We are a big hit in Chiang Mai – says Uber

[Wilted Flower of Scotland]

4 hours ago, Sig said:

That's good way to get yourself into a lot of unnecessary trouble. And if you happen to get a driver who doesn't whip out his machete or otherwise go bezerk on you for your completely condescending, rude behavior that he has had one too many times from farang who think they know better, you will just be cementing the distaste for foreigners into the mind of what otherwise may be a very kind person. Besides that, why would you want to rip off a guy like that? Believe it or not, they have a system, whether you or I like it or not, and it isn't all based on seeing how much they can rip off the foreigner. I talked with a driver for a while about it one day. Maybe you think 20 baht is ok because you have never been outside of the confines of the moat or taken a ride off of a regular route? Your comment helps me understand why it seems that a good number of drivers are not very pleasant to me when first approaching them, but they often relax and open up when I speak Thai with them. I've also spoken with a number of Thai locals to get an understanding of prices. I don't only rely on what any given driver may tell me.

I speak Thai also and do so with the Songtaew driver,never had a single problem,bad look or angry word you are talking total and utter nonsense in a vain attempt to hide your cluelessness,they must laugh when they see you coming!

[balo]

4 hours ago, Sig said:

Yep, if you're by a regular route it works well, no doubt.

 

I think we need to stop discussing what is the obvious thing , of course you have to pay extra if you're not following the normal route . Then I would choose Uber if I need to travel from A to B.  

But my point is you can get away much cheaper if you have time to use the songtaews and know where you're heading. 

 

 

[Sig]

11 hours ago, Wilted Flower of Scotland said:

I speak Thai also and do so with the Songtaew driver,never had a single problem,bad look or angry word you are talking total and utter nonsense in a vain attempt to hide your cluelessness,they must laugh when they see you coming!

I guess you have somehow missed numerous stories over the years where drivers have done exactly what I described. 
You don't need to be insulting and condescending. I don't see how that adds to anything, except perhaps your ego. I'm glad you haven't had any problems with just giving 20 baht and walk off without asking what the fare is. I can only assume you are talking about taking songtaews on regular routes because otherwise it makes no sense, not only from my experience (as clueless as you may deem that to be, with no knowledge whatsoever in fact), but also from, as I mentioned, talking with the drivers and local Thais who ride the vehicles on a regular basis. So I guess they are also all clueless as well? But you never addressed that and just fling insults instead. I feel sorry for people like you.

Edited November 19, 2016 by Sig

[Sig]

11 hours ago, balo said:

 

I think we need to stop discussing what is the obvious thing , of course you have to pay extra if you're not following the normal route . Then I would choose Uber if I need to travel from A to B.  

But my point is you can get away much cheaper if you have time to use the songtaews and know where you're heading. 

 

 

Although I agree with you, as you can see, it isn't obvious to some... And he not only refuses to acknowledge what seems to be obvious, he adds insult on top of it.
I can understand why people leave these forums even though they can be quite helpful sometimes.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

13 hours ago, Wilted Flower of Scotland said:

I speak Thai also and do so with the Songtaew driver,never had a single problem,bad look or angry word you are talking total and utter nonsense in a vain attempt to hide your cluelessness,they must laugh when they see you coming!

It's ironic how many who may indeed speak some Thai can often be the ones having great difficulty doing the most rudimentary tasks.  When in doubt, verify the price...that goes for Karaoke, bar girls, even foreign owned restaurants, and especially modes of transport.  Are any of the Reds even on a fixed route?  I know blue, yellow, and green are but five reds will give you five different prices to go the same place and the amount of traffic and where they are going affects that price, too.  And for some reason if their gf or wife is with them, they try to put one on.  Then there are the packs of them at places like Nimman,  Moon Mueang, and Prom who are strictly big game hunting and will charge you 150 to go 1 km if they think they can get away with it.  After dark, this becomes the rule.  You ain't in Pattaya, anymore, Dorky.

