Tourists caught up in continuing Red Taxi vs Grabcar/Uber war!

[webfact]

Tourists caught up in continuing Red Taxi vs Grabcar/Uber war!

 

Picture: Manager Online

 

CHIANG MAI: -- Five tourists in Chiang Mai got caught up in the continuing war between the city's red "song thaew" taxis and the Grabcar service.

 

An owner of a hostel in the San Sai area outside the city went on Facebook to say that five tourists had asked him to get a vehicle to take them to Wat Prasingh, reported Manager Online.

 

A red taxi turned up and asked for 600 baht which they rejected as too expensive. They then asked the owner to call Grabcar and they went with that.

 

When they reached their destination they said an argument broke out with red taxi drivers there. The tourists apparently fled the scene of the argument.

 

It was posted that all the tourists were women and that they were chased by the red taxi drivers at the temple causing them considerable distress. They feared they were about to be attacked for using Grabcar.

 

Later a representative of the red taxi drivers' association said it was nonsense. CCTV footage had been studied and they were not all women - two of the five were men. And the red taxi drivers were not chasing them at all - they were chasing the Grabcar driver.

 

Suggestions were made that such posting online contravened the Computer Crime Act and the red taxi drivers could sue the poster for defamation.

 

Manager reported that there are incidents in the city between the red taxis and Uber and Grabcar on a continuing basis.

 

Source: Manager Online

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-03-15

[mogandave]

Makes me want use Grabcar


Live, love, laugh

[metisdead]

A post containing off topic generalizations has been removed. 

[Bob12345]

Quote

Suggestions were made that such posting online contravened the Computer Crime Act and the red taxi drivers could sue the poster for defamation.

The defamation laws are ment for hi-so people to go after the normal population when caught in the act.

It should not be misused by others who are not high enough up the ladder.

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Suggestions were made that such posting online contravened the Computer Crime Act and the red taxi drivers could sue the poster for defamation.

Would that poster be a tourist? Only identified as an "it."

If indeed a tourist, their perception that they were being chased would be an honest expression. But more importantly, does the government really want to encourage use of the Computer Crime Act to punish tourists who believe they have been abused?

[jonclark]

Maybe the songthaew drivers need to reflect that as grabtaxi/ Uber in all  likely hood cost the tourists 100 baht to their destination and the songthaew offered  600 baht for the same journey . Then perhaps, just perhaps its the songthaew drivers  greed and price gouging that is the root cause of their customers looking for alternatives. 

 

So the solution to 'lure' the tourists back is for songthaews to become more competitive price wise with Uber /Grab. Rather than having a hissyfit that their monopoly has competition.  Petulant pricks.

 

I will always use Uber / Grab over a knackered hot un airconditioned Songthaew - End of! 

[clockman]

The local mafia, control the Songthaew. Have done for more than 20 years. This could get dangerous.?

[Sphere]

Hmmmmm.....songthaew vs. salon.....firing squad vs. electric chair.....better choose that air-conditioned alternative.

[rkidlad]

'Later a representative of the red taxi drivers' association said it was nonsense. CCTV footage had been studied and they were not all women - two of the five were men. And the red taxi drivers were not chasing them at all - they were chasing the Grabcar driver'

 

Okay, so why is this all 'nonsense'? Because it wasn't five females it was three females and two males? How does that change anything? Ah, they weren't chasing and scaring tourists they were chasing and scaring Grab taxi drivers? That's okay then. The mindset of a spoiled and arrogant little brat. 

 

Absolutely selfish, deluded and entitled scum. Time locals and tourists voted with their feet. Offer us a better and more competitive service or we will boycott you completely. 

[Berkshire]

This is an interesting phenomenon, going on all over the world.  Uber and similar apps are destroying the taxi industry...here's one in San Francisco.

 

http://fortune.com/2016/01/25/san-francisco-taxi-company-bankruptcy-uber/

 

But is this a good or bad thing?  I'm a free market guy who believes in survival of the fittest.  But on the other hand, you need to have some compassion.  These drivers who are losing their livelihoods have families to look after.  Yes, some are scum and crooks, but I'd say most are not.  

