Taxi drivers chase foreigner out of Uber taxi in Pattaya

[Peterw42]

7 minutes ago, sambum said:

"Uber drivers can and do get properly licensed here"

See Post #78

Just because the guy in post 78 says so ? How can you get a license for something thats illeagal ?

[sambum]

7 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Just because the guy in post 78 says so ? How can you get a license for something thats illeagal ?

I am "the guy" who wrote Post #78

I was referring to a previous Post #74  aslimversgwm who said that Uber was operating legally in Chiang Mai.

Edited May 18, 2017 by sambum

[wvavin]

The Thai Taxi drivers should reflect on themselves what type of service level they could fulfill. 

[Jingthing]

The Thai Taxi drivers should reflect on themselves what type of service level they could fulfill. 

When pigs circumcise themselves ...

[tracker1]

1 hour ago, sambum said:

I am SOOO  p@#$$d  off with people who don't read the post in full before spouting off! Read the last line:-  "Uber service is still illegal in Thailand."!!!

Yes UBER is alive and well in Chiang Mai ! Maybe different rules where the mafia run the taxis

[BigSkip]

7 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

Sir YOU are so wrong, if you try this in Pattaya, the yellow taxis jump on there radio and tell the other taxis how much he quoted and they will then do the same or increase the price, it HAS happened to me at central mall pattaya.  THEY ARE THE MAFIA, PERIOD.

[sambum]

6 minutes ago, tracker1 said:

Yes UBER is alive and well in Chiang Mai ! Maybe different rules where the mafia run the taxis

Maybe so - but I suspect NOT legally!

[ujayujay]

8 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

Bullshit.

1. Have you ever heared about free Market?

2. Taxiservice in TH are bound to use Taximeter.

Your way to handle Taxiservice is a open Door to screw up Passengers.

 

[Pattaya28]

More hilarious news.

Uber illegal versus meter taxi meter turned off illegal.

 

[aaronshih2001]

It's also illegal to refuse to turn on your meter, but good luck getting a metered ride from any taxi in Pattaya.

Uber paid normal price! Thailand taxi paid extra extra price.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[elgordo38]

1 hour ago, balo said:

No it was not me in the car, if it was me I would have asked the taxi drivers to use their meter. Why do you have a meter sign on your roof ? I would make a complaint to the police and defend the Uber drver.
If they are breaking the law so are the taxi drivers !!

The law here is layered you have to peel it back. Some layers are illegal others not. 

[elgordo38]

Over time I think Uber will come out on top. The other day a lady was on the elevator with me doodling on her mobile. Being the curious friendly guy I am I asked her what she was doing. She said she was calling up Uber to pick her up behind the condo. She was getting an a/c car clean with someone driving who spoke English and knew where they were going. Hard to beat that combination. 

[elgordo38]

2 hours ago, aslimversgwm said:

Even the Song Thaeaw drivers are considering installing similar software so that you can call one of them nearest you on your mobile phone!

Competition drives ingenuity. 

[MekkOne]

9 hours ago, AndyOz said:

 the rules are the same as anywhere else in the world, agree a price you are both happy with before you start your journey.
 

So why in Ubon Ratchatani there's no need to deal and the taxi driver just turns on the meter? Same in Udon, Rome, Peris, London, New York, Mexico City, Caracas, Lima, Rio de Janeiro, San Paolo, Lisbona..... I'm just writing some of the town were I did take a taxi without a discussion wit a filthy taxi driver....

[thairookie]

10 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 ????

It's a massive encouragement for taxi drivers to play thug.  This will embolden them.

[Fulwell53]

9 hours ago, mahjongguy said:

It's also illegal to refuse to turn on your meter, but good luck getting a metered ride from any taxi in Pattaya.

Never had a problem getting a driver to put the meter on.

Then again I do my best to treat people as equals, with respect  etc.

 

[exalll]

15 minutes ago, MekkOne said:

So why in Ubon Ratchatani there's no need to deal and the taxi driver just turns on the meter? Same in Udon, Rome, Peris, London, New York, Mexico City, Caracas, Lima, Rio de Janeiro, San Paolo, Lisbona..... I'm just writing some of the town were I did take a taxi without a discussion wit a filthy taxi driver....

You could have added Hanoi, Phnom Penh, and most other cities in SE Asia

[exalll]

4 minutes ago, Fulwell53 said:

Never had a problem getting a driver to put the meter on.

Then again I do my best to treat people as equals, with respect  etc.

 

Interesting. So you do your best to treat people as equals and therefore taxi drivers turn on the meter. All I can say is that you are one unique guy. Clearly every other individual on the face of the earth doesn't do his/her best to treat people as equals and taxi drivers take it out on them. 

 

Yeah, right!

[Fulwell53]

18 minutes ago, elgordo38 said:

Over time I think Uber will come out on top. The other day a lady was on the elevator with me doodling on her mobile. Being the curious friendly guy I am I asked her what she was doing. She said she was calling up Uber to pick her up behind the condo. She was getting an a/c car clean with someone driving who spoke English and knew where they were going. Hard to beat that combination. 

