Grab Taxi...Now In Pattaya...Are Metered Taxis Finally Here?

[OMGImInPattaya]

At long last, are expatriates and tourists really free from the clutches of the Pattaya non-metered "metered" taxi Mafia? This may just be the case as there are apparently a few Grab Taxis now plying the thanons and sois of Pattaya just waiting for your ride. For those of you who are a little tech challenged, Grab Taxi is a taxi booking smartphone app that is similar in some respects to the eponymous Uber. However, there are some key differences. The main one being, as the name implies, "Grabber" functions as an interface between riders and metered taxis while Uber drivers work for Uber itself and use their own cars. Another difference is that riders pay Uber directly for their rides via a credit card, where as with Grabber, one just pays cash to the driver directly. (For a more complete review of Grabber, see my recent post on them in the Bangkok sub-forum.)

The key for Pattayans ala Grabber is that Grabber uses METERED rates. There must be in the agreement between individual drivers when they sign-on as Grabber drivers that they will in fact use the legal metered rate for their locale. (This begs the question if there is an official metered rate for Pattaya. I will assume for purposes of this post that it is the same as for Bangkok.) If for some reason either at the start or the end of the ride, a driver refused to use the meter, this could be reported to Grabber and I assume the driver would be disciplined or kicked out of the system. I am sure this is the case as Grabber is a well-funded Malaysian based company with big ambitions in this space (they already have operations in the major SE Asian countries) and would not let their reputation be besmirched by some local drivers like our Pattaya taxis refusing to use their meters while working for Grabber and sullying their reputation.

It will be interesting to see if the local taxi mafia guys do anything to impede the work of the Grabber taxis. I assume that it is in fact some of the locals who have signed-up with Grabber and are in fact the Grabber drivers in town. Maybe they just see it as a supplement to their usual extortionate fares and are willing to give those "in the know" and using Grabber these "special" real metered rates. (Or maybe they are so dumb that they think they are so dumb they think they can pull their usual tricks with Grabber customers with no repercussions. However, I'm sure they will get a big surprise if that is the case when Grabber cans their <deleted>.) Time will tell. At the time of this post, there were 6 listed Grabber taxis in the area, most seemed to be located around the Beach Road area.

As for rates, they are not bad. (The app gives you an estimate based on the route you key-in when making a booking.) As a test, I priced a trip from my house near Wat Suttawas on NPW to Central Beach Mall, a distance of about 8km, and was quoted between 100-150 baht. There is also a 40 baht service charge on top of the meter fare. I have used Grabber in Bangkok and was satisfied with the service. If you have a smartphone, you can get the app at either the Apple iTunes or Google Play stores.

[mataleo]

Theres were always few

Parked by bkk pattaya hospital and near mimosa ambasador, they on that app

[ThaiSanookGuy]

So the price is almost the same as the official robbers ?

[Pattaya46]

Hi. It's about 3 months that GrabTaxi is available in Pattaya.

Several topics already here about them in Pattaya

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

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/760478-grabtaxis-pattaya-launch-ocean-marina-yacht-club-wednesday-17th-september-2014/

...

Reports are that prices are very good and, even with the 40 baht surcharge, very far of the no-use-taximeterer taxi's prices.

Problem for very short distances: it happens a lot that no driver is interested and nobody reply to your request.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Hi. It's about 3 months that GrabTaxi is available in Pattaya.

Several topics already here about them in Pattaya

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

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/760478-grabtaxis-pattaya-launch-ocean-marina-yacht-club-wednesday-17th-september-2014/

...

Reports are that prices are very good and, even with the 40 baht surcharge, very far of the no-use-taximeterer taxi's prices.

Problem for very short distances: it happens a lot that no driver is interested and nobody reply to your request.

Yes, that's something I forgot tomention. Grabber doesn't assign a driver to a particular request but they can all choose to take it or not and the first one to accept it gets the fare. There is an option on the app to set a pre-tip amount of one's choosing. This can be used to "encourage" a driver to accept a particular run if something about it makes it undesirable/unprofitable at the normal rate. Also keep in mind that Grabber is taking some percentage of the fare and/or the 40 baht service for their end...it's not all going to the driver.

