Songtaew drivers complain again against Uber

[CMBob]

11 hours ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

Unless you are on white, blue, yellow, and I think maroon....all on fixed routes. 

A slight correction....none of the roaming (red) songteaws are on fixed routes...which is why you ask them if they'll take you to a given place.   

[Nowisee]

Tuk Tuks are totally useless to me, a menace on the roads and stink terribly.  I have never and will never use one.

I can see the slight argument for a songtaew if going down main road from point to point.  Outside of that, pretty much useless too.
Songtaews creating traffic jams, stopping in the middle of a lane, riding down the center of the line and are creating a lot of pollution... far too many of them on the road.
They had their day, they blew it by being greedy and now they're crying.  Sorry, no sympathy from me.

 

I support Grab and sometimes Uber.  

[Lizard2010]

When i used to use the red songtaew  i would say where i wanted to go

Ask for price  always was 100 baht

I say i live here then they drive away

This what i can Non Existent Customer Service

Plus so many tuk tuks and red songtaew  spewing out pollution daily

No wonder we have such bad pollution here in Chiang Mai

Where is the Government when it is needed to clamp down on these

[CMBob]

2 hours ago, Lizard2010 said:

When i used to use the red songtaew  i would say where i wanted to go

Ask for price  always was 100 baht

If one wants to get ripped off by a songteaw driver, there are two ways to cause this to happen: (1) Ask them how much or (2) Show up at their window pointing at a map.  Both of those actions indicate to the driver that the person has no clue how things work and invites some (most?) drivers to charge a much higher price than the standard rate of 20 baht.

 

If the driver shakes his head "yes" as to your proposed destination, just get in and the fare is 20 baht (unless you grab one of the few songteaws which are now labeled 30 baht or unless the driver himself/herself tells you a different price up front).  

[sharktooth]

Alternatively, take five seconds out of your life to order Uber car.

[Dellboy218]

9 minutes ago, sharktooth said:

Alternatively, take five seconds out of your life to order Uber car.

Used Uber once for the first time a few weeks ago.  A very pleasant bloke driving carefully  in a virtually new Camry for a third the cost woth the price up front on your phone.  No wonder the taxis are worried.

[jak2002003]

7 hours ago, Lizard2010 said:

When i used to use the red songtaew  i would say where i wanted to go

Ask for price  always was 100 baht

I say i live here then they drive away

This what i can Non Existent Customer Service

Plus so many tuk tuks and red songtaew  spewing out pollution daily

No wonder we have such bad pollution here in Chiang Mai

Where is the Government when it is needed to clamp down on these

You must be doing something wrong.  I use them almost daily and the price for anywhere in the city is 20 baht. 

 

If there is no one else on it.. so its like a private one, then I will pay more... up to 40 baht.

 

When I got the yellow or green ones out of the city, the price is always about 14 - 16 baht.

 

Maybe you are getting one with only you on it.. and your place is a bit far away?

 

I have found most of them have very good customer service.  Often the driver insists I sit in the front with him where they have air conditioning.  Its a good chance for me to practice my Thai language and the driver to practice his / her English.

 

There are far far more cars, trucks and motor bikes on the roads than songtaews or tuk tuks.  Also mostly the songtaew will be full or have a few people on it.. so that is better for the environment than each person going in their own car of bike... kind of like a car share back in the UK.

 

 

[JimShortz]

A huge problem with Songtaews is that by 6pm they are all heading home, leaving us without public transport in the evening. Useless! 

 

I refuse to use Tuk Tuks because I despise haggling with thieves. The first price they offer is basically attempted theft, and after that I want nothing to do with them. Many would rather sit on their lazy <deleted> for hours and rip-off the odd victim than really work for a living. They are also, hot, uncomfortable and dangerous. Hell, you can't even see out without bending double...

 

I have found Uber to be cheap (even with a good tip), super fast pickup (2 or 3 minutes is common), nice cars and nice drivers, and will always take you directly to where you want to go.  What's not to like?  ?

[jak2002003]

4 hours ago, JimShortz said:

A huge problem with Songtaews is that by 6pm they are all heading home, leaving us without public transport in the evening. Useless! 

 

I refuse to use Tuk Tuks because I despise haggling with thieves. The first price they offer is basically attempted theft, and after that I want nothing to do with them. Many would rather sit on their lazy <deleted> for hours and rip-off the odd victim than really work for a living. They are also, hot, uncomfortable and dangerous. Hell, you can't even see out without bending double...