Would be nice if they started paying their fair share of tax.

Airbnb, uber, amazon, ebay and their ilk are just taking the proverbial.

Everywhere in the world there are dodgy taxi drivers and some nefarious practices go on .

Uber though are just laughing in the faces of the good operators ( who are the majority ) but have been put on a pedestal by the greed is good mob who dont want to pay tax, comply with all regulations that are the accepted norm. 

[Fulwell53]

1 minute ago, exalll said:

Interesting. So you do your best to treat people as equals and therefore taxi drivers turn on the meter. All I can say is that you are one unique guy. Clearly every other individual on the face of the earth doesn't do his/her best to treat people as equals and taxi drivers take it out on them. 

 

Yeah, right!

Well done you got it one.

Maybe you hang about with the wrong sort

[elgordo38]

1 minute ago, Fulwell53 said:

Would be nice if they started paying their fair share of tax.

Airbnb, uber, amazon, ebay and their ilk are just taking the proverbial.

Everywhere in the world there are dodgy taxi drivers and some nefarious practices go on .

Uber though are just laughing in the faces of the good operators ( who are the majority ) but have been put on a pedestal by the greed is good mob who dont want to pay tax, comply with all regulations that are the accepted norm. 

Ah yes the other side of the coin. A business modeled designed to avoid ??

[Oleg57]

I am sorry about taxi drivers and potentially about any drivers because new technologies are unstoppable. Today it is Uber, tomorrow it will be driverless taxi and cars. But it is interesting to witness authorities of Thailand in this situation. They are trying to keep status quo and expel any new technologies from the country while blabbing about Thailand 4.0 and innovations. Should I mention that innovations have no real support from Thai government? And all these National Science and Technological Centers,  Automotive Institutes, Ministry of Science and Education, local state Universities, other government organizations, you name it, are just sinecures for elite's offsprings. Foreigners are not welcome to get a research or teaching position in Thailand. With exception for English teachers. Staggering difference from Singapore as an example. Anybody has a clue - Why?

[just.a.thought]

Irrelevant of Uber being illegal in Thailand the behavior of taxi drivers continues to tarnish the reputation of Thailand. It is unbelievable that the government continues to let drivers of all kind of commercial vehicles behave in this kind of mob fashion.

[Harold the Great]

I enjoyed so many of the comments about this. Mine is I doubt the taxi driver was all that surprised. I'm sure he is still driving with or without his license and that he will survive the fine and inconvenience of claiming his license should he actually have had it taken away and I also doubt he will endure the "WAI" ritual. I would have seriously laughed though had the foreign passenger been forced to perform the "WAI". Actually thinking about it makes me laugh as I write this. I'm sure the passenger will email family or friends and tell all about how corrupt Thailand is and how scared he was for his life of a taxi issue in a foreign country. Wow I would definitely be shocked if anyone ever told me about this kind of thing happening anywhere in the world especially regarding taxi issues as I think this would never happen in New York city, India or Saudi or anywhere else especially at the Heathrow Airport. 

Pretty good entertainment though.

[Jingthing]

Never had a problem getting a driver to put the meter on.
...
 

If you are referring to taxis in Pattaya that is surely a massive lie.

[bangkokairportlink]

Uber is everywhere in Bangkok but is illegal in Thailand ? What is this new Thai BS ? Feel pity for these people...

 

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

Uber service is still illegal in Thailand.

When will people realise this fact?

That also means any insurance is void too.

[Tracyb]

11 hours ago, Thechook said:

Tomorrow a story about taxi driver returning cash to foreign tourist

Or perhaps a story about an Uber passenger shooting a taxi driver who impedes progress of his driver......

[MartinBangkok]

10 hours ago, THAILIBAN said:

 

I have been using UBER frequently in the past few weeks to get from my place to Pattaya Bus station. Nothing but good experiences.

I tell the driver to drop my a few meters away from the actual station and they are happy about it, as we both can avoid potential Mafia type crooks. Everyone using UBER in Pattaya should use his common sense to avoid unpleasant scenes. Hire a car away from the main road, walk down the Soi. Do not hire it in front of Central Festival or Walking street - this would be begging for trouble.

Would I use regular cabs if they go by Meter? Of course ! But they won't...... GRAB in Pattaya is CRAP too, as most drivers of GRAB CAR never bother to arrive. I have entirely stopped using them (though I always use GRAB when in Malaysia, Vietnam or the Phils. This is just a specific Thai problem, as the GRAB mgmt in Thailand is completely useless and the drivers can get away with whatever they do.

Grab Taxi in Pattaya seems to be controlled by the local taxi mafia. That was my experience last week. They lied about their location and waiting time, and when I finally decided on one (speaking on the phone) he asked me to give the phone to the hotel security guy. The security guy than informed me that the driver wanted 1500 Baht, not the 1200 Baht we had agreed on 20 seconds earlier. I hung up the phone, blocked the guys number, downloaded the Uber app, and within 15 minutes I was safely on my way to Bangkok (1300 Baht).

[joskeshake]

how can they see its a UBER ?