"Grab Car" attack on passenger - Thai public ask what is better: Grab or regular taxi?

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"Grab Car" attack on passenger - Thai public ask what is better: Grab or regular taxi?

 

Picture: Daily News

 

BANGKOK: -- The Thai public are debating what is better - regular taxi services or those called via applications.

 

The debate follows an incident where a disgruntled "Grab Car" driver aimed a punch at a man's head after demanding an extra fee for a journey. He got cross when the passenger took a picture of his car for evidence.

 

Yattikorn Krittayanurak, 27, posted his experience of Grab Car on Facebook saying that he had ordered the car to pick him up from his home near Lotus on Rama 4 in Bangkok. A fee of 69 baht was agreed on a credit card to take him to the Sinthorn Building on Wireless Road, reports Daily News.

 

Firstly, the driver of the Toyota Vios went to the wrong place for the pick up claiming that his GPS had "hung". This meant that Yattikorn had to walk to a nearby soi to meet him.

 

Then when the driver encountered traffic and hit a curb doing a manoeuver he started to get really irate. Yattikorn suggested a short cut to avoid the worst of the traffic.

 

When they reached their destination the driver demanded 40 baht more for "taking him on a circuitous route". Yattikorn questioned whether this was Grab Car policy but when the driver insisted angrily he decided to hand over the extra cash.

 

After leaving the Vios he took a picture of it intending to contact Grab Car about the matter.

 

Seeing this the driver rushed up to him and swung a fist at his face yelling: "Meung ja guan teen goo reu" (F**king me about are you?).

 

The passenger managed to fend off the blow and the driver fled the scene but thereafter Yattikorn went to Lumpini police station to report the incident.

 

Netizens who viewed and shared the story online are debating whether the new companies like Grab and Uber are an improvement or whether the public would be better off with regular taxis.

 

Source: Daily News

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2016-12-21

[Crossy]

Is "Grab Car" related to the "Grab Taxi" service I see advertised in many Bangkok taxis, which I thought got you a proper taxi?

 

There are increasing reports from around the world of Uber (or similar service) drivers robbing, attacking, murdering their clients, far more than you see reported for "real" taxi drivers. Something to do with the level of vetting applied perhaps.

 

 

[djayz]

I simply don't understand the concept behing Grab A Car/Taxi or Uber. 

Why not just hail / order a standard taxi? 

As far as I can see, it's a private car being used as a taxi. What about insurancw in the event of an accident? Who controls them? 

Edited December 21, 2016 by djayz

[Rhys]

It is luck of the draw with these service... I had my share of fun chats and ones that what F... get me out of the car...  pay and leave.. and of course report the driver.

[YeahSiam]

31 minutes ago, djayz said:

I simply don't understand the concept behing Grab A Car/Taxi or Uber. 

Why not just hail / order a standard taxi? 

As far as I can see, it's a private car being used as a taxi. What about insurancw in the event of an accident? Who controls them? 

 

What do you mean you don't understand the concept?

I guess the people behind the app have a little more business acumen than you because, in the real world, not everyone lives within or is located within easy walking distance of a main thoroughfare where taxis can easily be hailed.

With the app, drivers can get guaranteed work without having to cruise back streets and the passenger gets a taxi without having to walk a distance.

Using GrabTaxi gets you a standard taxi.

Using GrabCar gets you a private driver who charges less but who may or may not have insurance for carrying paying passengers.

I use GrabTaxi regularly and have always been highly satisfied with their service.

I'll only use GrabCar if no taxis want to bid for my journey.

Edited December 21, 2016 by YeahSiam

[DM07]

And who is this "Thai public" you are speaking off, who are discussing this topic so intensely?

[FrankThai]

1 minute ago, YeahSiam said:

 

What do you mean you don't understand the concept?

I guess the people behind the app have a little more business acumen than you because, in the real world, not everyone lives within walking distance of a main thoroughfare where taxis can easily be hailed.

With the app, drivers can get guaranteed work without having to cruise back streets and the passenger gets a taxi without having to walk a distance.

Using GrabTaxi gets you a standard taxi.

Using GrabCar gets you a private driver who charges less but who may or may not have insurance for carrying paying passengers.

I use GrabTaxi regularly and have always been highly satisfied with their service.

I'll only use GrabCar if no taxis want to bid for my journey.

 

I disagree.  Regular taxis are better service.  

 

 

 

[djayz]

1 minute ago, YeahSiam said:

 

What do you mean you don't understand the concept?

I guess the people behind the app have a little more business acumen than you because, in the real world, not everyone lives within walking distance of a main thoroughfare where taxis can easily be hailed.