 

I have found Uber to be cheap (even with a good tip), super fast pickup (2 or 3 minutes is common), nice cars and nice drivers, and will always take you directly to where you want to go.  What's not to like?  ?

I agree with what you have said about the tuck tucks and songtaews. 

 

But, my experience with Uber taxis have been bad.  I used them 4 times and 3 times were very bad.

 

1st.  Ordered on.. waited.. arrived on time, got in.. then the driver basically told us to get out because he did not want to take us to our destination as it was too far.... pretended he did not speak any English...and even through I can speak good Thai, he still refused and we had to get out onto the hot street and call another one.

 

2nd.  Another one arrived.... late, got in, agreed price and destination.  After about 10 minutes in heavy rush hour traffic she starts huffing, sighing, puffing and generally acting annoyed.  Keeps muttering loudly that its too far, not make any money, too far,, huff, huff.  She is very unfriendly and nasty atmosphere in the Taxi as she gets really mad in the traffic.  Then says she thinks she can not take us.  Says there are songtaews at a market we pass and stops the car.  Basically refusing to take us anymore.. we have to pay her full... even though we are far form our house.. and get out and get a songetaew.

 

3rd.  Taking a friend to the airport.  Outside his condo.  Call Uber Taxi... against my advise.  On phone shows time to pick up is 10 mins.  Waiting and waiting.. on the location screen we can see the taxi in our area driving around and around in circles... even though the streets are quiet and its a very easy area to find your way about.  Still waiting in anther 20 minutes.. still see taxi driving in circles.  Then we have to walk about 20 mins to Big C to get a songtaew to the airport.. and that drives so slow we nearly miss check in time.

 

4th time.  Got one back from the airport to friends condo.  All good. 

 

So in my experience they are not reliable, can have rude and a bit frightening drivers too.

 

Probably in the city itself from A to B will be OK, but then you are paying more than you would in a songtaew so I don't see the point, apart form having some air conditioning in the taxi. 

[PGThompson1]

1 hour ago, jak2002003 said:

I agree with what you have said about the tuck tucks and songtaews. 

 

But, my experience with Uber taxis have been bad.  I used them 4 times and 3 times were very bad.

 

1st.  Ordered on.. waited.. arrived on time, got in.. then the driver basically told us to get out because he did not want to take us to our destination as it was too far.... pretended he did not speak any English...and even through I can speak good Thai, he still refused and we had to get out onto the hot street and call another one.

 

2nd.  Another one arrived.... late, got in, agreed price and destination.  After about 10 minutes in heavy rush hour traffic she starts huffing, sighing, puffing and generally acting annoyed.  Keeps muttering loudly that its too far, not make any money, too far,, huff, huff.  She is very unfriendly and nasty atmosphere in the Taxi as she gets really mad in the traffic.  Then says she thinks she can not take us.  Says there are songtaews at a market we pass and stops the car.  Basically refusing to take us anymore.. we have to pay her full... even though we are far form our house.. and get out and get a songetaew.

 

3rd.  Taking a friend to the airport.  Outside his condo.  Call Uber Taxi... against my advise.  On phone shows time to pick up is 10 mins.  Waiting and waiting.. on the location screen we can see the taxi in our area driving around and around in circles... even though the streets are quiet and its a very easy area to find your way about.  Still waiting in anther 20 minutes.. still see taxi driving in circles.  Then we have to walk about 20 mins to Big C to get a songtaew to the airport.. and that drives so slow we nearly miss check in time.

 

4th time.  Got one back from the airport to friends condo.  All good. 

 

So in my experience they are not reliable, can have rude and a bit frightening drivers too.

 

Probably in the city itself from A to B will be OK, but then you are paying more than you would in a songtaew so I don't see the point, apart form having some air conditioning in the taxi. 

Completely different experience that I've had.

 

Not sure why you would agree to a price and destination, you put the destination in the app and the price is shown before you order.

 

I once cancelled a ride within the allowed time but my credit card was charged, got in touch with Uber and they reimbursed the cost and stated the driver no longer works for them as the driver had charged other customers in the past without any journey involved.

 

Last week I got Uber from Bangkok to Beach road, Pattaya, they sent directions to the driver to Jomtien, took another 30 minutes to get to my destination, again, got in touch with Uber and they agreed that they had made the mistake and assured me that the driver would be compensated. 

 

Not sure why you would pay for a trip that wasn't completed, I certainly wouldn't. You should get in touch with Uber about your experiences and I'm sure you'll be impressed with their findings.

