Uber still waiting to make it official with Thailand

[webfact]

Uber still waiting to make it official with Thailand
By Coconuts Bangkok


The Uber app is popular, but when will it be legal? Photo: Reuters

BANGKOK: -- Though the ride-sharing app is popular and beloved by Thais, Uber is still technically illegal in this country.

The San-Francisco based tech company has called on Thai lawmakers to work on making their operations in Bangkok legal; an objective they are trying to meet in every country they operate in.

Although the ride-sharing apps have been increasingly popular in Bangkok, the city where taxi drivers have a reputation for rejecting and overcharging passengers, no legal guidelines have been set up for them as drivers have reportedly been arrested from time to time for using a private vehicle to operate public transport service.

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/05/17/uber-still-waiting-make-it-official-thailand


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2016-05-17

[fforest1]

Thailand has GrabTaxi Uber is not needed...

[NCC1701A]

i would rather walk 10 kilometers in Bangkok than give the criminal taxi drivers one baht.

bring it on.

[Basil B]

Wont happen...

Too many people with vested interests in high places.

[Sakeopete]

I used it today (Uber Black) for the first time it was great. I like how it shows your car coming to you on a map.

[samtam]

Thailand has GrabTaxi Uber is not needed...

Major difference in car quality, driver professionalism etc, (the surcharge for which I am willing to pay).

[Spellforce]

Thailand has GrabTaxi Uber is not needed...

I downloaded the app and made a try in Pattaya: 210 bahts for a 4km ride.

GT is a scam, Uber is welcomed !

[fforest1]

i would rather walk 10 kilometers in Bangkok than give the criminal taxi drivers one baht.

bring it on.

The taxis might not be perfect but they are some of the

cheapest rides in the world besides India....

[chinostar]

i would rather walk 10 kilometers in Bangkok than give the criminal taxi drivers one baht.

bring it on.

The article is about Uber. You call them criminal?

[iBike]

Thailand has GrabTaxi Uber is not needed...

I downloaded the app and made a try in Pattaya: 210 bahts for a 4km ride.

GT is a scam, Uber is welcomed !

LOL how does that work. It's only a 20 Baht surcharge.

How long have you been in Thailand? Did you check that the meter was on?

[Jip99]

i would rather walk 10 kilometers in Bangkok than give the criminal taxi drivers one baht.

bring it on.

The taxis might not be perfect but they are some of the

cheapest rides in the world besides India....

You will still have the option of using them. Uber is not obligatory.

I used Uber several times recently in UK. Fantastic in my opinion and I would definitely use them in Thailand.

[Snig27]

Thailand has GrabTaxi Uber is not needed...

Thanks for making that decision for me. Uber is actually thriving in Bangkok.

I use it every day and it's well priced, efficient, clean and reliable. Wonderful service.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Snig27

[ZAKY]

I also use uber, it is very convenient and helpful at a time where in Bangkok you have to stop ten cars to get only one accepting your trip ! Some even with their red light on dont stop.

[Bangkok Barry]

Some even with their red light on dont stop.

Anywhere else in the world the For Hire light means you are for hire, but in Bangkok it's different. Very strange. I've never understood that. Impossible to, really, unless you are Thai. They probably understand. And they probably understand why drivers with the red light on drive in the furthest outside lane, making it impossible for people to hail them.

[wpcoe]

Thailand has GrabTaxi Uber is not needed...

I downloaded the app and made a try in Pattaya: 210 bahts for a 4km ride.

GT is a scam, Uber is welcomed !

LOL how does that work. It's only a 20 Baht surcharge.

How long have you been in Thailand? Did you check that the meter was on?

Have you ever used GrabTaxi in Pattaya? That's not how it works. No meter. Hence, no metered fare upon which to add a surcharge. They calculate some (usually exorbitant) fare and advise you when you request the ride. You take it or leave it.

When GrabTaxi first started in Pattaya a few years ago, they did use the meter, but the surcharge was B50. Then they got greedier. Quelle surprise, non?

