New(ish) taxi system at Swampy failure or success?

[midasthailand]

I think the AOT's latest iteration of taxi queue system is an abject failure! I have never seen queues for taxis at the airport this bad!

Last night the queue was back to the door 3 exit on the bottom floor. (that's just one queue)

See attached pics!

What do you think?

[fishbrando]

Another reason to be thankful for the Airport Link.

[Estrada]

I arrived there on Thursday afternoon... No taxis in sight. I presume the taxi drivers are operating a boycott to get the B50 fee upped to B100. I caught a Citilink train to Hua Mark for B25 and a taxi from there to Seacon Square where I live. Total cost B95 instead of B280.

Edited March 24, 2015 by Estrada

[steven100]

Is it possible they want more arrivals using the airport link ? Are they making to taxi option difficult for this reason. ?

New tourists arriving who have never been here before don't want to take the train as it's messy if you have kids and bags, also they don't know what station is where ? they don't know where there hotel is located in relation to stations.

The airport taxi system at both airports is a big mess !! you should see Don Muang some days .... 4 queues 60-100 people long.

How would a new traveler feel when thats the first thing to greet him .. ??

[steven100]

Just to add something ....

The reason why this is happening and they have to do it this way is because the taxi drivers are so corrupt and the system is so corrupt that they need to try to control the money ....

[Dannyboy666]

I go to the 4th Floor slide past the lil barrier and jump into a Taxi, Mai Pen Rai...

[jacko45k]

I always book a ride. I know, it isn't an official taxi and perhaps the 'insurance' isn't valid etc etc.

But I don't want to be queueing after a long trip.

[DLock]

I have seen queues as long as this a few times, and other times, empty queue.

The system, in theory, should work better. The taxi driver gets a numbered ticket when he enters the queue, he drives to the spot and the customer is usually waiting, or very close by. He never exits his cab, and his park time is minimal.

The old system, the taxi driver had to park his taxi, wait it some queue near the desks, walk over when it was his turn and then walk back to the taxi.

So, the new system in theory is much more efficient. The ticket dispensers are often broken however, but it still should be faster.

What's the bottleneck failure...or just way more customers?

[Friendly Stranger]

Pls get the kinks out first.

Taxi driver says:

Next stop, highway....

[chatette]

I use AOT cars or Airport link, depending on luggage volume and time of day, to avoid these queues.

The taxi system is inefficient and the quality of drivers and cars completely unpredictable.Why would I waste my time in a queue to buy into that lottery?

AOT may be much more expensive, but the drivers and cars are predictably professional.

[Rumblecat]

Don't understand why the system is worse than before, like DLock says- in theory it should work better. It clearly doesn't- I never saw queues anything close to what they have now with the old system- I think the longest I ever waited for a taxi was perhaps three or four minutes.

Even worse with the express airport link being suspended indefinitely.

I have a wee bit of admiration for people who can take a system that works and then utterly break it though.

[Benmart]

City Link into the city. Bell Bus to Pattaya, pre-booked.

I bypass the taxis as I to have been scammed.

[Tassie Norm]

Used the system 2 hrs ago. No problem at all. Admittedly no huge queue but I recall late last December when the queues were very lengthy and yet it was speedy and, on the surface, efficient. As for 'rorts' I am always with my Thai wife and, as she lived and owned a residence in the past (Samut Prakan) she knows the 'ropes'. I must say the cabbie was not a happy chappy but that could be for a number of reasons. Meter was used of course and we arrived safely..

[asiaexpat]

Seems like ones experience depends on time of day. I have waited over an hour in the que at night but no wait at all 1PM. Now if the que is long I take the Airport Link to Hua Mark and taxi from there.

[kingstonkid]

It is not the best system. It needs more taxis but it is better than the flyby nights that were ripping people off.

[ToneG]

Got ripped off once again last visit usual thing meter no work pay 500 bht to Suk Soi 11. Decided to try BTS and airport link back. Worked well 35bht (or so) BTS 45bht for link no more need to use these sharks. Was quite enjoyable walking the length of Soi 11 with case having Taxi drivers shouting airport and me saying no thanks airport link. Previously none of them wanted to take me to the airport.

[fey]

Got ripped off once again last visit usual thing meter no work pay 500 bht to Suk Soi 11. Decided to try BTS and airport link back. Worked well 35bht (or so) BTS 45bht for link no more need to use these sharks. Was quite enjoyable walking the length of Soi 11 with case having Taxi drivers shouting airport and me saying no thanks airport link. Previously none of them wanted to take me to the airport.

i get flights to bkk (not dmk) at rail link opening times and hotels near the mrt/bts now just so i dont have to deal with taxis to and from the airport. makes the trip much more enjoyable and worry free.

last straw for me was walking for blocks around suk at 3 am trying to find a taxi that would use the meter to the airport. they have a raket at night where they all agree to not use the meter and give the same inflated price. this was before i discovered uber as well.

[ToneG]

Got ripped off once again last visit usual thing meter no work pay 500 bht to Suk Soi 11. Decided to try BTS and airport link back. Worked well 35bht (or so) BTS 45bht for link no more need to use these sharks. Was quite enjoyable walking the length of Soi 11 with case having Taxi drivers shouting airport and me saying no thanks airport link. Previously none of them wanted to take me to the airport.

i get flights to bkk (not dmk) at rail link opening times and hotels near the mrt/bts now just so i dont have to deal with taxis to and from the airport. makes the trip much more enjoyable and worry free.

last straw for me was walking for blocks around suk at 3 am trying to find a taxi that would use the meter to the airport. they have a raket at night where they all agree to not use the meter and give the same inflated price. this was before i discovered uber as well.

When I was a bit of a newbie to Thailand I used to take a Taxi from BKK to Hua Hin until the time before last. That time the driver stopped half way to get fuel demanded 3,500 (1,000) over the top to pay now. Took a taxi that time because there was a lot of trouble at Victory Monument with demonstrations about elections didn't want to hang around at VM. Vowed never again. This time BTS Nana to Victory Monument and the mini bus when back to BKK BtS back. Much better. Don't need taxis public transp[ort fine by me.

[IMA_FARANG]

nn If you think it's bad now, wait until Songkhran and the tourist arrivals.