rooster59 Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Video: Speedy meter as Bangkok passengers run up 1600 baht bill for 700 baht journey Image: Daily News BANGKOK:-- Four passengers travelling across Bangkok in a taxi said the driver tried to fleece them with a faulty meter. What they claimed should have been a 700 baht journey or less was set to cost them 1600 baht. But they refused to pay prompted the 70 year old driver and his passengers to exchange abuse. The driver said they should take their complaints to the land transport office. They recorded the driver's name and his number and intend to do that. The four passengers, travelling from Samut Sakorn to Lat Prao didn't notice anything untoward on the expressway. But nearer their destination they said that the meter jumped from 600 baht to 1,200 baht in the space of 200 metres of traffic over five minutes. They gave the driver 700 baht. The video of the culmination of the journey was posted on Facebook. Daily News reported that the driver had tried to engage the passengers in conversation throughout the journey to distract them. He came out with several excuses about why the fare was more than usual, none of which the passengers, who were going home from a beauty contest, accepted. Source: Daily News -- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-01-21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezzra Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Usually it's a taxi driver cheating a foreigner, now that the shoe is on the other foot... well done, 700 is more than fare payment for such trip...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saastrajaa Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Samut Prakan to Don Meuang isn't even more than 4-500 baht (unless the traffic was REALLY bad)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Good thing there were 4 of them- and apparently locals. Could have gone very differently had it been a lone passenger, especially if it was a newbie tourist right off the airplane. Any good reporter (not to mention the cops) would now investigate how much this guy has made from his rigged meter from others to figure out the appropriate punishment, but I just don't see that happening. I doubt he'll miss a day of cheating others... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trogers Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Meters of taxis can be rigged... So, all those proposed compulsory gadgets on minivans can't also be rigged? Fines and suspensions will not deter. A minimum of 6 months in the slammer would, with no halving of the sentencing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesetat2013 Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Good thing there were 4 of them- and apparently locals. Could have gone very differently had it been a lone passenger, especially if it was a newbie tourist right off the airplane. Any good reporter (not to mention the cops) would now investigate how much this guy has made from his rigged meter from others to figure out the appropriate punishment, but I just don't see that happening. I doubt he'll miss a day of cheating others... Agreed. My friend took a taxi from one hotel to another. Price was agreed at 100 baht. Upon arrival at hotel, the driver demanded 500. My friend being a newbie to Thailand paid it. While in Bkk last week me and my friends took a taxi from Soi cowboy to Soi NANA. The driver initially wanted 200 baht for the 50 baht trip. I recorded the whole ride and upon arrival, the driver said it was free. Clearly they know the laws for operating a taxi. They know they are robbing the foreigners. It should be a pre-requisite to demonstrate the need to record your travels and should be taught this while on your flight here. Ignorance is bliss until you have been scammed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitman Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 If he looses his license he can use the one from another driver...See that many times here in the subs. Just check if they look like on the pic on the permit...maybe the taxi also is not insured when another driver is driving it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siam2007 Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 7 hours ago, Saastrajaa said: Samut Prakan to Don Meuang isn't even more than 4-500 baht (unless the traffic was REALLY bad)... not sure what is your point, but they travelled from Samut SAKHON to Lat Phrao Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven100 Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Everyone knows taxi drivers are thieves. And try and get one from Sukhumvit after 4.00pm .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rc2702 Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 If VW can rig millions of vehicles it stands to reason a little meter can also be rigged by pretty much anybody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkidlad Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Happened to me once. Going from near Khoa San to Sukhimvit soi 5. I used to take the journey a lot anf it would be around 110 Baht at the time. Once, I could see the metre speeding up and it was something like 250 Baht. I just said to the taxi driver that his metre was broken, gave him 100 Baht and left. He knew I knew. I was recently in Prague. Booked a taxi from city centre to airport which was about 770 Baht set fair. Took about 30 mins to get there. Nice taxi driver who was prompt, drove safely, and had a nice clean luxury car. Anyway, point is when we got back to Bangkok, we got this crappy 4 wheel drive taxi, tutting taxi driver 'cos we live in a congested area, hot inside the cab and drove like a numpty. Oh, and like most older taxis, his shock absorbers were shot. That ride took 40 mins and cost 400 Baht. Most taxis here really are worth the price you pay. Also you can get a lot of agro from taxi drivers for not following instructions properly. Taxis here might seem cheap, but the service for most part is awful. Is the price here relative to the service? Comparing to some