[misterphil]

I've used this grab taxi in Pattaya. Its great, you just type in the app where you are and where you want to go and taxi drivers bid against each other to get the fare. You can even see on your phone a map of where the taxi is and when it will arrive. Pratumnak to Soi 6 Beach road for 94 baht for 2 people. Now that's good value.

[maswov]

There have been metered taxi that line up near Central for quite some time.

[craigt3365]

There have been metered taxi that line up near Central for quite some time.

We've had metered taxis in Pattaya for years. Unfortunately, they've never used their meters!

[Searat7]

I contacted Grab Taxi from Pattaya Bus Station and I was quoted about 140b to go to Jomtien Complex. Unfortunately I got in the wrong cab....the driver said this is Pattaya...we don't use meters here..and he charged me 200b.....next time I will be more careful and take note of the license plate number. Now I have a better understanding as to how the system operates,

[OMGImInPattaya]

I contacted Grab Taxi from Pattaya Bus Station and I was quoted about 140b to go to Jomtien Complex. Unfortunately I got in the wrong cab....the driver said this is Pattaya...we don't use meters here..and he charged me 200b.....next time I will be more careful and take note of the license plate number. Now I have a better understanding as to how the system operates,

Once a Grabber taxi is assigned to your ride the app will show you a confirmation screen, with the details of the driver assigned to you. You can verify this when the driver arrives. Also, all the Grabber taxis I have used have prominent badging on and about the taxi exterior that it is a Grabber Taxi (in addition to their normal metered taxi livery). Also, your driver will often call you to confirm details of the ride and to confirm your location. Through the app, you can also directly call the driver.

One final note I've neglected to mention, from the app, one can also cancel a booking (as can the driver...this has happened to me and within moments another driver automatically picked up the fare). I would imagine that if one continuously made and cancelled bookings, you would get a warning and eventually be kicked off the service.

[elgenon]

A bit off topic but I finally figured out what there are bus stops on Beach Road!!

[Equalizer]

With all due respect, been here 10 years, Pattaya does not need any additional Taxi service west of the Sukumvit, there are hundreds of Baht bus routes that cost peanuts. Deep inside the busy spots taking anything other than a motor bike taxi is stupid because you cant get around easily in a Taxi. Even on the sukumvit there is a government bus route and the white Baht buses. NOT NEEDED

[1BADDAT]

With all due respect, been here 10 years, Pattaya does not need any additional Taxi service west of the Sukumvit, there are hundreds of Baht bus routes that cost peanuts. Deep inside the busy spots taking anything other than a motor bike taxi is stupid because you cant get around easily in a Taxi. Even on the sukumvit there is a government bus route and the white Baht buses. NOT NEEDED

With all due respect, your post has nothing to do with the topic. Start a new thread if you want to educate people on public transport. Maybe you enjoy sweating on a baht bus saving money, but I prefer an air conditioned cab that shows up at my door when I want it to. And for this convenience, Grab Taxi is hands down the best service in Pattaya.

[craigt3365]

With all due respect, been here 10 years, Pattaya does not need any additional Taxi service west of the Sukumvit, there are hundreds of Baht bus routes that cost peanuts. Deep inside the busy spots taking anything other than a motor bike taxi is stupid because you cant get around easily in a Taxi. Even on the sukumvit there is a government bus route and the white Baht buses. NOT NEEDED

Everybody has their own opinion. I will never ride a scooter taxi unless there is absolutely no other option. Next up is baht bus. It may take longer, but an AC cab is a great way to go. Much safer too.

Plus, it doesn't ruin my hairdo! 555555

[jacko45k]

A bit off topic but I finally figured out what there are bus stops on Beach Road!!

Yes, but the buses are in a dealers on Sukhumvit with a for sale sign on them.

[jacko45k]

Are they prepared to go far out of town?

Do they work very late?

And roughly how much per KM does it work out at?

My missus doesn't like being woke up when I want to come home.

Edited December 16, 2014 by jacko45k

[i claudius]

Thank God I have a car 555

[elgenon]

A bit off topic but I finally figured out why there are bus stops on Beach Road!!

