Taxi drivers chase foreigner out of Uber taxi in Pattaya

[johng]

Good.  Get Uber out of Thailand.  Next kick out Starbucks and Hooters.

What about McDonalds,KFC,Buger king,Piza Hut,Tesco,
Ford,Chevrolet,Google,Facebook and all those other "vile" foreign companies who invest and create jobs for Thailand kick them all out and everyone can go back to thier rice paddies ?

[richard_smith237]

7 minutes ago, AndyOz said:

I must admit the vast majority of any bad experiences were pre smart phone. In saying that things must have changed an unmeasurable amount. For example in in Brazil (Rio and Manaus) and Argentina I was not allowed to even take a taxi while on business. Granted this was a company policy but others had been robbed and physically assaulted in the past.

Talin was another place where the taxis blatantly ripped off tourists while the police look on. I have first hand experience of this.

Compare this to Pattaya where I can get most places on a baht bus for 10baht. I feel taxi drivers are an easy target.

When in Pattaya I try to walk as much as possible, but I personally have never had a problem. I never get into a taxi without first agreeing a price or have a meter on wherever I am in the world.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Yep, that common sense approach of 'never taking a journey unless first agreeing the meter or a price' is where many tourists slip up in Thailand and fall foul of an agressive tuk-tuk or taxi driver. 

 

I also agree that there are plenty of other areas where tourists are taken advantage of. These places have negative reputations for tourists and are hardly the 'clean tourist destinations' that Thailand is trying to achieve.... 

 

Yes, that last comment is somewhat farcical when looking at what happens in destinations such as Pattaya, however, given the numerous 'cleanup' announcements, turning a blind eye to the taxi woes does come with somewhat of a hypocritical stink... 

[richard_smith237]

Just now, johng said:

What about McDonalds,KFC,Buger king,Piza Hut,Tesco,
Ford,Chevrolet,Google,Facebook and all those other "vile" foreign companies who invest and create jobs for Thailand kick them all out and everyone can go back to thier rice paddies ?

 

Ignore him...  he's in the 'gone native' phase of his 'anti-americanism'... he's probably already switched to buddhism, doesn't use Air-con, rides his bike without a helmet etc... eats insects for protein... 

[Borzandy]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Surasak was fined after the taxis surrounded his car and police turned up.

Surasak was lucky enough to not be shot by the police. Uber service is still illegal in Thailand.

[humqdpf]

Now that we have dragged you out of an Uber car and threatened you, you take my taxi, ok?

[richard_smith237]

8 minutes ago, humqdpf said:

Now that we have dragged you out of an Uber car and threatened you, you take my taxi, ok?

 

Their logic is fundamentally flawed isn't it.....  IF anything these Taxi drivers are UBER's best advertising tool... 

 

Anyone seeing this news is surely going to avoid these taxis as much as possible... 

... or, would it force customers to think twice before ordering an UBER ?

 

I can just imagine the scenario, where I (a westerner) is in the car with my Wife, the Taxi's assume she is an UBER driver and chase us and demand I get out of my own car !!!!...  

 

... the potential wrongs in permitting such lawless behavior without making these criminals accountable for their actions are many and only impact the public... 

[johng]

Just a couple of days ago a female Thai real estate agent was boxed in and intimidated while taking her Chinese customers to view condos accused of being an Uber driver
Police chief sternly told the Taxi drivers not to do it again !

[williamgeorgeallen]

i just started driving for uber in nz. it gives customers cheap reliable transportation. although taxis are cheap in thailand service is patchy. uber will win on service in thailand and i would imagine most taxi drivers know it. after driving for a week i can see it is not very easy to make a good living without doing many hours. think it is better to just drive weekends when rider demand is strong. soon people will expect to use Uber or a similar service. cant hold back progress.

Edited May 18, 2017 by williamgeorgeallen

[Familyaffairs]

Filthy gangsters !

[thaibeachlovers]

5 hours ago, tracker1 said:

Surasak was fined after the taxis surrounded his car and police turned up. His driving licence was seized.  Can anyone explain why ????

They said already. He was illegally working as a taxi driver.

What else did he expect?

 

Just wait till Uber gets to bring in the driverless taxis, they will be burnt by all the unemployed ex taxi drivers.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Thank-you for your respect, with a proportionate level of respect in return I would like to ask if your travels to these areas were before the prevalence of smartphones? especially in Europe, Eastern Europe, South East Asia and South America ?

 

In a comparison of Major cities and tourist destinations the metered fare is the norm. Where a metered taxi is not the norm there is usually a 'fixed fare' system which operates reasonable pricing and not the heavily inflated and overcharging fares we see in Thailand... An now we have the smart phone apps....

