5 minutes ago, ldiablo72 said:

Application ordered taxis are still better than the regular jerkoffs.

Thats what exactly my experience is and assuming the little extra privacy feeling makes the difference between regular taxis and Uber or Grab

. 

9 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

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.

 

They will be Grab Car if they don't have meters, not Grab Taxi, two different things.

 

Pattaya does have metered taxis, whether the meters are used or not is another matter.

9 minutes ago, ldiablo72 said:

Application ordered taxis are still better than the regular jerkoffs.

 

Agree with you on that. With each ride, Uber and presumably Grab as well have documentation of your route and your driver. Any driver up to no good would be aware of that. If you have a problem, you can get Uber or Grab to help you to resolve it, and they know how to contact the driver. If you leave something in the car, I think your chances are much better getting it back from Uber or Grab as well.

19 minutes ago, TheRascal said:

 

but do you really think if you were in an accident in a "real" taxi in Thailand that you'd see an insurance payout?

Why wouldn't a payout be made if it was warranted?  Thai insurance companies are real insurers.

In a regular taxi my friend and me were attacked with a knife, for demanding to turn on the meter. Spend a few hours at the police station and all. Attempted murder.

They all suck, that's why I now have a driver on the pay roll. Taxi drivers; some are nice, most are criminal bastards, nothing more, nothing less.

up until recently I was a great supporter of the Grab Taxi/Grab Car concept. Nice clean cars, courteous drivers - and there is a rating system for each driver. when you aarrive at your destination you can rate your driver on various criteria. However, the last couple of times I have used the service I have encountered that old problem - plenty of cabs around but none of them want to come and pick you up. I've raised this with Grab and to date received no reasonable explanation. Standard cabs are, generally speaking, a bit of a lottery. Cabs don't want to pick you up. don't want to turn on the meter, poor driving, ill-temepered and then demand a tip. I'll give you a tip alright - provide good service.No, I'll stick with Grab.

 

2 hours ago, FrankThai said:

 

I disagree.  Regular taxis are better service.  

 

 

 

At nearly twice the price?

5 minutes ago, iphototjes said:

In a regular taxi my friend and me were attacked with a knife, for demanding to turn on the meter. Spend a few hours at the police station and all. Attempted murder.

They all suck, that's why I now have a driver on the pay roll. Taxi drivers; some are nice, most are criminal bastards, nothing more, nothing less.

Sadly true

3 hours ago, YeahSiam said:

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

GrabTaxi drivers are regular taxis.

But the Grab element is not regular service. And 'regular' is always a raffle, though much improved from what it was.

Do you need to be able to speak Thai to use the GrabTaxi App? I thought all it did was give you a voice/telephone connection with a nearby driver. I wouldn't be able to use it because I would never be able to explain where I was I Thai.

48 minutes ago, gdgbb said:

 

They will be Grab Car if they don't have meters, not Grab Taxi, two different things.

 

Pattaya does have metered taxis, whether the meters are used or not is another matter.

Ah ha!  So Grab Car and Grab Taxi are 2 different animals.  Got ya!  I'm sooooo happy Grab Taxi is here.  We had a few "metered" taxis that hung out in a few places with crazy prices.  But now, these Grab Taxis are everywhere.  Not cheap, but at least available!

OK let's get it straight. 

GrabCAR is rather like Uber i.e. private citizens and their own cars for hire.    GrabTAXI is regular taxis hailed by the Grab app, which has a number of advantages.

 

Why would people use GrabCar over taxis on the street?   Hmmm, let me list a few reasons.

The regular taxi drivers in most cases just rent their cars for a day, which are often in terrible condition, have NO seat belts, some drive really dangerously, run red lights, sometimes I smell alcohol on their breath, or they may be on yaa baa to work long hours, are rude, cases of sexual abuse of women passengers, have meters that are rigged, refuse to take passengers (illegal), refuse to turn meter on (illegal).

Need I go on???

 

With GrabCar (or indeed Uber) as they are privately owned vehicles: they have seat belts, they tend to look after their own car, they tend to drive safely, the whole trip and transaction is tracked and recorded, the quality of the driver is rated, you get a receipt, you have a reliable complaint path and call centre. 

Need I go on???

 

Thai citizens and foreigners are so fed up of the sh*tty service of regular taxis that they have flocked to the business models and advantages offered by Grab and Uber.   

Grab and Uber is just pure rubbish. Made for opportunities to become a criminal. Real taxi is the real deal! It should definately be illegal to market sevices like that. Just take them away forever.

4 minutes ago, Get Real said:

Grab and Uber is just pure rubbish. Made for opportunities to become a criminal. Real taxi is the real deal! It should definately be illegal to market sevices like that. Just take them away forever.

Not rubbish for me.  We don't have taxis here.  Grab Taxi is awesome.  But yes, if they dealt with the mafia properly, we'd have a taxi service here. 

4 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? 

 

 

My Mom also still does not understand how VHS tapes recorders work...

 

 

Heh guys I ordered and confirmed a Grab Taxi for 0445 in the morning for my Thai wife. So we waited and waited he didn't show up and there was no phone call. I had ongoing emails with the company who just kept asking for my booking details which I gave in my original email. Anyway 3 emails later I just give up can't be bothered really. My OP hopeless customer service, never again...


