Chiang Mai city transport: Uber or "Rot Daeng"? Thousands of Thais want change

[rooster59]

Chiang Mai city transport: Uber or "Rot Daeng"? Thousands of Thais want change

 

Image: Daily News

 

Thousands of Thai people in Chiang Mai have demanded change in the city's transport provision after four people were fined for running illegal Uber and Grab-taxi services.

A campaign has been launched that calls the city's traditional red four wheelers (Rot Daeng) an outdated scourge that should be run off the roads - not the new taxi firms.

Daily News reported that the local land transport department had stopped four members of the public from running Uber and Grab-taxi businesses. The department called the private cars "black plate cabs" and therefore illegal.

And they said they would continue on the crackdown.

But now a website has been set up calling for change - and seven thousand local residents have signed a petition.

The website is at www.change.org.

The website poses the question: "Are 'rot daeng' wanted anymore?"

Then it continues: "They have been around for ages. They cut in and out and are noisy. They provide a bad service and are polluting causing harm to the public health.

"The land transport department have been unable to regulate and improve their service. When Chiang Mai people have a chance for an improved, safer, quicker and healthier transport system they just try to ban it without coming up with anything better."

Daily News said that social media in the northern capital was abuzz with comment as people went to the website to agree with its sentiments.

 

Source: Daily News

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-03-04

[alant]

Difficult to get stone age rulers out of the cave. The rot daeng and tuk tuk "lobby" (for the want of a better word) are a powerful body who will protect their right to overcharge the punter as they dive from side to side of the street looking for the next fare.

[yellowboat]

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Uber and Grab-taxi services

The future.

 

Thailand, stuck in the past.

[1337markus]

Wasn't the CBD of Chiang Mai promised a light tram system to remove these red vehicles out of the area by the then PM Yinluck on one of her many visits???

[edwinchester]

9 minutes ago, 1337markus said:

Wasn't the CBD of Chiang Mai promised a light tram system to remove these red vehicles out of the area by the then PM Yinluck on one of her many visits???

Indeed but the military seem to have scuppered that plan a couple of years ago.

[masuk]

Apart from the pollution problem of the diesel smoke they spew out, I dislike drivers asking for 2 or 3 times the going rate for a local fare.   Often these are empty, and I just wave them off, and they leave with no passengers;  the next wagon or two is usually available at the normal price.

[hansnl]

1 hour ago, edwinchester said:

Indeed but the military seem to have scuppered that plan a couple of years ago.

Yes, with reason.

[hansnl]

Change to taxis is not a fantastic change, at all.

Some form of public transport controlled by local authorities is a  possible answer.

But please everyone, don't forget many people earn a living driving tuktuks, rotdaeng.

Edited March 4, 2017 by hansnl

[Saladin]

I am a CM resident and frequently use songthaews (red buses) that at a base price of just 20 baht provide a very convenient and inexpensive service - and there is one every minute. Recently I have used Uber a few times,. Their service I found to be very good and comfortable, and for 3 people costs even less than the songthaews. There is room for both. The bandits are the tuk-tuk drivers who expect 100 baht minimum just to say good morning, and so are avoided like the plague by the locals.

[elgordo38]

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

"The land transport department have been unable to regulate and improve their service. When Chiang Mai people have a chance for an improved, safer, quicker and healthier transport system they just try to ban it without coming up with anything better."

Thats it in a nutshell. Add my name to the list. My g/f left for 4 days and told me not to walk her up to the corner because if the red trucks saw me waiting they would double the price to the bus station. Yes I know 90% of transportation funding goes to Bangkok and we get scraps left overs. Cancel one submarine and give us an upgrade. Get your priorities straight for a change and get out of the sandbox with your military toys.  

[elgordo38]

2 hours ago, 1337markus said:

Wasn't the CBD of Chiang Mai promised a light tram system to remove these red vehicles out of the area by the then PM Yinluck on one of her many visits???

You got to stay up to date. YL plans have changed considerably since then. 

[elgordo38]

48 minutes ago, hansnl said:

Yes, with reason.

Submarines, tanks, planes, trains, etc.etc.

[elgordo38]

6 minutes ago, Saladin said:

The bandits are the tuk-tuk drivers who expect 100 baht minimum just to say good morning, and so are avoided like the plague by the locals.

Amen. Plus with my poundage and advanced age I find its hard to contortion my way into the back. The pollution is far worse. It has gone beyond a fair price argument and advanced to a health problem when all the traffic is factored in. 

