GrabTaxi user receives intimidation call from driver

[Thaivisa News]

Bangkok:- A female passenger has received an intimidation call from a taxi driver who joined the GrabTaxi service after she reported his reckless driving behavior.

Frightened, the Thai woman filed a complaint with police and posted her story on the popular online community Pantip.com.

Eventually, the taxi driver has been purged from the GrabTaxi service from March 5, she updated in her post.

The woman said she posted her story to warn other women passengers that the service might not be completely safe as the taxi driver could call her mobile phone at midnight after she reported his misconduct.

The woman recounted that she used GrabTaxi app to call a taxi to pick her up from a spot on a road to a BTS skytrain station. The taxi driver later called her back and asked where he should pick her up.

“When I was in the taxi, he asked if I wanted to go very fast. I replied I wanted to travel normally. He quipped it had to be normal or I would have to fly,” the woman wrote in her post.

She said the driver instead drove very dangerously and fast and nearly hit another vehicle. He also honed the horn at pedestrians at a zebra crossing.

She said the driver also forced her to give him four-baht changes.

After she reported the behavior of the driver, she received a phone call at midnight. It was the taxi driver who scolded her that she made up the story. She said the driver spent about a minute to scold her and hang up.

She said GrabTaxi later called her to apologize and insisted that it has data privacy policy to protect its customers. She said she did not know how the driver knew that it was her who reported his misconduct.

[Costas2008]

There are good and bad taxi drivers around.

We hear many times of money and belongings forgotten in Taxis and returned to the owner.

Also we hear about the bad behaviour of Taxi drivers and even physical attacks on customers.

And we will be hearing many stories of either nature in the future.

So difficult to change human bad behaviour, not only in Thailand but all over the world.

[Cuchulainn]

...........It was the taxi driver who scolded her ........

You're a naughty passenger. Don't do it again. No tea for you!!

[scorecard]

"She said GrabTaxi later called her to apologize and insisted that it has data privacy policy to protect its customers. She said she did not know how the driver knew that it was her who reported his misconduct."

The RTP should check this very carefully. Seems there could be two possibilities:

- It did come from Grab taxi staff, even though they claim all dats is protected.

- The passengers social media membership contains personal data and phone numbers.

Reminds me of a Thai woman I used to work with, she had multiple facebook, twitter and similar accounts, they all contained every possible detail about this woman, her personal address, the password to get through the security at her apartment and all of her multiple mobile numbers, even her bank account numbers. Her friends pleaded with her to remove 99% of this detail, she just laughed.

Sure enough she was followed home and had to call security to have the stalker removed from her room. She continues to keep all the details on her social media accounts.

[thai tech]

GrabTaxi dismiss driver who made threatening calls to female passenger



A driver for GrabTaxi Thailand has been fired after he made threatening phone calls to a female passenger who reported him for dangerous driving.

The driver, who has not been named, made the threatening calls after he is believed to have obtained the passenger’s phone number from the internal booking system used by the company.

The passenger reported the threats to the police and also posted her story on the popular Thai website Pantip.com.

Read more: http://tech.thaivisa.com/grabtaxi-fire-driver-who-made-threatening-calls-to-female-passenger/6689/

[mikeinbangkok]

There are good and bad taxi drivers around.

We hear many times of money and belongings forgotten in Taxis and returned to the owner.

Also we hear about the bad behaviour of Taxi drivers and even physical attacks on customers.

And we will be hearing many stories of either nature in the future.

So difficult to change human bad behaviour, not only in Thailand but all over the world.

Absolutely true. Once I was almost assaulted by a crazy Parisian taxi driver. ( he wasn't Thai..ha ha.)

[fey]

i tried this app because of the tracking capability when i was transporting valuable goods. the movement of the taxi can be seen on maps real time and there is also of the trips route online.

i got multiple calls from the driver right after requesting which i assume was to verify the request so they dont come for nothing. could also have been for directions if they could not use the gps??? not interested at all in having a conversation before they arrive, even if a courteous one.

what arrived was a taxi from a sketchy third tier company that i would never flag down if i were on my own. you get the drivers name, but not the taxi company. they left that small minor detail out, i wonder why.

i did not end up using them and the driver kept calling over and over. i also became concerned that the driver was able to locate me in my apt using my phones location services gps and was going to come knocking on my door, so i turned it off.

another concern is having an aggressive taxi guy calling every morning "you need ride today?"

Edited March 11, 2015 by fey

[cyborgx]

It's obvious that Grab Taxi after receiving the report, advised the driver he had been reported, and the driver put 2 and 2 together and worked out who it was, or perhaps he called all the Grabtaxi clients he picked up that day.

In my explerience the quality of cars and drivers working for Grabtaxi is over and above that of the average Bangkok taxi. Having said that, I've still had drivers that don't understand even how the Grabtaxi app works and they ALWAYS call to confirm the pickup location, even though they have been shown it on a GPS map.