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Anyone who takes a Grab car or a Uber car has to have rocks in their heads as neither have any insurance so if your in a prang you are up the creek without a paddle.

It's not really about the company, it's the mentality of the person behind the wheel!!
Whether it's a regular taxi or private enterprise is irrelevant, put an idiot in the driving seat this is the result.

2 hours ago, amjamj said:

 

 

My Mom also still does not understand how VHS tapes recorders work...

 

 

That´s not really a problem. Everybody use DVD and Bluray today.

For customers, GrabCars are 100% better. Cheaper, controlled cost and quality. Who says the opposite either represents the standard taxi lobby or is stupid.

I always give my driver a little extra if he sits in traffic jams,  I just can't see how he could make any money if he spends an hour with me for 80 baht or so.

took a  regular taxi from phra khanong to cowboy a few weeks ago, our driver just got out of jail after 7 years for murdering his "ex" wifes new bloke, seemed a nice fella, didnt want to upset him lol

The question asked here is not relevant. "Better" is context sensitive.

 

There are distinct use cases for e-hailing apps vs. traditional metered taxi services.

 

E-hailing services such as Uber and Grab are preferable when the user is located in an area under served by taxis (such as calling a taxi to your suburban house) or in an area where traditional taxis refuse to operate according to expected norms.

 

Traditional metered taxis are preferred by consumers when they are readily available and follow the rules.  Consumer behavior is such that few people want to go through the hassle of pulling out a phone when a taxi cab is available directly in front of them. For most people, using an app when they don't need to is an annoyance.

 

Both services have their place. This is confirmed by the fact that, despite their best efforts, Uber and Grab together can not exceed about 40% market share in regions where there are sufficient taxis to service the local population and the taxi services are priced reasonably. Uber, Grab, and others can only expand by moving into new areas that have opportunities meeting the first use case above. But once they saturate, the realities of consumer preferences limit their ability to expand.

 

Each solution has its place, and neither one is "better" than the other. Real world data confirms this,  propaganda by vested interests or true believers notwithstanding.

 

5 hours 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.

 

Depends how much longer you think they'll be around, and whether governments will tolerate them:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-12-20/ubers-massive-cash-burn-problem-2016-loss-set-hit-record-3-billion

A troll post has been removed.

7 hours ago, YeahSiam said:

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

GrabTaxi drivers are regular taxis.

Irony alert, with a tag line like that, take it you're skint now, serves you right, peasant,LOL

8 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? 

They are lots of advantages,

firstly communication: you just point on your phone your departure point and arrival point (no need to try to explain to the Thai taxi driver where you want to be),

then you get a fare price for this trip (no rounds around the block, extras etc, except in this rare case) 

which will be deducted from your private credit card or your company credit card (very easy for your book keeping and safe because you carry less petty cash money)

Additional advantages: no need to stand on the corner of the road waving at every taxi passing by (you get the numberplate of the taxi)

and lastly the taxi will take you where you asked him while most regular taxi driver will just refuse to take you if it is not far enough. 

 

 

Why the confusion? Grab Taxi gets you a taxi at a fare less than a regular metered fare, Grab Car gets you a private car where the driver is moonlighting as a taxi driver, again at a fare less than a regular meter taxi.

 

In cities like Chiang Mai where the red buses, taxis and tuk tuks are controlled by a local mafia, these alternative services give you the benefit of a known traceable driver, and a predetermined and prepaid fare, much more security than the existing alternatives. 

 

The business model will work when the old services are eliminated and the Ubers and Grabs of this world can control the pricing themselves. In the meantime, enjoy the discount and the security.

10 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? 

 

I will tell you...

Every time i go to Manila , i take Grab a car and the service was PERFECT which means

 

1- Courteous driver

 

2- NEVER asked any kind of tip or even 1 pesos extra ( 1 peso =0.5 bhat )

Price agreed is price paid AND the GPS Internet is much worse than in Thailand so saying GPS did not work in Bangkok really made me laugh.

There is simply no excuse and comparison with Manila where the traffic is far worse than in Bangkok.

 

3-You give a rating at the end so if the driver is a crook, give him 1/5 stars. You can see the rating for the driver you select so its quite an incentive to behave properly

 

4-You just wait the taxi in the lobby , you see on the map where he is and the ETA.

 

5-Your friend can track you in real time. Which adds to safety. The Taxi plate number is registered ( so no need to take a picture as the man did)

 

As oppose to this , if you take a Taxi in Manila , many will ask 3 times the fare or request a tip after.

There is simply NO comparison.

 

Also the price i was quoted from Manila to Angeles City was 2000 + freeway fee ( around 300 pesos ) and that is a faire price  ( horrible private Bus do it for 600 ) regular bus for 135 pesos but leave you 2 kms away at the bus station. Regular taxi quoted 5000 from the airport.

 

In summary , the problem is not Grab A Car  ...

Edited December 21, 20169 yr by bodymassagemyfriend

9 hours ago, YeahSiam said:

 

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.

 

Ahh.  GrabTaxi and GrabCar, got it.  Thanks for clearing that up.