 

Of course, if we don't like the inflated fare we can walk away. But this is not private enterprise, the DLT (or relevant metropolitan authority) has awarded the Taxi's a license to provide a service. In accepting this license the drivers have agreed to follow the regulations. When charging a fixed fare, they breaking their license contract. 

 

These regulations are to protect the consumer / passenger. 

 

In very few places is the blatant over charging and extortion of passengers tolerated... I can name a few, but these are places I avoid...  

 

Yet for Pattaya, it seems not only are these overcharging practices by taxi drivers are tolerated by the authorities, it now seems they are supported. 

You obviously never tried to take a taxi to Auckland airport. The taxi drivers are just a bunch of extorting crooks.

Pattaya "taxi" prices have always been a rip off if not on the fixed route which is the best priced in Thailand.

Same everywhere though. Try taking a tuk tuk in Phuket!

[malcoml]

I don't get why they are picking on Uber.

 

There is usually a half dozen illegal taxis parked at the front of any major hotel.

[Jingthing]

5 hours ago, AndyOz said:

...
On the whole I think Pattaya does a pretty good job with their taxis. Keep things the same.


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

You have got to the kidding! 

[Jingthing]

3 hours ago, AndyOz said:

With the greatest respect you have not traveled extensively. I think of cities in Eastern Europe and South America. If a taxi driver will not switch his meter on and the price quoted is too high then go to another. The other taxi will have seen this and will offer a better price. You may need to do this 2 or 3 times but the choice is yours if you don't like the price don't get in.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Nope. They collude.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, johng said:

What about McDonalds,KFC,Buger king,Piza Hut,Tesco,
Ford,Chevrolet,Google,Facebook and all those other "vile" foreign companies who invest and create jobs for Thailand kick them all out and everyone can go back to thier rice paddies ?

They are only in Thailand to exploit the poorly paid workers. Capitalist crooks.

The biggest trick the fast food companies ever played was to convince the Thais that their unhealthy garbage food is worth paying 4 times as much for as a proper Thai meal.

[thaibeachlovers]

6 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Nope. They collude.

Yup. In Chiang Mai I failed to get 10 "taxis" to go below 100 baht for a 20 baht trip.

[thaibeachlovers]

5 hours ago, AndyOz said:

I do have some sympathy with the Taxi drivers. Uber has depended on your view either revolutionised or destroyed the taxi industry wherever it plies its trade.
Whatever your opinion the drivers end up much worse off. I think the balance in Pattaya now is pretty good. The number of baht busses has been greatly reduced, routes and prices are clearly defined If you want to hire a taxi the rules are the same as anywhere else in the world, agree a price you are both happy with before you start your journey.
I understand things could be better and the yellow taxis should have meters that are working all the time.
On the whole I think Pattaya does a pretty good job with their taxis. Keep things the same.


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

Disagree 100% that there are less baht buses on Second and Beach.

However, 10 baht from south Rd to North Rd is exceptionally good value. Hasn't gone up in 20 years.

[Jingthing]

To add, if a fake taxi meter "collective" driver would actually offer a fare that is competitive to Uber and Grab (don't worry, it does not happen) they would be in violation of the rules they operate under. 

They are not even allowed to use meters. I'm not even sure if they have a fake meter rate schedule in the machines as they're never used. Surely they aren't spending any money on maintaining the meter operation ... 

To suggest the status quo here before Uber with taxis is in any way reasonable or acceptable from a consumer POV is totally absurd.

The baht buses as buses on their limited routes is a different story.

Most locals and tourists, including me, appreciate they are a great bargain ... as buses. 

Edited May 18, 2017 by Jingthing

[barryofthailand]

Uber is not illegal in Thailand. The Uber driver should file a complaint with the DSI in Bangkok. The Pattaya police is part of the Taxi Mafia.

[klauskunkel]

10 minutes ago, malcoml said:

I don't get why they are picking on Uber.

 

There is usually a half dozen illegal taxis parked at the front of any major hotel.

the illegal taxis are legally illegal, the Uber taxis are illegally illegal

... it's complicated and fraught with dangerous misunderstandings and innuendo about... pssst... things!

[hansnl]

5 hours ago, BigBadGeordie said:

But it appears that being a vigilante thug is not.

 

And being a member of a local "mafia" exempts you from charges and bringing the "country into disrepute and damaging tourism".

Quite.

[bander]

5 hours ago, BigBadGeordie said:

But it appears that being a vigilante thug is not.

 

And being a member of a local "mafia" exempts you from charges and bringing the "country into disrepute and damaging tourism".

Don't forget, most of the taxis and bath buses are owned by police men. 

Just saying, if you have problem with taxi in Pattaya, don't call the cops.

 

[richard_smith237]

28 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You obviously never tried to take a taxi to Auckland airport. The taxi drivers are just a bunch of extorting crooks.