 

Many are saying that the government shouldn't be getting involved in the free market, but in fact, governments do all the time.  In my home country (USA), we have highly paid lobbyists who do nothing else but to get lawmakers to protect their particular industry.  So you can say the "song thaew" lobbyists are doing their job to protect their industry. 

 

It'd be great if these drivers and Uber can coexist.  That would be better for the public, competition and all that.  But it will get uglier before it gets better as this plays out.

[mike324]

Shouldn't the government be after red taxis for ripping off passengers and giving thailand a bad image? perhaps having unsafe public transportation such as lack of seat belts and what not. Not to mention threatening other motorists.....that makes more sense

[slippedisc]

1 hour ago, Berkshire said:

Uber and similar apps are destroying the taxi industry...

Good. Something needs to change. Taxi drivers need to up their game and play it fairly. Without competition this won't happen.

Edited March 15, 2017 by slippedisc

[Deez]

So the red taxi had first crack at them and instead of offering good service and a fair price decided to try and gouge them. Call me an Uber/Grab as well.   

[Kasset Tak]

I can accept Uber and Grab but they need to provide cars that are insured for public transportation and drivers with Taxi licence that know what they are doing and where they are going..

I thought that I should try Uber once in BKK, never again! I have made the same ride by Taxi many times before and the latest was the day before that incident. When we were in an area that I didn't recognize I checked the GPS on my phone and then asked the driver "Where are we?" and he just answered that he was not sure where the address I had given where in BKK so he had gone for Sukhumwit road as I was a foreigner l, my goal were in Bangkok Noi, he was something like 2-30 km off!

[outsider]

12 hours ago, clockman said:

The local mafia, control the Songthaew. Have done for more than 20 years. This could get dangerous.?

 

True, in a society where its people are more than willing to pull a gun on you (and use it) over a dog, this could get ugly.

[Nowisee]

Bouncing and sliding around in the back of a hot, smokey, dangerous truck is not my choice of travel.  IF this city provided safe alternative public transportation, I'd use it... they don't so I won't be using the red trucks.  

 

The more I read about the red truckers being thugs, the less likely I will use them...er, the more certain I will NOT use them. 

 

 

[sikishrory]

I wish I discovered uber earlier. Didn't realise how prevelent they were.

I got 2 the other night in bang na and minburi. Not a single word was said by the driver both times. No rubbish talk. No trying to show an angry impatient man a map of where your going. No dangerous driving. None of that feeling you get when you pay wondering if he is going to expect a tip or keep your change. Tolls and trip were paid through debit card. 51 baht for 6 minute trip in  bang na then 211 baht for 30 minute trip bang na to minburi. Cars were new and smelt new. Had funcioning seatbelts and air con. Drivers were not speeding.

It was a totally different experience than I have ever had in thailand.

Yet to use them in pattaya but i can see they are all over the place there as well. A lot more prevalent than I thought.

Highly recommend 

[HaleySabai]

There are WAY too many Songthaew's on the streets...how many times have you seen 3 or 4 drive along,usually spewing carbon and clogging traffic flows,with no-bodies on board? I don't know how they are organized,if at all. But cutting the city up into zones and have a set amount of trucks working within the zones may prove to be more profitable than having 1000's just driving around polluting the environment.

Songthaew's & Tuks do have a place in the realm of 'public transport'. With the help of technology we now have an option of 'private' transport. A few years ago when BKK-style taxis emerged on the scene the "mafia" had a big stink over that,but they worked it out to where taxis are not allowed to be hailed.

Uber is 'flagged' (so to speak) with technology that the 'old-school' operators have NO means of controlling.

Its going to be interesting as the new wheels on the road find their niche....hopefully,no one gets shot.

 

[balo]

It's very simple , introduce normal taxis with meter like in Bangkok or Chiang Mai will always be looked upon as a rip-off place for foreigners.

[BngkkB]

Thai taxi, rented by someone that pays 500+/- baht a day. They usually don't own the taxi but rent it. Grab car / Uber the car is owned by the driver. Someone that had enough initiative and brains to be able to secure their own motor vehicle. They have to pay first and go without a car if there is an accident, so more careful. You have full details of driver and can follow the vehicle by GPS on your phone.
A safer environment for everyone involved. Cars are cleaner, mechanically more sound on the most part. Grab Car / Uber over Thai Taxi any day of the week.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[hobz]

So, the red cars are allowed to chase uber drivers? In civilized countries citizens arrests are only allowed for serious crimes like assault, murder, robbery.