[dcnx]

On 4/21/2017 at 2:27 PM, JomtienEats said:

Songteaws reduce traffic congestion - a full songteaw carries maybe 14 or more people, if they were all in cars, that might be 7 to 10 extra cars on the road. If they were all on motorcycles, there would be a lot more deaths and injuries. They're pretty cheap and flexible too, they're a great transportation option.  I generally find the drivers are fair and honest, although there are some that quote exorbitant fares - be careful of the ones parked outside shopping centers.

 

The real menace are the tuk-tuks - those are what Uber and Grab will replace. They're dangerous, uncomfortable, overpriced and have held their monopoly too long, preventing any reasonable alternatives from emerging until now.

 

I have no doubt Uber and Grab will prevail and replace tuk-tuks, but I expect Songteaws to remain - once uber/grab scale back their promotional pricing, they won't be competing with songteaws anymore.

Yet, most of them drive around empty.

 

They also recklessly pull to either side of the road trying to get passengers who don't even motion for them, and it's not unusual for them to cause an accident in the process. There is a Facebook group dedicated to them because they cause so many accidents.

 

They had their chance and they blew it. It's time to upgrade.

[dcnx]

On 4/27/2017 at 6:59 PM, jak2002003 said:

You must be doing something wrong.  I use them almost daily and the price for anywhere in the city is 20 baht. 

 

If there is no one else on it.. so its like a private one, then I will pay more... up to 40 baht.

 

When I got the yellow or green ones out of the city, the price is always about 14 - 16 baht.

 

Maybe you are getting one with only you on it.. and your place is a bit far away?

 

I have found most of them have very good customer service.  Often the driver insists I sit in the front with him where they have air conditioning.  Its a good chance for me to practice my Thai language and the driver to practice his / her English.

 

There are far far more cars, trucks and motor bikes on the roads than songtaews or tuk tuks.  Also mostly the songtaew will be full or have a few people on it.. so that is better for the environment than each person going in their own car of bike... kind of like a car share back in the UK.

 

 

 

This message was sponsored by The Tourism Authority Of Thailand.

[jak2002003]

On ‎28‎/‎04‎/‎2017 at 11:47 AM, PGThompson1 said:

Completely different experience that I've had.

 

Not sure why you would agree to a price and destination, you put the destination in the app and the price is shown before you order.

 

I once cancelled a ride within the allowed time but my credit card was charged, got in touch with Uber and they reimbursed the cost and stated the driver no longer works for them as the driver had charged other customers in the past without any journey involved.

 

Last week I got Uber from Bangkok to Beach road, Pattaya, they sent directions to the driver to Jomtien, took another 30 minutes to get to my destination, again, got in touch with Uber and they agreed that they had made the mistake and assured me that the driver would be compensated. 

 

Not sure why you would pay for a trip that wasn't completed, I certainly wouldn't. You should get in touch with Uber about your experiences and I'm sure you'll be impressed with their findings.

The woman was actually getting quite scary.. and we were made to feel really uncomfortable... I thought she was going to flip out of have some kind of nervous breakdown.

 

Not sure how it works in Bangkok, but here the price is paid in cash not a credit card.

 

We did not pay the driver the full amount (sorry should have said), just what we thought was right for how far she had too us.

 

After the 3 bad experiences in a row, that is why I am reluctant to use them again.  And I don't have any problems with the Songtaews (and they are cheaper) so I have no real need to change at the moment.

[bubba]

3 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

The woman was actually getting quite scary.. and we were made to feel really uncomfortable... I thought she was going to flip out of have some kind of nervous breakdown.

 

Not sure how it works in Bangkok, but here the price is paid in cash not a credit card.

 

We did not pay the driver the full amount (sorry should have said), just what we thought was right for how far she had too us.

 

After the 3 bad experiences in a row, that is why I am reluctant to use them again.  And I don't have any problems with the Songtaews (and they are cheaper) so I have no real need to change at the moment.

But before you said:

 

 we have to pay her full... even though we are far form our house.. and get out and get a songetaew.

 

Yes, you're right. You better stick with songthaew. It's nice that we have a choice.

[binjalin]

The service is different and Uber you can see the car moving on the app and the price you will pay.  Song Taews come nowhere near my home and Uber is the way to go how can they complain?  it's a different service

 

bring on more competition!!!  

[JaseTheBass]

I agree with what you have said about the tuck tucks and songtaews. 
 