Pattaya "taxi" prices have always been a rip off if not on the fixed route which is the best priced in Thailand.

Same everywhere though. Try taking a tuk tuk in Phuket!

 

Never had an issue with Taxi's in Aukland... in and around the city, and from and to the airport...

 

Tuk Tuks in Phuket... I agree... A-holes !

[daveAustin]

5 hours ago, AndyOz said:

I do have some sympathy with the Taxi drivers. 

I don't. Some of them, as depicted here, are utter a-holes. The rest of your posts are nonsensical and off-tangent. If you do some travelling, you'll see how it really is in the rest of the world.

[Usual Suspect]

Only 2 days ago I saw on the TV a HHK news report about how Hong Kong tourists..when staying in BKK are urged & advised to use Grab taxis & NOT metered taxis due to all the bad reports on metered taxi drivers in/around the city.

 (It's a never ending story here of both metred-taxis & mini-vans blatantly flaunting any/every law on a daily basis.. TiT)

[Bantex]

Taxi drivers. Are the same the world over, some are good whilst there are always a few crooks and hustlers. I've used Uber previously and always found them well above the standard of the average taxi driver. Some taxi drivers refuse to turn on the meter whilst others use the meter and still try to rip you off. I recently took a taxi to a hotel in Bangkok and I noted the meter reading as I got out. I was standing at the rear of the taxi but still in sight of the meter whilst the driver unloaded my luggage, he asked for more than three times the meter reading, I pretended not to understand him and he beckoned hotel staff over to translate and that's when I pointed to the meter. The hotel staff had words with him about ripping off tourists and that was when the taxi driver stated he made a mistake. I told him, in Thai, that I also had made a mistake as I pushed a few notes into his hand and walked into the hotel having only paid half of what was on the meter. I don't mind paying a reasonable fare with a good tip, but I won't be ripped off.

Years ago in London myself and friends used taxis regularly and knew the average fare for the routes we used. One evening a taxi driver on realising we were not locals pretended to forget the route and drove about, he even radioed his base for directions. After he ran the meter up to seven times the normal fare I told him just to take us back to our pickup location, he argued that he knew where we're going to but we insisted on being taken back and on arrival we got out. We refused to pay the meter which was then nine times the usual fare and he threatened to call the police. He was asked what was he going to report, that he collected from here and we were still in the same place having been taken no where.

I had a taxi driver in Hong Kong who had trouble finding the location he was taking me to and when we finally arrived he told me there was no charge as it was his fault and apologised for delaying me. I asked him to collect me later, he arrived promptly at the agreed time and when I paid for the return journey he also got a good tip.

[gandalf12]

6 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

He was engaged in an illegal commercial activity.  Uber is not a legal operation in Thailand.

Neither is the psychotic mentality of the Pattaya taxi drivers but no one seems to mind that. With the way Pattaya operates expats should stay well away from the place. It is a cesspit of humanity with thugs, apparently condoned by the authorities, running amok.

[Jingthing]

Illegal schmillegal.

Is running a transport monopoly and enforcing it with the threat of violence legal? 

Double standards for days here.

Living here, you can't avoid the GREY areas. 

Edited May 18, 2017 by Jingthing

[Deli]

5 hours ago, AndyOz said:

I do have some sympathy with the Taxi drivers. Uber has depended on your view either revolutionised or destroyed the taxi industry wherever it plies its trade.
Whatever your opinion the drivers end up much worse off. I think the balance in Pattaya now is pretty good. The number of baht busses has been greatly reduced, routes and prices are clearly defined If you want to hire a taxi the rules are the same as anywhere else in the world, agree a price you are both happy with before you start your journey.
I understand things could be better and the yellow taxis should have meters that are working all the time.
On the whole I think Pattaya does a pretty good job with their taxis. Keep things the same.


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

 

Sorry, but this is BS. In the civilized world you don't have to agree on the fare, as it is stipulated through a government controlled meter.

Same price for everybody and no rip offs by the mob.

 

[chinostar]

6 hours ago, AndyOz said:

I do have some sympathy with the Taxi drivers. Uber has depended on your view either revolutionised or destroyed the taxi industry wherever it plies its trade.
Whatever your opinion the drivers end up much worse off. I think the balance in Pattaya now is pretty good. The number of baht busses has been greatly reduced, routes and prices are clearly defined If you want to hire a taxi the rules are the same as anywhere else in the world, agree a price you are both happy with before you start your journey.
I understand things could be better and the yellow taxis should have meters that are working all the time.
On the whole I think Pattaya does a pretty good job with their taxis. Keep things the same.


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

Sympathy??? These are thugs taking law in own hands!. Whatever reason, nobody can play judge. You must have lived here toooooo long.