[slapout]

If you spend any time watching the way the people driving these vehicles, you might realize they might earn a living at it but they also are bigger threat to the living people who are exposed to their erratic way of driving. Many park in the street near the moat to wash their vehicle, take public parking areas to take a nap, charge tourist 5 times the official rate, dump a group on the moat instead of driving down the soi to hotel/guest house, etc. Most seem to have no idea of how to read a map of the old city which is only 1 square mile in size and they can be quite rude when you tell them where you want to go and the decline to take you.

Most are owned by a single company and rented out to drivers.

[elgordo38]

6 minutes ago, slapout said:

If you spend any time watching the way the people driving these vehicles, you might realize they might earn a living at it but they also are bigger threat to the living people who are exposed to their erratic way of driving. Many park in the street near the moat to wash their vehicle, take public parking areas to take a nap, charge tourist 5 times the official rate, dump a group on the moat instead of driving down the soi to hotel/guest house, etc. Most seem to have no idea of how to read a map of the old city which is only 1 square mile in size and they can be quite rude when you tell them where you want to go and the decline to take you.

Most are owned by a single company and rented out to drivers.

I guess your last sentence explains it all. I see a lot of shiny new ones out and about it must be a paying business.

[Get Real]

Yeah! It´s always been my problem too! Should I choose the red or the yellow one? Confused!

[ianf]

We had some friends come to stay. They caught a red songteaw which charged them 200 baht a person from the town to Hang Dong and then dumped them near Ob Khan in the middle of nowhere instead of at the Moo Baan where we live. The friends had detailed address and map so there was no need. 4 people x 200 = 800 baht from the City centre to the Ob Khan road near the Canyon.

[jippytum]

Thaskin Shinawatra was the patron saint of Thai motorcycle taxi drivers  be thankful there are none to be seen in Chaing Mai .

There are bus stops all over the city but the local buses are a rare sight.

A monopoly is never good however and the local community deserve to have a choice of suitable transport. Competition  is good for the customer perhaps that is why there's  none in Chaing Mai.

[Destiny1990]

Light Mono tram makes sense...can just get funded with the ticket sales..

[malibukid]

lets see how long the Chiang Mai Taxi Mafia will put up with the competition that offers point to point service with polite drivers at reasonable rates.  

i was offered a return trip from CM immigration yesterday by the Songthew Mafia for an outrageous price.  i got on my iPhone and arranged the same trip via Uber.  driver arrived in 10 minutes and charged me 80 baht.  

Songthew driver loose face big time and was very angry.  

typical Thai think, can't stand some honest competition.

 

 

Quote

 

 

[Greenside]

A reliable friend who uses Uber very frequently makes it a habit to find out what he can about the Thais who have picked up on what is fast becoming the service of choice for many journeys around town.  It turned out that he had given up driving a Tuk-Tuk in favour of Uber and although the income per trip was lower, it was more than compensated for by the number of rides and lack of hassle.  There is a place for songthaws on regular routes where their frequency can't be beaten, but if Uber were to replace Tuk-Tuks and the ("Sorry, the meter doesn't work.") meter taxis I'd expert the general population would be over the moon.

 

Uber has given my 15 year old son his first taste of independent travel beyond (safe) cycling range and l hope the vested interests are resisted strongly.  Incidentally, I know that in the West Indies the minivans that are their equivalent of songthaws are almost exclusively owned and rented out by influential local councilors or members of the government.  Of course that's probably not the case here so I'm sure that the whole transport issue will be dealt with very evenhandedly.....

[Greenside]

3 hours ago, malibukid said:

lets see how long the Chiang Mai Taxi Mafia will put up with the competition that offers point to point service with polite drivers at reasonable rates.  

i was offered a return trip from CM immigration yesterday by the Songthew Mafia for an outrageous price.  i got on my iPhone and arranged the same trip via Uber.  driver arrived in 10 minutes and charged me 80 baht.  

Songthew driver loose face big time and was very angry.  

typical Thai think, can't stand some honest competition.

 

 

 

Probably not a good idea to rub the CMTM's nose in it if you want the service to continue.  Walk round the corner next time 

[ChakaKhan]

8 hours ago, jippytum said:

Thaskin Shinawatra was the patron saint of Thai motorcycle taxi drivers  be thankful there are none to be seen in Chaing Mai .