But, my experience with Uber taxis have been bad.  I used them 4 times and 3 times were very bad.
 
1st.  Ordered on.. waited.. arrived on time, got in.. then the driver basically told us to get out because he did not want to take us to our destination as it was too far.... pretended he did not speak any English...and even through I can speak good Thai, he still refused and we had to get out onto the hot street and call another one.
 
2nd.  Another one arrived.... late, got in, agreed price and destination.  After about 10 minutes in heavy rush hour traffic she starts huffing, sighing, puffing and generally acting annoyed.  Keeps muttering loudly that its too far, not make any money, too far,, huff, huff.  She is very unfriendly and nasty atmosphere in the Taxi as she gets really mad in the traffic.  Then says she thinks she can not take us.  Says there are songtaews at a market we pass and stops the car.  Basically refusing to take us anymore.. we have to pay her full... even though we are far form our house.. and get out and get a songetaew.
 
3rd.  Taking a friend to the airport.  Outside his condo.  Call Uber Taxi... against my advise.  On phone shows time to pick up is 10 mins.  Waiting and waiting.. on the location screen we can see the taxi in our area driving around and around in circles... even though the streets are quiet and its a very easy area to find your way about.  Still waiting in anther 20 minutes.. still see taxi driving in circles.  Then we have to walk about 20 mins to Big C to get a songtaew to the airport.. and that drives so slow we nearly miss check in time.
 
4th time.  Got one back from the airport to friends condo.  All good. 
 
So in my experience they are not reliable, can have rude and a bit frightening drivers too.
 
Probably in the city itself from A to B will be OK, but then you are paying more than you would in a songtaew so I don't see the point, apart form having some air conditioning in the taxi. 

Of course, you contacted Uber and got 3 refunds.

Sent from my SM-T815Y using Tapatalk

[JaseTheBass]

Anyway, my untech-savvy wife loves Uber and it's not let her down yet.

Songtaews and tuk-tuks have had their day, especially tuk-tuks which should be banned as they are totally unsuitable for modern roads.

Power to the people!

Sent from my SM-T815Y using Tapatalk

[jak2002003]

7 hours ago, JaseTheBass said:

 

Of course, you contacted Uber and got 3 refunds.

Sent from my SM-T815Y using Tapatalk
 

 

No I did not.  How will they refund me.. when I paid in cash?  Also I can not get 3 refunds, because if you read my post.. I did not get to ride I 2 of them at all! 

[JaseTheBass]

No I did not.  How will they refund me.. when I paid in cash?  Also I can not get 3 refunds, because if you read my post.. I did not get to ride I 2 of them at all! 

Sorry, I stopped reading when I realised you'd rather be a victim than getting simple justice.

Sent from my Cray II supercomputer

[A1Str8]

The old is being phased out and the new is taking over. They will get over it.

[11223344]

On 30/04/2017 at 9:16 AM, jak2002003 said:

Not sure how it works in Bangkok, but here the price is paid in cash not a credit card.

You are a tuk tuk driver, right? 

 

From your replies, it seems that IQ would be around that level. I'm in CM at the moment, used Uber five times in the past two days. Excellent service and paid by card.

[balo]

On 4/30/2017 at 9:16 AM, jak2002003 said:

The woman was actually getting quite scary.. and we were made to feel really uncomfortable... I thought she was going to flip out of have some kind of nervous breakdown.

 

Not sure how it works in Bangkok, but here the price is paid in cash not a credit card.

 

We did not pay the driver the full amount (sorry should have said), just what we thought was right for how far she had too us.

 

After the 3 bad experiences in a row, that is why I am reluctant to use them again. 

I am not sure if I believe your story . 

 

I have been taking UBER in Bangkok , Pattaya and Chiang Mai , now around 60 rides. Not once have they refused a trip, , not once and they always follow the GPS map ,  And I only use a Thai bank card as payment method , the money is deducted from my Kasikorn account automatically .  

 

 I think you are just trying to fabricate a story here and send out negative signals about UBER. God knows why. 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2017 by balo

[roadpeople]

On 4/27/2017 at 6:59 PM, jak2002003 said:

You must be doing something wrong.  I use them almost daily and the price for anywhere in the city is 20 baht. 

 

If there is no one else on it.. so its like a private one, then I will pay more... up to 40 baht.

 

When I got the yellow or green ones out of the city, the price is always about 14 - 16 baht.

May I side track a bit? Where to get on a yellow or green songtaew? Where do they go?