PM: Public must "understand" taxi drivers who refuse fares

[webfact]

PM: Public must "understand" taxi drivers who refuse fares

 

Picture: Voice TV

 

BANGKOK: -- Voice TV have said that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has asked the public to understand taxi drivers who refuse fares.

 

They quoted the PM as saying that drvers may have a good reason to not pick up passengers.

 

They quoted him as saying that drivers might not want to take the fare, or might want to but were unable to for some reason. You have to distinguish one situation from another, they reported him as saying.

 

They inferred that the PM was frustrated with measures in place to improve the service of taxis but that everything was not always cut and dried when it comes to applying the law.

 

Once again they said that Prayut referred to the invoking of article 44 and said that the PM could not just apply it to every case.

 

They said that the PM cited a situation to expound his point where article 44 might be used to compel passengers in the cab to cross their left leg over their right and not vise versa.

 

They said that the PM asked that not every law be criticized out of hand.

 

The comments come after the ruling junta pulled the plug on Voice TV for a week in what many saw as a punishment for being critical of the regime.

 

Source: Voice TV

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-04-05

[LennyW]

1 minute ago, webfact said:

The comments come after the ruling junta pulled the plug on Voice TV for a week in what many saw as a punishment for being critical of the regime.

This is the most interesting part of this story....

[jonclark]

Sorry Mr. PM - But if the driver doesn't want the fare then the driver shouldn't stop. That simple. 

 

You should be supporting the people, not the drivers!!

[ThaiCitizen]

1 minute ago, jonclark said:

Sorry Mr. PM - But if the driver doesn't want the fare then the driver shouldn't stop. That simple. 

 

You should be supporting the people, not the drivers!!

He's usually on his way home from a 12 hour shift and looking for a quick fare. If it's in the opposite direction he doesn't want it. Chris, it ain't rocket science. Quite right PM.

[Mango Bob]

I wonder how many times you taken a cab and they say no.   

[sanemax]

7 minutes ago, webfact said:

The comments come after the ruling junta pulled the plug on Voice TV for a week in what many saw as a punishment for being critical of the regime.

 

Source: Voice TV

 

Ha ha "Source Voice TV "

[Mango Bob]

2 minutes ago, ThaiCitizen said:

He's usually on his way home from a 12 hour shift and looking for a quick fare. If it's in the opposite direction he doesn't want it. Chris, it ain't rocket science. Quite right PM.

Amazing 5 drivers all are going home at the same time and say direction.  Get real

 

[sanemax]

1 minute ago, Mango Bob said:

Amazing 5 drivers all are going home at the same time and say direction.  Get real

 

Which "5 drivers" are you referring too ?

[ThaiCitizen]

Just now, Mango Bob said:

Amazing 5 drivers all are going home at the same time and say direction.  Get real

 

So tell me the reason they give up a fare? maybe it's your Chang vest!

[les Dennis]

3 minutes ago, ThaiCitizen said:

He's usually on his way home from a 12 hour shift and looking for a quick fare. If it's in the opposite direction he doesn't want it. Chris, it ain't rocket science. Quite right PM.

I personally would stand on the side of the road in which the cab was heading, but that doesn't work either. If that's the ruling they cant really moan about Uber.

[Slaps]

 

 

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That sounds like a green light for a NO to me

 

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Edited April 5, 2017 by Slaps

[11223344]

13 minutes ago, ThaiCitizen said:

He's usually on his way home from a 12 hour shift and looking for a quick fare. If it's in the opposite direction he doesn't want it. Chris, it ain't rocket science. Quite right PM.

When I used to live on So 15 there was sometimes 20+ of those poor souls heading the other direction. How sad

[Crossy]

Singapore has it sussed, the taxis have smart rooftop signs, if they are going off shift the sign shows where they are headed, easy eh?

 

[SiamBeast]

^ Good idea, as long as it's enforced.

[jonclark]

28 minutes ago, ThaiCitizen said:

He's usually on his way home from a 12 hour shift and looking for a quick fare. If it's in the opposite direction he doesn't want it. Chris, it ain't rocket science. Quite right PM.

Well if the driver is going home, then he should just go home and not stop. That ain't rocket science either.

[Bluespunk]

36 minutes ago, webfact said:

Voice TV have said that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has asked the public to understand taxi drivers who refuse fares.

We do understand.

 

They are a bunch of £@!?s.

[Monomial]

26 minutes ago, ThaiCitizen said:

He's usually on his way home from a 12 hour shift and looking for a quick fare. If it's in the opposite direction he doesn't want it. Chris, it ain't rocket science. Quite right PM.

Wrong.

 

Public taxis are municipal service, and with a taxi license comes a duty to accept all fares, not only the ones they want. If they do not want to perform all of their responsibilities, they need to turn their lights off. There is no concept of getting a "quick fare" if it suits them. That is not what a taxi license is for.