Edited November 19, 2016 by KhonKaenKowboy

[balo]

10 hours ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

You ain't in Pattaya, anymore, Dorky.

 

Well it's the same actually , in Pattaya you pay 10 - 20 baht for the baht bus on a regular route . In Chiang Mai it's 20 baht to most places on a regular route.  

If you want a private ride in Pattaya you have to pay 150 to 250 baht .   So I don't see the difference here.  If I want to go from Pattaya to Jomtien I always use the 10 baht route. If you want to go from A to B, maybe you live 2 km away from regular route , be prepared to pay a lot more. 

 

 

Edited November 19, 2016 by balo

[KhonKaenKowboy]

No it's not the same, because most trips could be accomplished by going in either direction on the baht bus..you no unerstan.

[balo]

8 minutes ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

No it's not the same, because most trips could be accomplished by going in either direction on the baht bus..you no unerstan.

 

I just moved to CM from Pattaya , I think I understand how it works here. I am a cheap charlie so I always catch a songteow and I pay 20 baht , same same , I walk and I pay 20 baht , then I walk a bit and pay 20 baht when I return  . Comprende? 

 

[KhonKaenKowboy]

See I knew it was some idiot from pottyya making the recs...the layout is much different here...I've been coming here 12 years, and have owned two homes here..never owned a. Motorbike..so we'll let the reader decide...

[terminatorchiangmai]

Tried Uber last 2 weekends going form Loi Kroh to Santitham and back. All rides only 65 baht and waiting time was only 10 minutes.

Some drivers complain they not make money , but that is there style trying to get a tip.

I always top up to 100.- baht because its so convenient sitting in a normal car with air-con.

I also hear from an honest female driver that she made good money,.

[dhream]

On 17/11/2016 at 9:12 AM, elektrified said:

Songtaews are pricey? The last time I took one (about 5 years ago) , it cost 17 Baht to get from Kad Luang to Mae Jo University! Are you joking? I'm fairly certian the price has not gone up.

It's never less than THB 20 now. Plus, these dirty diesels putter about all over the place to get to your destination, plus, it's inherently dangerous, sitting sideways is not a great thing in any collision over 5 km/h, plus, it's standing in the heat and the dust waving down, negotiating.

It is early days, Uber, given the chance, will crush the Mafia here and there is nothing they can do about it, but get on the bloody roads, where they should be, not holed up at the airport. Better global Taxi services than these tinpot gangstas have had to accept Uber, riots and all...

It is a sweet sweet revenge for us all, Thailand is being FORCED into compliance with the rest of the civilised world. They can't have their corrupt cake and eat it forever, it doesn't work that way.

[dhream]

On 20/11/2016 at 7:54 AM, terminatorchiangmai said:

Tried Uber last 2 weekends going form Loi Kroh to Santitham and back. All rides only 65 baht and waiting time was only 10 minutes.

Some drivers complain they not make money , but that is there style trying to get a tip.

I always top up to 100.- baht because its so convenient sitting in a normal car with air-con.

I also hear from an honest female driver that she made good money,.

There is plenty money in it for people who WORK like the rest of the planet have to. What they mean is the can't game the system so farangs pay more. You can bet they are not whining to any Thai passengers about the money! In fact, just like the luxury red plate cars many can't afford, if uber have a very smart Thai marketing team they can create a certain status cachet by catching uber. IF uber drivers are available on my nights out I will gladly pay the party premiums that uber (not the driver) charge for the added peace of mind and ability to have a decent night on the town! The drivers also get a cut of this. Once they accept this is the way 'we do it now' it will be great. Going 'off the app' is NOT a good idea, anything goes wrong, you have ZERO comeback, even your insurance won't cover you for any medical then! But few realise this...