Edited May 17, 2016 by wpcoe

[user82374298374]

The problem with Uber is that you can't schedule a car to pick you up in advance - you just summon one when you're ready, and then hope the driver can make it through the Bangkok traffic to get to you in a reasonable amount of time.

A very serious shortcoming. Just the other night, I had an Uber driver accept my pickup request for Lotus/Tesco at Fortune Town, but then ring me to say she couldn't make it because she was stuck in a traffic jam and couldn't make her way down the exit ramp from the tollway. When I asked her why she accepted my Uber hail if she was stuck in traffic, she replied, "I have to, I'm given no choice."

My experiences with Uber in Bangkok have been good, when they can show up within a reasonable amount of time to pick me up. That's maybe 50% of the time.

[Snig27]

The problem with Uber is that you can't schedule a car to pick you up in advance - you just summon one when you're ready, and then hope the driver can make it through the Bangkok traffic to get to you in a reasonable amount of time.

A very serious shortcoming. Just the other night, I had an Uber driver accept my pickup request for Lotus/Tesco at Fortune Town, but then ring me to say she couldn't make it because she was stuck in a traffic jam and couldn't make her way down the exit ramp from the tollway. When I asked her why she accepted my Uber hail if she was stuck in traffic, she replied, "I have to, I'm given no choice."

My experiences with Uber in Bangkok have been good, when they can show up within a reasonable amount of time to pick me up. That's maybe 50% of the time.

Yeah, that's my only real complaint too - oh and drivers that are completely unable to read a google map or follow a gps. Then, I've had that in Singapore (twice this week), New Zealand and London too.

[samtam]

The problem with Uber is that you can't schedule a car to pick you up in advance - you just summon one when you're ready, and then hope the driver can make it through the Bangkok traffic to get to you in a reasonable amount of time.

A very serious shortcoming. Just the other night, I had an Uber driver accept my pickup request for Lotus/Tesco at Fortune Town, but then ring me to say she couldn't make it because she was stuck in a traffic jam and couldn't make her way down the exit ramp from the tollway. When I asked her why she accepted my Uber hail if she was stuck in traffic, she replied, "I have to, I'm given no choice."

My experiences with Uber in Bangkok have been good, when they can show up within a reasonable amount of time to pick me up. That's maybe 50% of the time.

Yeah, that's my only real complaint too - oh and drivers that are completely unable to read a google map or follow a gps. Then, I've had that in Singapore (twice this week), New Zealand and London too.

Although I love Uber, (as stated in an earlier post in this topic), I have found the unreliable GPS a problem, and I thought it was just me. 50% of the time the car goes to an address in Suan Phlu instead of mine, a soi off Sathorn Tai. The last time I used the service, it picked me up correctly at Central Chidlom, and the driver's destination was incorrect compared to mine, (she showed me her phone and I showed her mine). There is a discrepancy in the GPS co-ordinates, or in English it shows a different address to that in Thai. I think I have overcome the problem by keying in my address, (a soi number, 27/2 - which is the non-sensical Thai postal address), rather than the condo name, (which is correct in English, but completely different in Thai). I don't know who does their GPS co-ordinates, but it is certainly an issue, and the driver admitted as much. When I have given the feedback to Uber Support it gets answered in the USA I think, so has no local knowledge input. When it all works I love it, but I'm still tweaking with the service, for the reasons aforementioned.

[anotheruser]

i would rather walk 10 kilometers in Bangkok than give the criminal taxi drivers one baht.

bring it on.

The article is about Uber. You call them criminal?

The title of the article does suggest that Uber isn't legal. so what is your point? Not that I care but yes what they are doing is technically illegal.

[Rayk]

Thailand has GrabTaxi Uber is not needed...

I downloaded the app and made a try in Pattaya: 210 bahts for a 4km ride.

GT is a scam, Uber is welcomed !