With the app, drivers can get guaranteed work without having to cruise back streets and the passenger gets a taxi without having to walk a distance.

Using GrabTaxi gets you a standard taxi.

Using GrabCar gets you a private driver who charges less but who may or may not have insurance for carrying paying passengers.

I use GrabTaxi regularly and have always been highly satisfied with their service.

I'll only use GrabCar if no taxis want to bid for my journey.

Thanks for clearing that up. Much appreciate it. 

 

[YeahSiam]

Just now, FrankThai said:

 

I disagree.  Regular taxis are better service.  

 

 

 

I wouldn't mind people disagreeing if they actually knew what they were talking about.

GrabTaxi drivers are regular taxis.

[FrankThai]

4 minutes ago, YeahSiam said:

I wouldn't mind people disagreeing if they actually knew what they were talking about.

GrabTaxi drivers are regular taxis.

 

I thought they were privaet cars, i.e. unlicensed taxis.

 

Is that not correct?  The picture shown on the headline is not a taxi.  

 

I assume u know what taxis look like in thailand? 

[YeahSiam]

1 minute ago, FrankThai said:

 

I thought they were privaet cars, i.e. unlicensed taxis.

 

Is that not correct?  The picture shown on the headline is not a taxi.  

 

I assume u know what taxis look like in thailand? 

 

Considering hundreds of them pass my front door in Asoke every hour, yeah, I know what taxis look like in Thailand.

GrabTaxi and GrabCar are two different services.

[dbrenn]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

Is "Grab Car" related to the "Grab Taxi" service I see advertised in many Bangkok taxis, which I thought got you a proper taxi?

 

There are increasing reports from around the world of Uber (or similar service) drivers robbing, attacking, murdering their clients, far more than you see reported for "real" taxi drivers. Something to do with the level of vetting applied perhaps.

 

 

In Australia Uber can only use drivers who have had a criminal record check. I doubt whether they check anything here.

Edited December 21, 2016 by dbrenn

[Crossy]

2 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

In Australia Uber can only use drivers who have had a criminal record check. 

 

A number of Aussie incidents on this list

 

http://www.whosdrivingyou.org/rideshare-incidents

 

[dbrenn]

6 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

A number of Aussie incidents on this list

 

http://www.whosdrivingyou.org/rideshare-incidents

 

Right. I suppose that a criminal record check offers no guarantee that a person will not commit a crime in the future. It's better than nothing though .. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

40 minutes ago, YeahSiam said:

Using GrabTaxi gets you a standard taxi.

Using GrabCar gets you a private driver who charges less but who may or may not have insurance for carrying paying passengers.

I use GrabTaxi regularly and have always been highly satisfied with their service.

I'll only use GrabCar if no taxis want to bid for my journey.

 

Thanks for that good explanation and distinction of the differences between the two services -- something the OP article utterly failed to do.

 

I too have used Grab Taxis via their mobile phone app several times, and only had good experiences thus far. And yes, the regular Grab Taxis are actual painted taxis with meters and signage -- not unmarked private cars as in the OP photo.

 

In fact, on our last Grab Taxi trip, my wife and I were chatting with our driver. And I had the wife specifically ask him if he did regular meter taxi work when he wasn't doing Grab Taxi trips, and the answer was yes, he also worked as a regular meter taxi driver. Hence the reason for the taxi also having a meter.

 

Edited December 21, 2016 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[stevenl]

47 minutes ago, YeahSiam said:

 

What do you mean you don't understand the concept?

I guess the people behind the app have a little more business acumen than you because, in the real world, not everyone lives within or is located within easy walking distance of a main thoroughfare where taxis can easily be hailed.

With the app, drivers can get guaranteed work without having to cruise back streets and the passenger gets a taxi without having to walk a distance.

Using GrabTaxi gets you a standard taxi.

Using GrabCar gets you a private driver who charges less but who may or may not have insurance for carrying paying passengers.

I use GrabTaxi regularly and have always been highly satisfied with their service.

I'll only use GrabCar if no taxis want to bid for my journey.

Thanks.

 

If that is the case GrabCar should not be allowed.

[thetruth revealer]

44 minutes ago, FrankThai said:

 

I disagree.  Regular taxis are better service.  

 

 

 

They are clearly not better , otherwise why and how could such Services like Grab and Uber exist??? If regular taxi customers would be satisfied , then how come so many report them to overcharge etc.....

 

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

Is "Grab Car" related to the "Grab Taxi" service I see advertised in many Bangkok taxis, which I thought got you a proper taxi?