Yes, but the buses are in a dealers on Sukhumvit with a for sale sign on them.

The bus stops are for Baht buses! If you ride a baht bus they now have a sign that says" Board and alight ONLY at bus stops" on Beach Road! If you expect to see a regular bus, forget it.

[jimmybkk]

I have a friend who uses Grab Taxis to come and go from his place around Huay Yai, and he gives the service a huge thumbs up. Door-to-door service in an air-con car for around 2/3 the price he used to pay on a baht bus taxi.

But then I was with another friend last week who needed a taxi to go to outer Bangkok. I suggested he try Grab Taxi and all appeared to be good - he signed up for the app ok, a driver responded fairly quickly and was on his way to collect him and the message on the screen said the fare would be approximately 895 baht. Then the driver called and he said the fare was 1,800 baht so my friend got one from the street for 1,200 instead. I am not so familiar with the system but would that be a situation that would merit calling Grab Taxi to complain?

[OMGImInPattaya]

I have a friend who uses Grab Taxis to come and go from his place around Huay Yai, and he gives the service a huge thumbs up. Door-to-door service in an air-con car for around 2/3 the price he used to pay on a baht bus taxi.

But then I was with another friend last week who needed a taxi to go to outer Bangkok. I suggested he try Grab Taxi and all appeared to be good - he signed up for the app ok, a driver responded fairly quickly and was on his way to collect him and the message on the screen said the fare would be approximately 895 baht. Then the driver called and he said the fare was 1,800 baht so my friend got one from the street for 1,200 instead. I am not so familiar with the system but would that be a situation that would merit calling Grab Taxi to complain?

It must have been pretty far outside Bangkok...as a test, I priced a run from my home in Pattaya to the Emporium Mall on Sukhumvit 24 in Bangkok (a distance of about 125 km) and Grabber returned an estimate of around 900 baht. I assume that this is determined by Grabber by calculating the kilometers in the run times the official metered taxi rate in the jurisdiction. (I have also had actual taxis use their meter for Bangkok to Pattaya runs and it runs about the same 900-1000 baht.) In any case, if the driver accepted the fare and your friend received a ride confirmation and then the driver tried to negotiate a higher fare after they arrived, they should definitely be reported to Grapper. This is easy to do through the app and you have the ride number and driver info at hand. This needs to be done so that Grabber has the information that some drivers are doing this and they can warn them or kick them out of Grabber's network. This sort of behavior needs to be nipped in the bud or else it may become the norm in Thailand and some of the benefits of the system are lost to the rider.

Now, if the driver cancels through the app before he/she arrives, then I don't believe further action is warranted. Keep in mind that drivers can choose whether to accept a ride or not and they know the destination/distance and the estimated fare. Also, if you are going to a distant out of the way destination, this is where the pre-tipped option on the app comes into play as you can add in whatever amount you think necessary to entice a driver to take your ride. As an example, it might be difficult to get a Grab taxi to take me to Bangkok for the estimated 900 baht so I would probably pre-tip up to 200-300 baht. On the other hand, as more Grabbers bring down people from Bangkok they might hang around Pattaya waiting for a return fare and be happy with the estimated fare.

In any case, if Grabber can gain critical mass in Pattaya, it could end up being another option in the transportation choices for tourists and expats for both local and long-distance trips.

[jimmybkk]

I have a friend who uses Grab Taxis to come and go from his place around Huay Yai, and he gives the service a huge thumbs up. Door-to-door service in an air-con car for around 2/3 the price he used to pay on a baht bus taxi.

But then I was with another friend last week who needed a taxi to go to outer Bangkok. I suggested he try Grab Taxi and all appeared to be good - he signed up for the app ok, a driver responded fairly quickly and was on his way to collect him and the message on the screen said the fare would be approximately 895 baht. Then the driver called and he said the fare was 1,800 baht so my friend got one from the street for 1,200 instead. I am not so familiar with the system but would that be a situation that would merit calling Grab Taxi to complain?

