gummigut Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Didn't think about it, but the same thing happens with some motorcycle stands here in the capital. After midnight or so the fair is no longer 7 baht but 10 baht. Or 15 instead of 10. As for being cheap, I really don't pay that no mind in this case. Thailand is very much buyer beware. Knowing the cost of goods/services is what it's about. There's no Better Business Bureau over here. The ride from south to central, central to north pattaya is 5 baht. They want to raise the price because of fuel costs? Why don't the gov't issue licenses and limit the number of songteaws. Then again I live over here, so it's a different mind set than when I was on vacation over here. I also have a much larger knowledgebase now too (but not that much larger! hehe). <<burp>> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldian Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 Just thought I'd add my 2 cents to this discussion, as i was in Pattaya when i read the post. I'm not real thrilled over the two-tier pricing system, although I do accept part of it...at any rate, i made a trip from Pattaya down to the Tiger Zoo in Sri Racha, using public transport. From downtown Sri Racha, a songtaew out to the zoo is 10 baht, and it is a good 10 kilometers out to the zoo...nobody seems to be complaining about fuel costs or making ends meet out there, and one realizes then that 10 baht to go 1-2 km in Pattaya is actually an act of robbery. Upon reading the post, I decided to only pay 5 baht from then on. I speak quite decent Thai, although most drivers have no interaction with me until i pay them. Ended up doing 5-6 day trips throughout the city, handed 5 baht after the ride, and never got one glance or asked for any more money...also asked several thais if i needed to pay more at night, and they told me i didn't....took 3 evening trips and also paid 5 baht, and never got one negative glance or asked for money...basically, if they can get away with it they will, but the reality is that the price is 5 baht, not 10, and there is only a two tiered system if you choose it to be so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CondomKing Posted January 3, 2005 Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 Thanks for the field work and the report! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 3, 2005 Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 Thanks for the update Oldian ........and hence the reason for the original post. I assumed there were many that did not know the true costs involved. uniformguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belem Posted January 3, 2005 Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 I always get off the baht bus a little ways beyond my destination, pay 5 baht, and walk away. If the driver has a problem, he can go against the traffic or get out and voice his displeasure to me. Another thing I try to do is get on the baht bus with other people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelseafan Posted January 3, 2005 Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 thai3 said: Roppongi said:For all of you 5-bahters out there, beware that one day, when one driver can't make his rent, fuel costs, etc., he may just take out his frustrations on you head with the 4X4 under the driver's seat. Max is quite right it's not the amount but the principle that's important. Why do you think that these baht bus drivers are all poor frustrated souls who barely cover costs? I am pretty confident that by thai standards they do quite nicely-peter So this whole thread has been dedicated to saving 5 baht, errm that works out at 0.0694p. My god has it really come to this ? Principle or not, we all know that when we go to LOS we expect to get ripped off. If thats the worst of it, I can live with it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thai3 Posted January 3, 2005 Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 Happy to be overcharged 100% because you are a falang is easy to say when it's 5 baht, but not so easy when it's a few hundred baht. Also the who cares how much the greedy sods rip me off for attitude would not last long were you living there on a fixed income.-peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorro Posted January 3, 2005 Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 I certainly don't mind paying 10 baht. They have a very hard job these guys and given the costs of running a vehicle and the high price of petrol i don't think that charging 10 baht is unreasonable. I still don't understand why you want a make a fuss over 5 baht. I prefer to save my indignation for things that really matter. When I was a uni student years back i drove a taxi and have seen things from the other side. Most people actually begrudge paying for a taxi service even if it is only a very small percentage of what they will spend for the night. People were always getting in my cab and complaining about drivers ripping them off etc The public have a very poor perception of taxi drivers in general and cannot wait to dump their shit on a taxi driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelseafan Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 thai3 said: Happy to be overcharged 100% because you are a falang is easy to say when it's 5 baht, but not so easy when it's a few hundred baht. Also the who cares how much the greedy sods rip me off for attitude would not last long were you living there on a fixed income.-peter Noone likes being ripped off, thats for sure, but the post is not about "a few hundred baht", it's about 5 baht. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaad Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 5 baht seems acceptable if those who rip me off are strangers and I'm not a regular customer. But try to image living here and facing such occurances on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly basis. Apart from the principle it's also (for those looking at it from a financial point of view only) a lot more than a 5-Baht coin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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