If people want to pay extra for a new, clean and safe car which will definitely pick them up and take them to where they want to go with good service then what is your issue with that? If you want to try an old stinking taxi with no seatbealts in the back to save 25B then that's totally your choice too.

I disagree with you. Not only are most taxis clean, most are new, and rarely do you get a taxi driver that drives carelessly. In the US finding a taxi can be difficult, not here in Thailand. And in the places where Uber is doing well the Uber taxis are cheaper than the regular taxi which is one of the benefits. Impossible to make a Thai taxi cheaper. Also, I have never heard there to be mafia taxis in BKK, Phuket is the only place I have heard of this.

Well, you're wrong. Either you are very lucky or you are oblivious to the reality.

If you look down Sukhumvit 4, 11 or any of the other tourist sois you will see the taxi mafias. They are the guys who hang around in groups outside hotels and bars waiting for customers and won't use meters or take people where the drivers don't want to go. They also protect their sois from other taxis picking up on these sois. I lived on Soi 11 for a while and I've seen it get much worse and more of these guys than 5 years ago. One time we picked up a tuktuk on soi 11 and several taxi drivers shouted at him angrily as he drove along the soi and one taxi driver ran out and threw a kick at our tuktuk driver's head. When we asked him why he said because they are mafia and he wasn't permitted to pick up customers on this soi, he was dropping some customers off when we got in.

I still live in Bangkok and take at least 2 taxis every day, as I have done for the last few years. About 9/10 street taxis do not have working seatbelts in the rear seats. I'd say 50% of the taxis have the seatbelts but only about 20% of those actually have the clips accessible. Every time I ask the driver why they hide the clips they always say because the Thai customers who cram 5 people into the back of a cab don't like to sit on the clips.

Usually if I am travelling with my young son and there are no seatbelts in the rear then I will sit in the front seat and hold him on my lap, and nearly every time I take a normal taxi I have to do this so I am sure that there are no seatbelts in the back of normal taxis. One time I got into the front and as he drove off I realised that the front seatbelt was totally broken, I asked the driver whether he knew it was broken and he just laughed and shrugged it off. Obviously I stopped the cab and me and my son got out but it shows the attitude these guys have for your safety.

The last time I took a normal taxi to the airport (before I knew of GrabTaxi): no seatbelts in the rear so my wife and daughter are seated there with no safety belt, I'm in the front with my son on my lap, the guy drives at 140km/h in 60 and 80km/h limits and talks on the phone the whole time. Every time I tell him to slow down he slows down to 100km/h for a minute and sneaks back up to 140km/h until I have to tell him to slow down again. Oh, and it was raining heavily and at night time too.

Now I just use GrabCar which is the limousine service of GrabTaxi. The fare is maybe 50% more than a normal metered taxi but you get a new Camry where everything works as it should and the driver does his job properly. If there is no GrabCar available then I use GrabTaxi and they are always in better shape and safer than normal street taxis.

So again, if you want to take a normal taxi then that is your choice but why do you have a problem with a professional taxi service that offer a service that people, like myself, want to pay more for??

Apparently, you need to get off soi 11. I've been living here for 4 years and coming here for 20 years and I have never encountered the problems you are experiencing. The seat belts issue is valid but most people don't put them on even when they exist.

I don't think anybody really has an issue with GrabTaxi as a concept, the poster you were responding to claimed their service sucked. You seem to have good luck with them. Glad you are happy with the service.

The other issue, is that Uber and I assume GrabTaxi are the same, there isn't any real vetting of drivers. Ubers sign-up asks if you have a car and insurance and you are over 21. That is it. Not is your car nice, do you have premium insurance, do you have a clean driving record, do you drive slow, etc. Now perhaps they have a feedback service and if enough people complain about a drivers service they can cancel that drivers contract but that is far from guaranteeing that you will get a good driver.

[KunMatt]

Well, you're wrong. Either you are very lucky or you are oblivious to the reality.

If you look down Sukhumvit 4, 11 or any of the other tourist sois you will see the taxi mafias. They are the guys who hang around in groups outside hotels and bars waiting for customers and won't use meters or take people where the drivers don't want to go. They also protect their sois from other taxis picking up on these sois. I lived on Soi 11 for a while and I've seen it get much worse and more of these guys than 5 years ago. One time we picked up a tuktuk on soi 11 and several taxi drivers shouted at him angrily as he drove along the soi and one taxi driver ran out and threw a kick at our tuktuk driver's head. When we asked him why he said because they are mafia and he wasn't permitted to pick up customers on this soi, he was dropping some customers off when we got in.

