Docno Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 52 minutes ago, jonclark said: If Uber are doing so well and stealing all his customer, then why does this guy become self employed and become an Uber driver? Possibly because Uber drivers have to provide their own vehicle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exalll Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 14 minutes ago, ratcatcher said: Is this Bangkok taxis or from BKK or DMK airports? City taxis usually use the meter for short trips around town. Exactly! What's this "I negotiate before I get in ...", "I hate it when they charge something different from what we negotiated ..." nonsense? Taxis have meters, hence no negotiation. I frequently take a taxi to Suvarnabhumi. I know that from my apt, there is ThB 75 in tolls, +/- ThB 260 on the meter and with a tip of around ThB 50 (if he is good), the total is about ThB 400. But if a taxi driver tries not to use his meter and quotes "ThB 400", I just ignore him. Same cost, but if he wants to break the law, I don't want to be in his car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garywim Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 Everytime I've tried to get a taxi from Downtown to Lard Prao, I've been refused many times and when we eventually get a taxi, there are no seat belts available. Why is this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 50 minutes ago, jonclark said: If Uber are doing so well and stealing all his customer, then why does this guy become self employed and become an Uber driver? What makes you think Uber drivers are doing any better? Just because a bunch of unregulated part timers have put out a shingle and taken away a bunch of business, doesn't mean they're rolling in dough. Before Uber, Bangkok already had too many taxi drivers. Then comes Uber, adding even more -illegal on several levels- many of them part timers just looking to offset a portion of the car payment. Take it to an extreme, imagine everyone who owns a car in BKK were to sign on to Uber and take 2-3 fares a day just for spending money. How would you expect legal taxis to stay in business? If we want them to serve our needs, we have to let them make some money. That only seems fair. Look at the OP photo from the point of reference of a taxi driver. Now, imagine when your taxi gets to the front of that line, you're only guaranteed to get a fare worth $1.00. You may get more, but $1.00 is all you're guaranteed. I don't blame them for being upset about unlimited illegal competition with no taxes, no license fees, and no meters limiting their take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitman Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 What about taxidrivers blocking the most left lane or 2 of them? They cause A LOT of congestion and should be sent away. At some malls there's a row of 40-50 waiting taxi's down the road, the bus/minivans can't stop and there's a huge trafficjam because of them. BKK traffic would be much better without so many taxi's/minibus/bahtbus/big bus/motocy taxi's....just one good transport system is needed and nothing else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MolesterStallone Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 (edited) Market competition is fair and I have made my personal choice, as others will whatever that ay be and stopped using Uber in Thailand. Every Uber I have experienced has needed directing to pick up and to destination, driver and vehicle quality varies massively rolling around in a Ford focus on chromed 20" alloys is not how I like to arrive anywhere. I have also had some refuse to follow my directions and end up sitting in traffic for 30 mins extra. Another gripe I have with them is some have easypass and some do not but unlike a taxi you don't see the meter rolling up and the fare / toll split on your end of journey bill. - This could bee there I just haven't found it in app. Taxis I have less problems with if they are rude or drunk I just get out and get another. I have a couple of local taxis on Line that I just ping a message to I give them the cash for toll way and everything's sweet. Edited December 9, 2016 by MolesterStallone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrTuner Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 I'm eagerly waiting for the fleets of self driving taxis to arrive. Good riddance with the human drivers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mortenaa Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 1 hour ago, AlQaholic said: I don't get it, how, in Thailand can a Uber driver compete with the regular taxis? The taxi services are dirt cheap and available anywhere almost instantly on the streets of Bkk. Admittedly there are chinks like the thing about not getting a cab because it is time to go back to the depot, or the taxi waiting cue at Don Muang (why I always just walk across the street and grab a taxi there), or how it is impossible to get a taxi when it rains..... I would think with the BKK traffic it would take about two to three times longer to just wait for the Uber than to actually take a taxi and get to your destination already? Where I live in Sukhumvit, I used to order taxi with on the phone. You could sit there and wait for 30 minutes. No taxis available, sir. <deleted>! Flights missed and whatever not.. This was the rule, not the exception. With Uber, it's like a liberation. You can see on the app exactly where the car is and how many minutes before arrival. The car doesn't smell, the drivers doesn't moan. I could continue until tomorrow.