Operation OF The Taxi Service In Bangkok

[antonabe]

I wish to share my experience of the Taxi service in Bangkok.The service from the Airport to the Hotels is excellent and is no cause for concern.However if one to get about in Bangkok from the Hotels to the different shopping molls etc the Taxi driver refuse to oprate the Meter although they have one.I am sure there is a law which prohibits but the law is apparently not implemented,I am sure the Authorities will find a way to solve this problem which is not there is countries such as Singapore and Hong Kong

[Martinus]

don't get in if they do not turn the meter on.....
call a cop when one stands near...
btw....complaints and rules apply for Thai as well as foreigners

[antonabe]

This is easily said than done.Cops in my experience are not always available,perhaps only foreigners are subjected to this although the law applies to both.

[lichy]

call a cop when one stands near...

Are you serious? Never, never, never ask for help from a Thai cop. If you want to part with your money then go ahead and ask for assistance from a member of Thailand's biggest criminal gang. Ever heard of a walking ATM? When one of these lovely, thoughtful wiseguys talks to an ATM then it's payday!!

[DocN]

It's the same for thais and farangs!
My girlfriend (thai) made this experience more than once!

[Martinus]

call a cop when one stands near...

Are you serious? Never, never, never ask for help from a Thai cop. If you want to part with your money then go ahead and ask for assistance from a member of Thailand's biggest criminal gang. Ever heard of a walking ATM? When one of these lovely, thoughtful wiseguys talks to an ATM then it's payday!!

Bitter experiences lichy...sorry to read this
I have never ever been ill advised or asked for money from a service of a thai policeman
Usually they help farang quicker and better than Thai
but of course that is my personal experience

[Dave Masman]

For the sheer quantity and value of taxis, Bangkok is very unique and for that we should be thankful. Most drivers get us where we need to -at least if you have the minimal language skills required. I really can't say enough about the abundance of this service. In UK cities there are never enough cabs in the morning for work, or when the bars are closing at night. Most of the drivers are immigrants with very little English or road 'knowledge' at all. Futhermore the Sat Nav has negated their need to even try learning the names of roads. This leads to frustration on the part of the customer and another 'dumming down' of lifeskills thanks to technology.

Considering how many drivers come from upcountry in Thailand, their knowledge -as a collective- is generally pretty good. Plus, they have the patience and attention to traverse through heavy lanes of traffic without getting angry. How many Brits would last 5 mins driving a car in BKK traffic? Not me, for one.

[sulasno]

with the local situation and a glut of taxis, the drivers are still choosing their fares

[Sean Moran]

For the sheer quantity and value of taxis, Bangkok is very unique and for that we should be thankful. Most drivers get us where we need to -at least if you have the minimal language skills required. I really can't say enough about the abundance of this service.

That's about the way I look at it too. Maybe the service differs depending on the language skills of the passenger, or maybe the bad guys don't prey on able-bodied tourists with two good legs, but I can only remember two interesting times out of around 100 or more legitimate meter taxi rides. Usually never a problem at all, and a great opportunity to practice one's language skills - works both ways sometimes.

One was on July 4th 2006, and it was all over before I even got in the cab. First time I went for a walk down Soi Cowboy and I'd caught the cab from Nonthaburi that night for somewhere around 250 baht inlcuding a 50 baht tip from memory. Going home I came across a cab right on the Asoke side of Cowboy and all I said was "pai nonthaburi mai" before the reply came back as jet roi (700thb). My last words before crossing the street to find a meter cab down on Sukh were "khun bah mai" which in hindsight, probably wasn't quite the right way to explain my decision not to accept the ride, but I never heard gunfire as I walked away so I guess the driver saw the funny side. Lucky for me.

The other time was a completely different problem. I was the cause, but it wasn't me who suffered the cost. I was in the process of ferrying my suitcase back from the office to my apartment. Only around 2km up Chaengwattana, I'd usually walk but the suitcase was fairiy cumbersome and the castors probably wouldn't have lasted the distance, and besides the meter taxi was under 50 baht.

So there I am standing on the side of the road with the suitcase at my feet looking out for a passing taxi. A taxi pulled up around ten minutes later, and the driver got out to open the boot (trunk) for me to put the case. Lo and behold if a cop doesn't arrive just before we got in the cab and booked the poor bloke 400 baht for parking in a bus stop. This was his reward for stopping to accepting a 50 baht fare within walking distance.

I noticed that his face didn't match the ID photo in the cab, and assumed he was just filling in on the weekend for a friend of his to try to make some extra cash, or something like that? What a rotten weekend he had to live through because stupid me didn't know the right place to stand on the side of the road to hail a taxi. I paid the poor fellow 200 baht for the 50 baht fare. haa-sip/haa-sip, song-roi/song-roi.

[J_as]

It is true that Bkk taxi drivers tend to avoid using meter... however everything comes at a price. If you see that you would only pay a bit of extra without using a meter then what the hell? And you can always find a taxi that WILL use a meter. Its not like there is a shortage of taxis in Bkk. Cheating on taxi customers is not a problem of Thailand, it is a problem of ALL developing countries from China and Malaysia to Bulgaria and Romania.

Overall I think Bangkok has got one of the best and indeed best value taxi services in the world (although Singapore being not too far behind, considering the top-notch service quality). And if you take just a few tips into account (asking for meter, if not, then asking price in advance and making sure it's not over the top, simply getting onto another taxi, being polite... simple as 1,2,3) you'll have a great taxi experience. I have never had problems with rudeness or anything (something that is so common in many countries).

And I can also share two of my recent experiences:

1: Perhaps my worst experience with Bkk taxi. I asked the taxi driver to get me to Poseidon massage place in Ratchadaphisek rd.. I specifically pointed the location on the map and he said ok. Every taxi driver knows it anyway. Then he took me to another place in a completely different location. I explained him that I didn't want to go there and if he could take me to where I asked. He refused (perhaps he had a deal with that massage place to bring all foreigners to them no matter what massage parlor they ask to go to). I paid him 50 baht (i.e. what the meter showed) and just left the car because I didn't want to get into a conflict and realized that I would end up being on the loosing side anyway.


2: I was traveling from Siam to a location in Din Daeng and the driver seemed young and very inexperienced. He wasn't sure where exactly to go and seemingly made a wrong turn at some intersection which meant he had to do a big circle before turning back. He asked some passers by and we finally got to our destination. The meter was showing 86 baht and I was prepared to give him 90. He, however, refused to take it and have me back 40 baht and explained that it was his fault that we had to drive so long. So even the taxi drivers are not all who only look at you as a walking ATM, no matter how strange that would be.