I've used grab taxi numerous times in Bangkok and other areas and have had absolutely no issues with the service or its drivers with only a 20b surcharge on top of the metered rate.

And to answer the question you posted to another member I can say I have used grab taxi in Pattaya and wasn't even charged any surcharge due to a promotion they were having on top of the metered rate.

Are you sure it wasn't Uber that you were using.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Rayk

[dhream]

Thailand has GrabTaxi Uber is not needed...

Oh Okay... i'll call the Uber CEO and let him know you've decided on our behalf.

Seems a popular fashion in LOS of late, self-appointed social 'guardians' telling the rest of us how to live...

[dhream]

Thailand has GrabTaxi Uber is not needed...

Oh Okay... i'll call the Uber CEO and let him know you've decided on our behalf.

Seems a popular fashion in LOS of late, self-appointed social 'guardians' telling the rest of us how to live...

[anotheruser]

Can you call them twice?

[dhream]

The problem with Uber is that you can't schedule a car to pick you up in advance - you just summon one when you're ready, and then hope the driver can make it through the Bangkok traffic to get to you in a reasonable amount of time.

A very serious shortcoming. Just the other night, I had an Uber driver accept my pickup request for Lotus/Tesco at Fortune Town, but then ring me to say she couldn't make it because she was stuck in a traffic jam and couldn't make her way down the exit ramp from the tollway. When I asked her why she accepted my Uber hail if she was stuck in traffic, she replied, "I have to, I'm given no choice."

My experiences with Uber in Bangkok have been good, when they can show up within a reasonable amount of time to pick me up. That's maybe 50% of the time.

Yeah, that's my only real complaint too - oh and drivers that are completely unable to read a google map or follow a gps. Then, I've had that in Singapore (twice this week), New Zealand and London too.

Try Chiang Mai.

No taxis anywhere but the luxe hotel forecourts (if they're pre-pre-pre-ordered) and the scareport, and the lazy bastards now want THB 300 to go anywhere... nice to see the 'war on corruption' going so well up north, thank you for your service, local Army, Navy, and Marines. Not.

[Jimbo2014]

Have to get rid of the taxi mafia first. They have blocked Grab car - it use to be great - taxis complained it was taking their business. No kidding sherlock, a one armed chimp could do better than the taxi companies.

[Puccini]

...The last time I used the service, it picked me up correctly at Central Chidlom, and the driver's destination was incorrect compared to mine, (she showed me her phone and I showed her mine). There is a discrepancy in the GPS co-ordinates, or in English it shows a different address to that in Thai. I think I have overcome the problem by keying in my address, (a soi number, 27/2 - which is the non-sensical Thai postal address), rather than the condo name, (which is correct in English, but completely different in Thai). I don't know who does their GPS co-ordinates, but it is certainly an issue, and the driver admitted as much. When I have given the feedback to Uber Support it gets answered in the USA I think, so has no local knowledge input. When it all works I love it, but I'm still tweaking with the service, for the reasons aforementioned.

Does Uber accept digital GPS coordinates for a pick-up address?

[Snig27]

The problem with Uber is that you can't schedule a car to pick you up in advance - you just summon one when you're ready, and then hope the driver can make it through the Bangkok traffic to get to you in a reasonable amount of time.

A very serious shortcoming. Just the other night, I had an Uber driver accept my pickup request for Lotus/Tesco at Fortune Town, but then ring me to say she couldn't make it because she was stuck in a traffic jam and couldn't make her way down the exit ramp from the tollway. When I asked her why she accepted my Uber hail if she was stuck in traffic, she replied, "I have to, I'm given no choice."

My experiences with Uber in Bangkok have been good, when they can show up within a reasonable amount of time to pick me up. That's maybe 50% of the time.

Yeah, that's my only real complaint too - oh and drivers that are completely unable to read a google map or follow a gps. Then, I've had that in Singapore (twice this week), New Zealand and London too.