I still live in Bangkok and take at least 2 taxis every day, as I have done for the last few years. About 9/10 street taxis do not have working seatbelts in the rear seats. I'd say 50% of the taxis have the seatbelts but only about 20% of those actually have the clips accessible. Every time I ask the driver why they hide the clips they always say because the Thai customers who cram 5 people into the back of a cab don't like to sit on the clips.

Usually if I am travelling with my young son and there are no seatbelts in the rear then I will sit in the front seat and hold him on my lap, and nearly every time I take a normal taxi I have to do this so I am sure that there are no seatbelts in the back of normal taxis. One time I got into the front and as he drove off I realised that the front seatbelt was totally broken, I asked the driver whether he knew it was broken and he just laughed and shrugged it off. Obviously I stopped the cab and me and my son got out but it shows the attitude these guys have for your safety.

The last time I took a normal taxi to the airport (before I knew of GrabTaxi): no seatbelts in the rear so my wife and daughter are seated there with no safety belt, I'm in the front with my son on my lap, the guy drives at 140km/h in 60 and 80km/h limits and talks on the phone the whole time. Every time I tell him to slow down he slows down to 100km/h for a minute and sneaks back up to 140km/h until I have to tell him to slow down again. Oh, and it was raining heavily and at night time too.

Now I just use GrabCar which is the limousine service of GrabTaxi. The fare is maybe 50% more than a normal metered taxi but you get a new Camry where everything works as it should and the driver does his job properly. If there is no GrabCar available then I use GrabTaxi and they are always in better shape and safer than normal street taxis.

So again, if you want to take a normal taxi then that is your choice but why do you have a problem with a professional taxi service that offer a service that people, like myself, want to pay more for??

Apparently, you need to get off soi 11. I've been living here for 4 years and coming here for 20 years and I have never encountered the problems you are experiencing. The seat belts issue is valid but most people don't put them on even when they exist.

I don't think anybody really has an issue with GrabTaxi as a concept, the poster you were responding to claimed their service sucked. You seem to have good luck with them. Glad you are happy with the service.

The other issue, is that Uber and I assume GrabTaxi are the same, there isn't any real vetting of drivers. Ubers sign-up asks if you have a car and insurance and you are over 21. That is it. Not is your car nice, do you have premium insurance, do you have a clean driving record, do you drive slow, etc. Now perhaps they have a feedback service and if enough people complain about a drivers service they can cancel that drivers contract but that is far from guaranteeing that you will get a good driver.

Wrong again. I don't stay on Soi 11 now (which is why I used "lived", as in past tense), I did live there each time we were having a baby so we could be close to Bumrungrad hospital so I used to spend a lot of time around there.

And like I said, just because you are not aware of the problems does not mean they don't exist, you are just oblivious to the reality as maybe it is not as important to you to get a taxi with seatbelts as it is to me when I am travelling with my kids, maybe you don't realise a taxi is speeding because you are not as concerned about the safety of the cab because your family is not in it, maybe these are the reasons that you don't see the problems I see every time I take a street taxi. I've lived in various places over Bangkok and the problems with taxis are the same all over so for you to say you are not aware of the problems with taxis and that there is no taxi mafia in Bangkok just shows that you aren't paying attention to the same things I am. Anyways, the point is that I'm happy for the service that GrabTaxi provides and will use them instead of regular taxis from now on. At least now there is an alternative for those who want it.

Edited December 4, 2014 by KunMatt

[vijer]

Well, you're wrong. Either you are very lucky or you are oblivious to the reality.

If you look down Sukhumvit 4, 11 or any of the other tourist sois you will see the taxi mafias. They are the guys who hang around in groups outside hotels and bars waiting for customers and won't use meters or take people where the drivers don't want to go. They also protect their sois from other taxis picking up on these sois. I lived on Soi 11 for a while and I've seen it get much worse and more of these guys than 5 years ago. One time we picked up a tuktuk on soi 11 and several taxi drivers shouted at him angrily as he drove along the soi and one taxi driver ran out and threw a kick at our tuktuk driver's head. When we asked him why he said because they are mafia and he wasn't permitted to pick up customers on this soi, he was dropping some customers off when we got in.