[dhream]

If you don't wear a seatbelt in the back of a taxi (yes I know the clowns hide them, Grrrr!) and you get messed up bad, your insurance will investigate the wreck, and .... they WON'T PAY. Same if you wilfully refuse to wear available belts, they know from millions of accidents what injuries are sustained under thousands of scenarios. In more advanced countries, the police have been forensically able to determine the true speed of vehicles in any accident for decades.

Edited November 27, 2016 by dhream

[dhream]

On 18/11/2016 at 0:24 PM, siam2007 said:

as anywhere in the Kingdom where the Tsunami of clueless Chinese mainland tourists reaches the shores, prices for everything go up quickly. Transportation is no exception

I think you'll find Chinese are very frugal in tourism, plus they buy stuff we usually don't care for anyway, weird potions, religious and 'lucky' artefacts, gold jewellery etc. 

What actually drives prices up worldwide, is the fact that property is now a speculative commodity rather than a living necessity.

When property shifts at galactic levels, other prices must follow.

Also BRICS countries are seeing massive -unprecedented in human history- middle class growth. Adding fuel to the price fire.

Where it will end in tears, is when the debt bubble bursts, wiping out the teetering wealth of these newly minted middle earners. They still lack fundamental monetary sense. It's everyone on the sheeple property market gravy train, mortgaged to the hilt! What could possibly go wrong?

[jim cortesos]

Does Uber service Khon  Kaen?

[stament]

what a shame this thread has degraded into a game of oneupmanship for some. 

[Chicog]

Meanwhile if anyone else has had positive experiences with Uber, please let us know, distance, fare, etc.

I for one see it as a usefull addition to CM public transport. Off route songthaews are worse than tuk tuks for trying to extort farang in my experience.

 

[thai006]

 i was in cm 2 day and i only use uber x    the mafia taxi  or tuk tuk in nite should asking me for  nimann  soi 11 to night bazar 100 150b  uber ask 50 b  and   that a revolutionn lol i love uber thank you 

Edited November 28, 2016 by thai006

[Chicog]

1 hour ago, thai006 said:

 i was in cm 2 day and i only use uber x    the mafia taxi  or tuk tuk in nite should asking me for  nimann  soi 11 to night bazar 100 150b  uber ask 50 b  and   that a revolutionn lol i love uber thank you 

 

Wow that is quite significant. 

Thanks for the post.

[Bassosa]

Nimmanhaemin to MAIIAM contemporary art museum in San Kamphaeng ~135 baht

[bubba]

On 28/11/2016 at 1:32 AM, jim cortesos said:

Does Uber service Khon  Kaen?

 

No, but Grab just started there last week, using the city's meter taxis and rates are quite reasonable. Centre city to the airport cost me just 79 baht. Contrasting that to the situation in Chiang Mai, I think Uber would have much less of an opportunity in KK.

[bubba]

I just did a trip to Chiang Mai and had a very good experience using Uber. Very inexpensive to use, good cars and drivers as well. There is a flat rate of 150 baht to the airport, which I did. The driver even had a pass to take a short cut through the RTAF base and with the traffic being horrendous in Chiang Mai this weekend, that saved a lot of time. The driver was female, spoke excellent English and was a real pleasure to talk with for the journey.

[terminatorchiangmai]

Used Uber again this weekend going from Loi Kroh to Nimman , one time 75 baht , back 60 bath.

Uber gave me a promotion that took 50 baht of from both rides , so i only had to pay 25 and 10 baht , which left the rest of the 100 baht as a tip for the excellent drivers.

[siam2007]

On 01/12/2016 at 10:44 AM, bubba said:

 

No, but Grab just started there last week, using the city's meter taxis and rates are quite reasonable. Centre city to the airport cost me just 79 baht. Contrasting that to the situation in Chiang Mai, I think Uber would have much less of an opportunity in KK.

 

 

That is great news if they start to operate even at places such as Khon Kaen at regular rates. Sadly, the same can not be said for touristic cities such as Pattaya, where even GRAB quoted my 275 Baht for a 4 km ride from my weekend retreat to the Bus station