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 He moans that his costs are four times that of a Uber driver? He can't feed the family? Obvious solution: Drive for Uber. They will even hire out cars at 500 baht/day to drivers, and they are of course in good condition as well. That is, if he can pass Uber's background check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vermor Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 why not complaining about Skytrain, Subways and Buses ?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebonykap Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 I sometimes think I must live in a different Bangkok to some of the people here. Admittedly, I don't use taxis a lot, but overall my experiences I would rate as "good". Another poster mentioned Australia and, having been a taxi owner/driver there, I agree there has been a massive outcry from the taxi industry regarding Uber. In my opinion, there is a double-edged sword here. While I believe in the operation of the free market, there also needs to be a level playing field. On the one hand, the industry needed a shake-up with the general level of service deteriorating rapidly. Uber helps to provide this. On the other hand, the exorbitant fees and charges imposed on the taxi drivers by the industry and the government makes it almost impossible for them to compete with Uber. For example, I could make $8,000 a month in fares and $6,000 or more of that would go to the industry and the government. And that is on 12 hour shifts 6 or 7 days/week. This is why I do sympathise with the good taxi drivers in Bangkok, as theirs is a difficult lot. If I was to go back to Australia, perish the thought, driving for Uber would be an attractive option for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 (edited) 34 minutes ago, mortenaa said: The car doesn't smell, the drivers doesn't moan. I could continue until tomorrow.. How long do you figure that's going to last? Eventually, the Uber experience will be eroded until it's no better than the legal taxis. It's just going to take some time for the hucksters to jump in and learn to game the system. (Edit: and for even the new cars to get thrashed) Edited December 9, 2016 by impulse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM07 Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 My wife and I moved to Wong Wienyai and ordered Grab twice. Driver arrived 5 mins after ordered, taxi was clean, price as stated, service was prompt. From home to somewhere: Grab it is!Sick and tired of discussing my life-choices with a driver!Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonmarleesco Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 3 hours ago, webfact said: They don't have to follow the same laws as him, he claims. Which particular laws would those be, I wonder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonmarleesco Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 6 minutes ago, ebonykap said: '... I do sympathise with the good taxi drivers ...' And there you have it. Too much chaff; not enough wheat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beats56 Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 My son took a uber taxi from the airport bangkok to Rayong for 1000bt I usually pay a bit more than that. it was a good deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongoose11 Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 I've recently relocated to Hanoi and can say Grab motorcycle is a life saver and super cheap, good to hear they've arrived in BKK - how about Chiang Mai? That place so needs grab and the likes to topple the taxi monopoly up there, I'd heard Uber we coming but that's surely gonna ruffle some feathers with even motorcycle guys in orange bibs banned from central parts (not sure what the deal is there as in the past they'd have come in bloody handy). Gone are the days of trying to flag a cab down intamarra 47 while working up a sweat fest before work. How much do you think the average Uber driver makes working full-time? Grab are cheaper here and part of the deal is they can take upto 20% commission: Quote: The company is tight-lipped about the exact fees it collects today, but in the past it disclosed that it extracted S$0.30 (US$0.20) out of each ride in Singapore, THB 25 (US$0.70) per ride in Thailand, between five to ten percent of the taxi fare in Malaysia, and PHP 70 (US$1.48) per passenger in the Philippines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrward42 Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 I live on Sukhumvit and work near Hua Mark. I used to take taxis and was, on average, rejected by two before one would accept me. I then tried Grabtaxi and had the awesome experience of being rejected by 20 taxis at once. Next was Uber and I have never looked back. Nice cars and satnav and the price for Uberx is exactly the same as a taxi. If I am on Sukhumvit and going somewhere else on Sukhumvit, then I normally take a taxi and have hardly ever had a problem. Unless it is late and they go back to rejection mode. Uber cars are generally a bit nicer and don't reject you so they are increasingly what I prefer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod reborn Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 Thais can't stand competition. Dear Somchai taxi driver: After decades of refusing rides because of "too much traffic", "no gas" and "I'm looking for a stupid tourist sucker", refusing to use a meter, modifying your meter to jack up the rate, and scamming tourists by diverting them to shops which give you kickbacks, you have now been put of business by honest operators. Tough ti##ies. Signed, Your customer base Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtm2k Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 (edited) 3 hours ago, daveAustin said: Thais absolutely despise competition absolutely true, and this stands true for any profession in LOS ! but the other side of the same coin is that there are thai's (albeit a minority) who know how to overcome competition with know-how and creativity. Edited December 9, 2016 by gtm2k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldiablo72 Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 What he meant to say was that he had been driving around for an hour without any hope of getting the customers who flagged him down to take his cab without the meter running.If he is so pissed about Uber than maybe he should sign up with grab taxi, oh wait a minute, he won't be able to either refuse or scam a customer if he did that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 2 hours ago, Brer Fox said: If he is in Bangkok all he needs do is go to Soi 4 Sukhumvit, turn off the meter like the rest of his mates and charge what ever he can get away with. There is a motza to be made. I think you'll find that it's a pretty exclusive club, and any non-member who tries that would be sent on his way, post-haste. And not very politely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatproblem Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 What's the problem ,I think the taxis here are as good as the police are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 4 minutes ago, whatproblem said: What's the problem ,I think the taxis here are as good as the police are Asked and answered... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elgordo38 Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 (edited) 5 hours ago, Thechook said: Completion improves services. Adapt and overcome. Make what you provide superior and at competitive pricing and you will prevail. The elephant in the room is government taxi regulations and hoops to jump through. Yes Uber has exploded across the planet made millions for a select few who provided "seed" money. Have they built a better mouse trap? depends from which angle you look at it. Sometimes I think these Uber and B2B ideas are like an invasive species. Its hard to put the people that are hurt by these new mouse traps into prospective. Yes we old farts lived a more casual life and are now retired but in this fast changing world your the flavor of the day one day and the next your thrown on the junk pile of progress. Next comes Uber self driving cars, meal on wheels airplanes possibly invading every facet of society. Who wants to commiserate with one ranting taxi driver or millions of taxi drivers around the world and others?? No one I guess. Edited December 9, 2016 by elgordo38 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vermor Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 I wonder what they will do when auto-guiding cars are on the market! Even Uber has bought some of this auto-guiding cars in an other country.... Maybe it s time to understand that technologies will steal our work, and that the "salary" need to be replace by a "basic income". But this idea isn t even welcome in our countries yet.... Yeah enjoy competition! and forget about cooperation... sad sad sad... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PremiumLane Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 All very well talking about competition, but that is not what Uber is about. They will drive normal taxi services out and then hike prices up. They can afford to be fairly cheap and reasonable now because they have a lot of venture capital money propping them up. But, the venture guys will want that money back, and more - and it will be coming from your pocket. There are documented cases, Google is your friend, of Uber services in cities jacking prices up when they start to get a monopoly and at times when they knew a lot of people were wanting taxis. Uber are also notorious for ripping off their drivers, so do you think your happy drivers will stay that way when they are getting screwed over? Thai taxis need sorting out, but it ain't going to come through allowing Uber to take over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 1 minute ago, elgordo38 said: Who wants to commiserate with one ranting taxi driver or millions of taxi drivers around the world and others?? No one I guess. I wonder how many of the retirees here would have been able to afford their luxury lifestyle had they not been protected from scabs and illegal competition during their careers. And how many more low budget retirees we'd have if their contemporaries couldn't afford to retire back home had they not been protected from illegal competition- no matter how much cheaper the illegals could have done it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saminoz Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 3 hours ago, ChoakMyDee said: No sympathy from me. I hope they all go out of business and a new proper taxi service starts up with properly trained drivers that have to pass a criminal record check and an exam. I agree wholeheartedly. It's very telling that there are virtually no members siding with this fool. What a shame someone can't start a competing police service!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 Just now, saminoz said: It's very telling that there are virtually no members siding with this fool. You just skipping over the many posts agreeing with the guy- or at least seeing his side? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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