There are bus stops all over the city but the local buses are a rare sight.

A monopoly is never good however and the local community deserve to have a choice of suitable transport. Competition  is good for the customer perhaps that is why there's  none in Chaing Mai.

saw both at arcade station..moto drivers--a few and new city buses...

i would LOVE to get rid of ALL the tuk tuk drivers in cm...every.last.one.

[New beginnings]

Have used UBER on a number of occasions and been very pleased with the service provided.  Whilst I note that the local authority sting involved posing as a legitimate customer for this to work an e-mail and phone number would have to be registered. I am quite certain UBER would have immediately blocked the e-mail and phone number used after the sting had been identified thereby preventing it's reuse.  Unless the local authority are prepared to make numerous fictitious registrations I don't see how this policy is going to work as UBER will continue blocking them when identified.  This is in addition to UBER's "Greyball" tool which is meant to disguise UBER cars from detection by the local authorities as reported in the New York Times.  It's also interesting to note that Bangkok has not banned UBER but merely restricts there vehicles from picking up passengers from the airport. 

 

It is my personal impression UBER are not the kind of company to back down from a fight. As has been reported, and confirmed by local UBER drivers, they are paying fines of the drivers which have been caught. If London, and other major world capitals, have failed to block UBER I don't see what Chiang Mai will be able to achieve.

[malibukid]

good point, i asked my Uber driver if he was afraid of the CM Mafia and he just grinned, these guy's are not going anywhere soon

[ricklev]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-program-evade-authorities.html

 

 

[Lancashirelad]

Should bring in regular bus services, the stops are already in situ. People talk about the pollution baht buses cause. Some are older and are quite bad, but there are also a lot of new ones. Perhaps an age limit could be brought in as they are trying to do in parts of the Philippines. If the baht bus is carrying 10 people, the pollution per person is mimimal.

[Nowisee]

Red trucks are a polluting, accident causing, ripping people off nuisance and I will never use them.

They need to be culled by 50% for a start, then they need to stick to some sort of a routine journey that is a fixed price or at the very least a fixed price of 20-30 baht as long as you want to ride.

I have never and will never use a tuk tuk.

I have no sympathy if they (red truck or tuk tuk drivers) lose their jobs, they did that to themselves... good-bye to them...555

 

Uber and Grab is all I use for trips I can't or don't want to make on my motorcycle.  A lot of my thai friends use them and/or drive for them. 

 

I think they have stirred up the bees nest by messing with the general public...once again shooting themselves in the selfish foot.  Change is coming and I'll continue to support the change.

 

Edited March 6, 2017 by Nowisee

[elgordo38]

On 3/4/2017 at 11:11 AM, slapout said:

If you spend any time watching the way the people driving these vehicles, you might realize they might earn a living at it but they also are bigger threat to the living people who are exposed to their erratic way of driving. Many park in the street near the moat to wash their vehicle, take public parking areas to take a nap, charge tourist 5 times the official rate, dump a group on the moat instead of driving down the soi to hotel/guest house, etc. Most seem to have no idea of how to read a map of the old city which is only 1 square mile in size and they can be quite rude when you tell them where you want to go and the decline to take you.

Most are owned by a single company and rented out to drivers.

Yes at one time when giving them directions and watching their eyes roll and a puff of smoke come out of their ears it used to bother me. Even when showing them a map they would turn it upside down the right side up. If they wish to rob you fare wise they could be a little bit more professional about it. Now since I have a g/f I lurk in the shadows while she negotiates then when she waves I hop in the back of the red truck. 

[Saladin]

I am surprised to find that many Thais pay more for a songthaew than my friends and I would - we play the game well. It should not be a matter of screwing the driver down to a rock bottom price but rather paying what is fair under the circumstances. Obviously if 3 or 4 people are travelling together the fare will be more negotiable than if one person travelling alone. And while 20 baht is standard on the main routes during normal hours you should be happy to pay a premium late at night or if you want to go off the beaten track where the driver is unlikely to pick up another fare. I always decide beforehand what price is reasonable and pretty much stick to it. If I think 50 baht is reasonable and the driver wants 100 baht I will offer him 40 (not 20) and we will usually settle at about 50. If he won't budge I wave him off politely and calmly wait for the next one (I think Buddhism is creeping in).

Farangs need to have more frequent reality checks. So many of you whinge about paying $2 for a trip that would cost you twenty times that amount back in your home country.