Phuket taxi pulling a fast one with a fast meter?

[webfact]

Phuket taxi pulling a fast one with a fast meter?

 

Image: Video screenshot

 

PHUKET: -- A video posted online has gone viral after it showed a short taxi journey with the meter speeding faster than the driver!

 

In the car was a Thai woman and a foreign man who were on their way from Phuket airport to a hotel.

 

In just a short journey of a few minutes the meter reached 110 baht and neither the passengers nor the driver are happy, reports Sanook.

 

In the end the driver takes them back to the airport and is heard to remark to the girl on the counter: "Bloody annoying people!"

 

The video was posted on the Facebook page of Tarn Charinrat and in next to no time had been viewed 100,000 times with 4,000 shares.

 

The passengers questioned the speed of the meter but some posters online said that this was normal for Phuket. Others said it was too expensive and the driver was conning the passengers with an incorrectly set meter and should be reported.

 

Many said that this fleecing was practiced on both Thai and foreign tourists and was another nail in the coffin for the image of Thai tourism.

 

Source: Sanook

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2016-12-06

 

[madmitch]

Doesn't look any different to the last time I used a Meter Taxi in Phuket. Worked out at 900 baht for 48km in the end.

 

How has this made the news?

[F4UCorsair]

I bet not one tourist is lost because of this, regardless of how many hits and shares.

 

Nail in the coffin of Thai tourism?  I bet not.

[realenglish1]

That is way too fast for a meter to be Should be checked by the authorities 

[LivinginKata]

53 minutes ago, realenglish1 said:

That is way too fast for a meter to be Should be checked by the authorities 

 

 No doubt the official meter checker/setter will get his percentage ...

[StefanBBK]

Not sure what official fares in Phuket are,  but compared to bangkok it seems expensive.

[timendres]

If you watch the Km portion of the meter, you will see the price runs up 6 baht in less than 1 Km.

Definitely not right.

[oldgent]

its a set up who gets into a  taxi and takes a video of the meter 

[KenKadz]

Looks like out of control gouging and no control by authorities.

[NamKangMan]

 

Ahhhh, land transport, the sector of the Phuket tourism industry that just keeps giving. 

[madmitch]

4 hours ago, timendres said:

If you watch the Km portion of the meter, you will see the price runs up 6 baht in less than 1 Km.

Definitely not right.

6 baht in one km? That would be the cheapest taxi in Phuket by far!

[gdgbb]

3 hours ago, oldgent said:

its a set up who gets into a  taxi and takes a video of the meter 

Many would when they realise that the meter is "adjusted".

[steve burton]

That normal for Phuket/.two rip people off.they have been doing it for years


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[Tiffer]

Bla bla bla

Welcome to lawless thailand

[Psimbo]

7 hours ago, timendres said:

If you watch the Km portion of the meter, you will see the price runs up 6 baht in less than 1 Km.

Definitely not right.

The first Km are more expensive in taxis most places in the world. You can see the  km distance as well as fares on the Phuket meters.

 

 I noticed that from the airport out to Thepkasattri it ran quicker for the first couple of km, then settled- there is a flagdrop rate (and the B100 Airport pickup tax). Fare to Kamala was B450 plus the 100= B550, reasonable to me for Phuket.  B110 could have been correct- depends on one's interpretation of a 'short distance'.

Edited December 6, 2016 by Psimbo

[A1Str8]

Walk then. It's cheaper. 

[jacko45k]

6 hours ago, Psimbo said:

The first Km are more expensive in taxis most places in the world. You can see the  km distance as well as fares on the Phuket meters.

 

 I noticed that from the airport out to Thepkasattri it ran quicker for the first couple of km, then settled- there is a flagdrop rate (and the B100 Airport pickup tax). Fare to Kamala was B450 plus the 100= B550, reasonable to me for Phuket.  B110 could have been correct- depends on one's interpretation of a 'short distance'.

Yes but isn't the minimum fare a starting point and then it clicks on after the 1st KM?

Taxi meters are a frightening device!

[rodney earl]

Just another example of two tier pricing.

[F4UCorsair]

12 hours ago, steve burton said:

That normal for Phuket/.two rip people off.they have been doing it for years


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

 

 

It's normal for tourist spots the world over.  Some things never change.

[madmitch]

4 hours ago, rodney earl said:

Just another example of two tier pricing.

You obviously don't know Phuket, where locals are charged the same as tourists for taxis and tuk-tuks.

[arrowsdawdle]

22 hours ago, realenglish1 said:

That is way too fast for a meter to be Should be checked by the authorities 

 

According to one driver in BKK, all they do is put small wheels on the taxi and when going for inspection just put the regular wheels back on.

[LivinginKata]

1 hour ago, arrowsdawdle said:

 

According to one driver in BKK, all they do is put small wheels on the taxi and when going for inspection just put the regular wheels back on.

 

Yes, that would work. Meter 'sees' more klicks than the real distance ... clever.

[tallfarang]

As pointed out before, this is expensive for Bangkok, but if the fare was going to be around 900 or 1000 to go to Patong, or Karon, the meter is not "rigged" just set up for Phuket pricing.