I still live in Bangkok and take at least 2 taxis every day, as I have done for the last few years. About 9/10 street taxis do not have working seatbelts in the rear seats. I'd say 50% of the taxis have the seatbelts but only about 20% of those actually have the clips accessible. Every time I ask the driver why they hide the clips they always say because the Thai customers who cram 5 people into the back of a cab don't like to sit on the clips.

Usually if I am travelling with my young son and there are no seatbelts in the rear then I will sit in the front seat and hold him on my lap, and nearly every time I take a normal taxi I have to do this so I am sure that there are no seatbelts in the back of normal taxis. One time I got into the front and as he drove off I realised that the front seatbelt was totally broken, I asked the driver whether he knew it was broken and he just laughed and shrugged it off. Obviously I stopped the cab and me and my son got out but it shows the attitude these guys have for your safety.

The last time I took a normal taxi to the airport (before I knew of GrabTaxi): no seatbelts in the rear so my wife and daughter are seated there with no safety belt, I'm in the front with my son on my lap, the guy drives at 140km/h in 60 and 80km/h limits and talks on the phone the whole time. Every time I tell him to slow down he slows down to 100km/h for a minute and sneaks back up to 140km/h until I have to tell him to slow down again. Oh, and it was raining heavily and at night time too.

Now I just use GrabCar which is the limousine service of GrabTaxi. The fare is maybe 50% more than a normal metered taxi but you get a new Camry where everything works as it should and the driver does his job properly. If there is no GrabCar available then I use GrabTaxi and they are always in better shape and safer than normal street taxis.

So again, if you want to take a normal taxi then that is your choice but why do you have a problem with a professional taxi service that offer a service that people, like myself, want to pay more for??

Apparently, you need to get off soi 11. I've been living here for 4 years and coming here for 20 years and I have never encountered the problems you are experiencing. The seat belts issue is valid but most people don't put them on even when they exist.

I don't think anybody really has an issue with GrabTaxi as a concept, the poster you were responding to claimed their service sucked. You seem to have good luck with them. Glad you are happy with the service.

The other issue, is that Uber and I assume GrabTaxi are the same, there isn't any real vetting of drivers. Ubers sign-up asks if you have a car and insurance and you are over 21. That is it. Not is your car nice, do you have premium insurance, do you have a clean driving record, do you drive slow, etc. Now perhaps they have a feedback service and if enough people complain about a drivers service they can cancel that drivers contract but that is far from guaranteeing that you will get a good driver.

Wrong again. I don't stay on Soi 11 now (which is why I used "lived", as in past tense), I did live there each time we were having a baby so we could be close to Bumrungrad hospital so I used to spend a lot of time around there.

And like I said, just because you are not aware of the problems does not mean they don't exist, you are just oblivious to the reality as maybe it is not as important to you to get a taxi with seatbelts as it is to me when I am travelling with my kids, maybe you don't realise a taxi is speeding because you are not as concerned about the safety of the cab because your family is not in it, maybe these are the reasons that you don't see the problems I see every time I take a street taxi. I've lived in various places over Bangkok and the problems with taxis are the same all over so for you to say you are not aware of the problems with taxis and that there is no taxi mafia in Bangkok just shows that you aren't paying attention to the same things I am. Anyways, the point is that I'm happy for the service that GrabTaxi provides and will use them instead of regular taxis from now on. At least now there is an alternative for those who want it.

And maybe you're just a little <deleted>. Gets nervous about everything. Sees the bogie man everywhere. Taxi drives over 70 and you get your knickers in a twist.

[KunMatt]

And maybe you're just a little <deleted>. Gets nervous about everything. Sees the bogie man everywhere. Taxi drives over 70 and you get your knickers in a twist.

Hahaha. Name calling always exposes the idiots. Like I said, when I am travelling alone it doesn't bother me, however all the examples I gave are when I am travelling with my family so of course I want to travel in the safest way possible which is why I would like to pay extra for the safer option. If you love money more than your family and need to save 25B for a ride which may kill them all then that's your choice. Hope it's worth it to you. Be safe out there.

[bubba]

Taxis driving at 70 kph don't get my knickers in a twist. I get worried when they are doing 140 down the tollway with an old car that is vibrating badly, has nearly bald tyres and no seat belts in the back. I have even politely asked them to slow down a bit and been laughed at.

Thank you Uber, for providing a safe, reliable alternative.

[ldiablo]

If Uber offers this guy a sufficient enough bribe he will suddenly have a change of heart I am sure.