Although I love Uber, (as stated in an earlier post in this topic), I have found the unreliable GPS a problem, and I thought it was just me. 50% of the time the car goes to an address in Suan Phlu instead of mine, a soi off Sathorn Tai. The last time I used the service, it picked me up correctly at Central Chidlom, and the driver's destination was incorrect compared to mine, (she showed me her phone and I showed her mine). There is a discrepancy in the GPS co-ordinates, or in English it shows a different address to that in Thai. I think I have overcome the problem by keying in my address, (a soi number, 27/2 - which is the non-sensical Thai postal address), rather than the condo name, (which is correct in English, but completely different in Thai). I don't know who does their GPS co-ordinates, but it is certainly an issue, and the driver admitted as much. When I have given the feedback to Uber Support it gets answered in the USA I think, so has no local knowledge input. When it all works I love it, but I'm still tweaking with the service, for the reasons aforementioned.

The map information comes from Google. I've had to fix the Google maps entry for my house (and much else around here, but that's beside the point) and now it works perfectly. I gave my address a name of Home on my Google map and now Uber recognises that on my devices (I'm signed into maps).

The most unreliable GPS I encounter is Singapore. It can put you miles away.

[Somtamnication]

Hey Uber. The envelopes have to be legal size and deeper.

[samtam]

The problem with Uber is that you can't schedule a car to pick you up in advance - you just summon one when you're ready, and then hope the driver can make it through the Bangkok traffic to get to you in a reasonable amount of time.

A very serious shortcoming. Just the other night, I had an Uber driver accept my pickup request for Lotus/Tesco at Fortune Town, but then ring me to say she couldn't make it because she was stuck in a traffic jam and couldn't make her way down the exit ramp from the tollway. When I asked her why she accepted my Uber hail if she was stuck in traffic, she replied, "I have to, I'm given no choice."

My experiences with Uber in Bangkok have been good, when they can show up within a reasonable amount of time to pick me up. That's maybe 50% of the time.

Yeah, that's my only real complaint too - oh and drivers that are completely unable to read a google map or follow a gps. Then, I've had that in Singapore (twice this week), New Zealand and London too.

Although I love Uber, (as stated in an earlier post in this topic), I have found the unreliable GPS a problem, and I thought it was just me. 50% of the time the car goes to an address in Suan Phlu instead of mine, a soi off Sathorn Tai. The last time I used the service, it picked me up correctly at Central Chidlom, and the driver's destination was incorrect compared to mine, (she showed me her phone and I showed her mine). There is a discrepancy in the GPS co-ordinates, or in English it shows a different address to that in Thai. I think I have overcome the problem by keying in my address, (a soi number, 27/2 - which is the non-sensical Thai postal address), rather than the condo name, (which is correct in English, but completely different in Thai). I don't know who does their GPS co-ordinates, but it is certainly an issue, and the driver admitted as much. When I have given the feedback to Uber Support it gets answered in the USA I think, so has no local knowledge input. When it all works I love it, but I'm still tweaking with the service, for the reasons aforementioned.

The map information comes from Google. I've had to fix the Google maps entry for my house (and much else around here, but that's beside the point) and now it works perfectly. I gave my address a name of Home on my Google map and now Uber recognises that on my devices (I'm signed into maps).

The most unreliable GPS I encounter is Singapore. It can put you miles away.

OK, thanks for enlightening me on source of GPS co-ordinates, but I'm not sure why the English version of my condo name comes out as a completely different one in Thai. Is that Google maps too, or Uber? Can you provide this Google map neanderthal (moi) with instructions on how to fix the Google map entry?

Today my pick up was OK because I used the Thai version of my condo name. The return journey I did the same, but the driver didn't know where it was, which wasn't such a big problem because I was travelling with him, so could tell him; obviously slightly defeats the point of GPS, and it would be an issue if I didn't know the route to my destination.

Edited May 18, 2016 by samtam

[Prbkk]

How does it work? I need an account for Thailand, another for Euros, one for Australia, another for USA? Why can't they have one multi currency system? It's too confusing.