It must have been pretty far outside Bangkok...as a test, I priced a run from my home in Pattaya to the Emporium Mall on Sukhumvit 24 in Bangkok (a distance of about 125 km) and Grabber returned an estimate of around 900 baht. I assume that this is determined by Grabber by calculating the kilometers in the run times the official metered taxi rate in the jurisdiction. (I have also had actual taxis use their meter for Bangkok to Pattaya runs and it runs about the same 900-1000 baht.) In any case, if the driver accepted the fare and your friend received a ride confirmation and then the driver tried to negotiate a higher fare after they arrived, they should definitely be reported to Grapper. This is easy to do through the app and you have the ride number and driver info at hand. This needs to be done so that Grabber has the information that some drivers are doing this and they can warn them or kick them out of Grabber's network. This sort of behavior needs to be nipped in the bud or else it may become the norm in Thailand and some of the benefits of the system are lost to the rider.

Now, if the driver cancels through the app before he/she arrives, then I don't believe further action is warranted. Keep in mind that drivers can choose whether to accept a ride or not and they know the destination/distance and the estimated fare. Also, if you are going to a distant out of the way destination, this is where the pre-tipped option on the app comes into play as you can add in whatever amount you think necessary to entice a driver to take your ride. As an example, it might be difficult to get a Grab taxi to take me to Bangkok for the estimated 900 baht so I would probably pre-tip up to 200-300 baht. On the other hand, as more Grabbers bring down people from Bangkok they might hang around Pattaya waiting for a return fare and be happy with the estimated fare.

In any case, if Grabber can gain critical mass in Pattaya, it could end up being another option in the transportation choices for tourists and expats for both local and long-distance trips.

Thanks for the pre-tip suggestion. That makes sense.

The destination in Bangkok was Udom Suk. I"m not sure if my friend received a ride confirmation, I only know that the driver called him when he was getting close to confirm the pick-up location in Pattaya and how to get into the village. My friend then checked that the fare would be 895 baht and that's when the driver said no, 1,800 baht.

[jacko45k]

A bit off topic but I finally figured out why there are bus stops on Beach Road!!

Yes, but the buses are in a dealers on Sukhumvit with a for sale sign on them.

The bus stops are for Baht buses! If you ride a baht bus they now have a sign that says" Board and alight ONLY at bus stops" on Beach Road! If you expect to see a regular bus, forget it.

There was a bus service introduced in Pattaya some years back which faded away, and I did indeed see buses in a dealer.

Then yes baht buses were told to constrain themselves to allocated stopping and pick-up points but of course that did not last much longer.

The bus stops are now just impediments for foot traffic and something for poor motorcycle riders to crash into, like the pedestrian crossings.

[elgenon]

I can get a taxi from a regular service from Patts to Soi 4 in BKK for 1100 with no games about a tip and it includes highway tolls. Recently raised from 1000.

[wpcoe]

For those of us who do not live on a baht bus route, GrabTaxi is a godsend. I've used it almost twenty times already. Be aware, however, that the app OVERestimates the fare.

[Rimmer]

Bickering and flaming posts removed also quoted replies

[joepattaya1961]

I am not so familiar with the system but would that be a situation that would merit calling Grab Taxi to complain?

A trip from just into the dark side to Central would cost 64-96 baht.

Without "grab" it cost 200-300 baht.

I guess that the "Grab Taxi" is without taxis soon.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Just to update. I did Grab a taxi from my house on NPW near Wat Suttawas to the bus station on Pattaya Nua, a distance of about 7 kilometers. The price was as follows:

Meter - 120

Zone fee - 140

Service fee - 40

Total - 300 baht

New user discount (40)

Paid - 260 baht.

Comments: This price is no bargain for this distance and could be gotten I suspect from any of the local taxis around town. A moto-cye from my area would be around 100-120 baht I suspect. Apparently Grab has divided Pattaya into zones and if you're outside the central area, you will be charged a zone fee. Also, the meter seemed a little high for the distance...don't know if they have jiggered with them or they are authorized a higher rate outside Bangkok. Also, the service fee of 40 baht is higher than the Bangkok fee of 25 baht.

All these fees are disclosed when you book the cab so you can cancel the booking if you want. The driver arrived on time and was pleasant.