 

There are increasing reports from around the world of Uber (or similar service) drivers robbing, attacking, murdering their clients, far more than you see reported for "real" taxi drivers. Something to do with the level of vetting applied perhaps.

 

The ones here in Pattaya wear uniforms, speak English and drive regular taxi cars.  Very professional.  But not cheap!

 

I've seen sooo many reports on violence by official taxi drivers.  Remember the one who killed that foreigner with a machete a year ago or so?

[stevenl]

20 minutes ago, thetruth revealer said:

They are clearly not better , otherwise why and how could such Services like Grab and Uber exist??? If regular taxi customers would be satisfied , then how come so many report them to overcharge etc.....

 

To you they may be not better, to others they are.

[dcnx]

1 hour ago, FrankThai said:

 

I disagree.  Regular taxis are better service.  

 

 

 

 

That explains the wild popularity and explosive growth of the alternative taxi companies. Everyone else is wrong. Plain old taxis are better.

[thetruth revealer]

8 minutes ago, dcnx said:

 

That explains the wild popularity and explosive growth of the alternative taxi companies. Everyone else is wrong. Plain old taxis are better.

self explanatory

 

[lordblackader]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

 

A number of Aussie incidents on this list

 

http://www.whosdrivingyou.org/rideshare-incidents

 

 

Do love these sorts of campaigns...not. Taxi drivers in Australia are well known for their rip offs, raping and fondling women, and more. All have bad apples, at least with the likes of Grab and Uber you get the license plate and picture of the person who picks you up. 

[gdgbb]

37 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

I've seen sooo many reports on violence by official taxi drivers.  Remember the one who killed that foreigner with a machete a year ago or so?

 

There's no difference between a Grab taxi or driver and any other normal taxi or driver.  Grab taxi drivers are just taxi drivers who get work from Grab in addition to street pick ups.

[elgordo38]

2 hours ago, djayz said:

I simply don't understand the concept behing Grab A Car/Taxi or Uber. 

Why not just hail / order a standard taxi? 

As far as I can see, it's a private car being used as a taxi. What about insurancw in the event of an accident? Who controls them? 

What type of insurance do the red trucks have? Hit and run. I am really surprised that the taxi mafia is letting Grab and Uber slide in and take business away from the without a whimper.

[bubba]

1 hour ago, dbrenn said:

In Australia Uber can only use drivers who have had a criminal record check. I doubt whether they check anything here.

 

Yes, Uber do a background check on their drivers here, as they say in their website. I am not sure how thorough that is, but I can say that having taken a lot of Ubers and regular taxis, my experience is that I would nearly always trust an Uber driver over the average taxi driver.

[steveyinasia]

I use a variety of taxi services here in Thailand, I enter and exit around 30 times a year from old swampy.  My experience of the regular taxis at swampy has always been good with the exception of my driver yesterday that had a very bad attitude, however one bad driver does not change my thoughts of them all.  I also use GrabTaxi when I am at the apartment and I want to convenience of being collected from the door, again experience there has always been positive.  A couple of times last month I used Uber, the experience was good however I always seemed to be in a "high demand" time, even in the middle of the day so I never paid the posted regular fare.  Catching a taxi on the street is more hit and miss, unfortunately more miss.

 

I think the real problem in this instance is not honouring the agree price.  regardless of events, the price is agreed and needs to be honoured.

Edited December 21, 2016 by steveyinasia

[ZABA]

I live in Chiang Mai and use Uber regularly. Can't recommend it enough! Much cheaper than tuk tuks and more available than regular taxis which are only found at the malls and airport for the most part, and are very expensive. 

[TheRascal]

24 minutes ago, elgordo38 said:

What type of insurance do the red trucks have? Hit and run. I am really surprised that the taxi mafia is letting Grab and Uber slide in and take business away from the without a whimper.

 

There have been complaints, there was a news article a few weeks ago about a taxi driver ranting online in a video about Uber and Grab. 

 

I use grab car a lot here and use grab premium if it's a longer journey as it's only slightly more expensive for a guarantee of a much nicer car. Not sure if they are correctly insured but do you really think if you were in an accident in a "real" taxi in Thailand that you'd see an insurance payout?

Edited December 21, 2016 by TheRascal
typo

[craigt3365]

52 minutes ago, gdgbb said:

 

There's no difference between a Grab taxi or driver and any other normal taxi or driver.  Grab taxi drivers are just taxi drivers who get work from Grab in addition to street pick ups.

Pattaya never had taxis until recently.  I tried Grab when it first came out and could never get a car.  Now, there are dozens.  No meter.  They don't have any metered taxis in Pattaya. None.

[ldiablo72]

Application ordered taxis are still better than the regular jerkoffs.