[hobz]

On 3/19/2017 at 9:08 AM, balo said:

It's very simple , introduce normal taxis with meter like in Bangkok or Chiang Mai will always be looked upon as a rip-off place for foreigners.

Yes, when I go to bangkok i always use the taximeter and tell them to use meter first,, they occasionally refuse, but the next one usually says yes.. The prices are reasonable.. Only reason uber is so popular here in CM is because the taxi mafia here are idiots and refuse to compete.

[thetruth revealer]

I had at least 15 free rides with Grab Car in the last week using Promo Code : CMCOOL.

 

Or sometimes  paid a small difference like 15 or 20 THB if the rate was over 50 THB..

Well said for the whole car, with my wife and baby AND Bags from shopping and and and... the drivers are helpful storing stuff etc etc.

 

hahaha , what are these Songtaews useful for anymore ???

 

 

 

 

[ChakaKhan]

On 3/14/2017 at 10:44 PM, rkidlad said:

'Later a representative of the red taxi drivers' association said it was nonsense. CCTV footage had been studied and they were not all women - two of the five were men. And the red taxi drivers were not chasing them at all - they were chasing the Grabcar driver'

 

Okay, so why is this all 'nonsense'? Because it wasn't five females it was three females and two males? How does that change anything? Ah, they weren't chasing and scaring tourists they were chasing and scaring Grab taxi drivers? That's okay then. The mindset of a spoiled and arrogant little brat. 

 

Absolutely selfish, deluded and entitled scum. Time locals and tourists voted with their feet. Offer us a better and more competitive service or we will boycott you completely. 

5555 beat me to it----cant see the forest for the trees....we didnt scare women there were men!

we didnt chase them we chase driver....<deleted>....really????....as i always say as how much this

love facebook and social media its coming to bite them in the ass--hard to silence that-or

maybe soon to go the way of china and the great firewall--maybe set up my VPN shop..

 

As for the uber boyz maybe drop them off at the corner and be a bit more discreet ala thai

[enlguy]

I should keep my mouth shut, maybe, but my two cents...  Thailand is pretty uncaring and corrupt and don't seem to care much for any interests other than their own.  In the news this week - turning away an NGO aid ship trying to help refugees (the Thais are apparently systematically murdering the refugees, to boot).  No cop in Thailand is going to give a <deleted> about this shit, especially if it involves tourists.  Just how it is here, it would seem.  Big reason I'm cutting my trip here way short.  It won't be until tourism dies out that they'll ask what the hell they've done to themselves, but too many degenerates still pour into the island for cheap hookers.  This place is going to hell in a hand basket.  Spoken by someone who's been visiting over the course of 30 years.  It wasn't always like this.  

[observer90210]

With UBER/GRAB there are no temptations to take you for a sight seeing tour around the city as the route is pre defined.

 

So even if the regular official Taxi accepts to put on the meter, chances are that if he sees that you are a farang, he will naturally try to take the longest route possible. Such cheating happens daily in western countries,  so why would the official taxis be more honest in Thailand ? They are just a bunch of cheats and crooks (with exceptions obviously).

 

I rather pay a bit more with GRAB/UBER or use the BTS/MRT...but avoid the official taxis hailed on the streets,  as much as possible.

 

And what to say about the arrogant or lazy regular taxi chaps who plainly refuse a run ?

 

The Thai taxi mafia, plainly got what they deserved after all these years of arrogance and cheating passengers.

 

Edited May 14, 2018 by observer90210

[arithai12]

Big Joke, you are needed in Chiang Mai please.

[Ulysses G.]

On 3/15/2017 at 8:58 PM, Nowisee said:

The more I read about the red truckers being thugs, the less likely I will use them...er, the more certain I will NOT use them. 

 

Used them continually for 25 years and only met a handful of bad ones. Don't place too much stock in urban lies legends. Most are good men trying to support their families.

[mogandave]

Used them continually for 25 years and only met a handful of bad ones. Don't place too much stock in urban lies legends. Most are good men trying to support their families.

Some people are just a-hole magnets...