 

The public is entitled to regulated and fair taxi service. Any taxi driver who doesn't understand his obligations under the law should not be driving a taxi. Taxis are an integral part of an urban environment. If we allow taxi drivers to select only the fares they want, then there will be areas of the capital that are underserved by public transport and that isn't fair to the people living there. That just encourages more private cars and punishes everyone with additional traffic. A taxi driver is a regulated profession and while a private driver, is still in the service of the public.

 

Any driver who doesn't like the rules doesn't need to drive a taxi.

 

And anyone who supports taxi drivers who do this is indirectly supporting increased traffic and lower quality of life for everyone. I don't support the Uber model for this exact reason. Drivers have no right to select their fares.  But I really don't support taxi drivers who have been granted a license and ignore their responsibilities. Taxis are a critical infrastructure component of a city. Nobody has the right to selectively refuse service, and it doesn't matter the circumstance.

 

The PM needs to tell taxi drivers this in no uncertain terms.

 

 

 

 

[Redline]

36 minutes ago, ThaiCitizen said:

He's usually on his way home from a 12 hour shift and looking for a quick fare. If it's in the opposite direction he doesn't want it. Chris, it ain't rocket science. Quite right PM.

Usually?  You must be a taxi driver.  If you are on, you are on, if you are off, you are off~it's all very simple.  If you are going home, go home!  don't waste people's time and energy.

[Redline]

Thus the need for Uber, Lyft..

[Metapod]

If it was something that happened very rarely in situations like a guy finishing his 12hour shift and driving home etc, that would be one thing.

 

The reality is that it happens all the time for no reason other than greed. Sometimes i have to ask 10+ taxis just to have one agree to take me where I want to go and put the meter on. 

[MrJohnson]

Vote with your feet if you don't like it. I've been using Grab and Uber for some time now and haven't had a problem. Nice clean cars, courteous drivers who know you are going to rate them.  Well worth the extra cost.

 

[Sigma6]

32 minutes ago, ThaiCitizen said:

So tell me the reason they give up a fare? maybe it's your Chang vest!

Do you live in bangkok?

 

they refuse the fare because;

(in order of occurrence for me)

 

a). they want to go off meter

b). No response (you've said where, they just drive off)

c). You have chosen a route where they may encounter traffic (unbelievable in bkk i know)

d). They need gas...(they say)

e). Shift is over....(they say)

 

3 refused me 2 nights ago at midnight from soi 31 to on nut (top of on nut) ummm around 3 sets of lights and less than 4km.  3 outta 3 didnt want to go on the meter. 

 

No chang vest in sight

 

?

 

 

[djjamie]

Go Uber. Market forces might make taxi drivers rethink they attitude. 

[sanemax]

8 minutes ago, Monomial said:

I don't support the Uber model for this exact reason. Drivers have no right to select their fares

I disagree , when asking Uber, you are asking all the Ubers who are on duty and they are usually eager for your custom 

   Having the Uber system stops Taxis driving around all day, mostly empty , looking for custom , causing traffic congestion and pollution .

   Uber is the way forward

[williamgeorgeallen]

they keep trying to shut down the solution. ride sharing apps like uber. they make the driver behave. a simple solution that is basically free to implement. i remember they did not want to let foreign ride sharing app into thailand and a local one was going to be started. guess it never happened.

[Monomial]

6 minutes ago, sanemax said:

I disagree , when asking Uber, you are asking all the Ubers who are on duty and they are usually eager for your custom 

   Having the Uber system stops Taxis driving around all day, mostly empty , looking for custom , causing traffic congestion and pollution .

   Uber is the way forward

If you have never received the message "No drivers are currently available" when trying to use Uber or Grab, then you are either very lucky or just don't have enough experience with it.

 

For sure, when you receive this message, some drivers were available. They simply elected not to accept your fare. That is no different than a taxi driver stopping and refusing a fare.  It is not the way to do urban planning.

 

The way forward is regulating public transport for the benefit of all stakeholders. That starts by making all drivers understand they do not have the option to choose their fares. If you are in service, you are in service for everyone. You can not say "I'm available" and then say "but not for you."

 

Adding electronic hailing doesn't change that dynamic in any way.

 

 

[NanLaew]

44 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Singapore has it sussed, the taxis have smart rooftop signs, if they are going off shift the sign shows where they are headed, easy eh?

 

 

And around 4 PM on Orchard and notably just after the skies have opened up, just about every taxi displays 5 of these 6 signs (and it aint the TAXI one either!).

[11223344]

4 minutes ago, Monomial said:

For sure, when you receive this message, some drivers were available. They simply elected not to accept your fare. That is no different than a taxi driver stopping and refusing a fare.  It is not the way to do urban planning.

Well while I get this message I'm still sipping a beer in a restaurant, sitting on my sofa at home etc... so no bother to me. Standing on the street sometimes for 30+ minutes does bother me though

[mtls2005]

"Must understand".

 

Classic.

 

 

[jerojero]

For fark sakes. You've just given the taxi drivers approval to carry on refusals with impunity. The Thai public and tourists thank you.