countries, it's actually not always a good deal at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil B Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 39 minutes ago, Rc2702 said: If VW can rig millions of vehicles it stands to reason a little meter can also be rigged by pretty much anybody. My thoughts are that meters should have inbuilt GPS and a receipt printer, detailing start position/time, set down position/time and charges, and the meters should keep a log of the routes taken. If the taxi can not produce a receipt then passenger gets a free ride. Also Bangkok and other cities need enforcement officers checking Meter Taxi's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil B Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Notice the clip is no-longer on YouTube, presume the taxi drivers are threatening to sue for defamation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogNo1 Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Taxis in Japan have meters which issue receipts. People use them for, among other purposes, to get their transportation costs paid by their employers. BTW, most train stations in Japan have elevators for the disabled. That's probably coming to Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitman Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 8 minutes ago, DogNo1 said: Taxis in Japan have meters which issue receipts. People use them for, among other purposes, to get their transportation costs paid by their employers. BTW, most train stations in Japan have elevators for the disabled. That's probably coming to Thailand. Taxi's in Japan also have electric back doors so the passenger doesn't have to close it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabis Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 20 minutes ago, DogNo1 said: Taxis in Japan have meters which issue receipts. People use them for, among other purposes, to get their transportation costs paid by their employers. BTW, most train stations in Japan have elevators for the disabled. That's probably coming to Thailand. 555 Wouldn't hold my breath on either of those two Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicog Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 One word people: UBER. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rc2702 Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 2 hours ago, Chicog said: One word people: UBER. Yh uber could actually clean the market up a lot if they had passenger friendly values. Would make brand much more trust worthy and allow them to regulate drivers, drivers knowledge etc. But maybe it's too short sighted with all this chatter of robot drivers in the future and everyone's just clamoring for uber eats I guess? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSJ Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 I've never had a problem with a meter cab in Bangkok..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintLouisBlues Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 9 minutes ago, BSJ said: I've never had a problem with a meter cab in Bangkok..... Me neither, I never take one unless it's an absolutely last resort Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbalEd Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 On 1/21/2017 at 5:37 AM, ezzra said: Usually it's a taxi driver cheating a foreigner, now that the shoe is on the other foot... well done, 700 is more than fare payment for such trip...... Don't judge what's "usual" by what reports you see on tv.com. Given that there are many millions more Thais than foreigners in Thailand, I'm sure many more Thai's get cheated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impulse Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 (edited) On 1/21/2017 at 6:45 PM, rkidlad said: Most taxis here really are worth the price you pay. Also you can get a lot of agro from taxi drivers for not following instructions properly. Taxis here might seem cheap, but the service for most part is awful. Is the price here relative to the service? Comparing to some countries, it's actually not always a good deal at all. You've hit on a big part of the problem. Taxis are too cheap. The decent ones anyway. As much as I get dissed for it, I still contend that the first step in improving taxi service is to allow the ones with better vehicles to charge more, make sure the fare structure is set up so they make money on every legal scenario, then come down like a hammer on the ones that cheat. My heart goes out to a driver who sits in a line for an hour waiting for a fare, then gets someone wanting to go 1 km. Or the guys with big, brand new SUV type taxis that can only charge the same as a guy in a clapped out Toyota Corolla. He doesn't get a better fare, he doesn't get priority in the queue. He's probably kicking himself for trading in his clapped out Corolla. Where's the incentive to spend money on upgrades if it gets you nothing? Edit: I realize that relegates the cheaper passengers to clapped out Corollas, but it doesn't take away anything they currently have available to them. Edited January 22, 2017 by impulse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopburi3 Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 19 hours ago, DogNo1 said: Taxis in Japan have meters which issue receipts. People use them for, among other purposes, to get their transportation costs paid by their employers. BTW, most train stations in Japan have elevators for the disabled. That's probably coming to Thailand. Actually meters with receipts have been fairly common here in Bangkok for several years now - but after first month have never been offered the receipt and drivers normally do not use them because nobody wants. And yes elevators are available some places but were often blocked in the past. Should be most places any day now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGLV0121 Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Monitored. That's one of the reasons why I prefer Uber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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