I prefer it to Uber because you don't have to give credit card or PAyPal details to anyone, and if there is a dispute its handled in cash, not by the Uber charging whatever they want and whenever they want.....

[Basil B]

There are good and bad taxi drivers around.

We hear many times of money and belongings forgotten in Taxis and returned to the owner.

Also we hear about the bad behaviour of Taxi drivers and even physical attacks on customers.

And we will be hearing many stories of either nature in the future.

So difficult to change human bad behaviour, not only in Thailand but all over the world.

Agreed, but if there were proper enforcement of traffic laws drivers like him would not be driving.

She said the driver instead drove very dangerously and fast and nearly hit another vehicle. He also honed the horn at pedestrians at a zebra crossing.

[MaxLee]

GrabTaxi dismiss driver who made threatening calls to female passenger

A driver for GrabTaxi Thailand has been fired after he made threatening phone calls to a female passenger who reported him for dangerous driving.

The driver, who has not been named, made the threatening calls after he is believed to have obtained the passenger’s phone number from the internal booking system used by the company.

The passenger reported the threats to the police and also posted her story on the popular Thai website Pantip.com.

Read more: http://tech.thaivisa.com/grabtaxi-fire-driver-who-made-threatening-calls-to-female-passenger/6689/

Dismissed and never arrested again..... (next time don't get caught....)

[sensei]

...........It was the taxi driver who scolded her ........

You're a naughty passenger. Don't do it again. No tea for you!!

Funny, eh?

Funny until it happens to someone close to you.

[MrJohnson]

It is clear that there are still some bugs in the system. I've used Grab about a dozen times and about half the

cars were old, dirty and poorly maintained. The drivers were OK although several kept hassling about how the

meter system was unfair and how they really needed an extra tip. My response " Take care of your mother".

However, better than standing on the side of the road flagging down 4-5 taxis before you get one willing

to take you to your destination.

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

I don't know what these privacy policies are that they are referring to. I use grab taxi a lot as I am tired of being refused time after time just to get a ride.

2 times now I have used the app to call a taxi to take my gf home as I hope this is a much safer option for her especially late at night. After the ride I have gotten calls from the drivers trying to contact my girl as they did not realize that I use the app on my phone to call the taxi for them.

If there is a privacy policy then why are the drivers able to contact me after the ride is finished?

Both times I reported the incident to Grab Taxi, they were very proactive and they say the drivers were warned (but who knows).

This seems like a great app for taxi drivers to get a data base of hot girls numbers and opens them up to be stalked.

I think GT needs to upgrade the app to prevent this from happening.

[Bignose]

While it may (at times) provide a convenient service, if there are security issues of any kid then it is better not to use the service at all.

We all know the pitfalls of using taxi's from the street, but at least they don't have your contact details after the fact!!!

[DogNo1]

Is Grab Taxi worth the extra 25 Baht? I'd rather use ordinary taxis in which I can remain anonymous.

[Anthony5]

However, better than standing on the side of the road flagging down 4-5 taxis before you get one willing

to take you to your destination.

I would guess you have flagged down at least 20 taxis in the same timespan it takes between you use the app and the grab taxi arrives.

[jacko45k]

I don't know what these privacy policies are that they are referring to. I use grab taxi a lot as I am tired of being refused time after time just to get a ride.

2 times now I have used the app to call a taxi to take my gf home as I hope this is a much safer option for her especially late at night. After the ride I have gotten calls from the drivers trying to contact my girl as they did not realize that I use the app on my phone to call the taxi for them.

If there is a privacy policy then why are the drivers able to contact me after the ride is finished?

Both times I reported the incident to Grab Taxi, they were very proactive and they say the drivers were warned (but who knows).

This seems like a great app for taxi drivers to get a data base of hot girls numbers and opens them up to be stalked.

I think GT needs to upgrade the app to prevent this from happening.

The App supplies the bookers number to the driver so that he can call to confirm the booking, determine the exact location and other requirements. I do not see a way around that unless GrabTaxi used a call redirecting system through their servers. That would be a little complex. I think the only solution is to block the driver's number if he becomes a nuisance and report him.

I have Grabtaxi but when I try it I only see Taxis that are reported as nearby, but actually are somewhat distant and have some slow roads to use to get to me.

[spidermike007]

In many other countries what this hooligan did would be punishable by a few years in prison. What he did proves he is a tiny man, with no heart, soul, manhood, or courage. Only a tiny man, with no sense of himself would make a threatening call like this. He is the kind of guy that without a machete in his hand, or a gun, or a phone, or nine of his friends, would cower away from any sort of confrontation. A minuscule man, with the power and stature of a 13 year old girl. What a poor excuse for a soul. What a pathetic man child.