Guest lazyphil Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 <<All in all, Hugh may have over reacted a little, much less than most of us have here though>> Over reacting with taxi drivers in big strange citys is not my MO....remember Travis Bickle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khun_Kong Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 I once took a taxi from Nana to Don Muang, about 2130, to get my son. The frigging driver made a left at Soi 1 and proceded to drive down to the river, then down Rama IV towards Boss Tower/Tesco, basically in completely the wrong direction, in spite of my protests. Eventually we got to the airport, some 45 or more minutes later. I saw the meter was about 260 baht. I think I gave him somewhere around 200, got out the left rear- and left the door opened while I walked into the terminal. Small satisfaction hearing horns behind me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chanchao Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 > The frigging driver made a left at Soi 1 Well, keep in mind that officially you're not allowed to go streight and then on to the lane where you can enter the expressway.. If there was police present then I can understand this. Then once you're in the wrong lane, you can't move over in time to turn right at the old ZEN WTC building.. you're truly fucked, as I once found out the hard way, driving myself.. What you have to do is go BACK , deeper into soi Nana 4, then left, leftr again, emerge past the Landmark, far enough to move over to the right most lane that can turn right onto expressway. Really, driving in Bangkok is not always logical.. Sometimes the taxi driver really knows better.. And then sometimes he doesnt know anything at all.. like some newbie arrival fresh from Isarn.. That's not nice, but also doesnt warrant getting abusive. (not talking to you here anymore) Cheers, CHanchao Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmedave Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 HH, By now, you must be learning the lesson I've faced many times. Write anything negative about service in Thailand, and guys will come out of the woodwork to defend all things Thai. I'm surprised that nobody has pulled the "you're a guest here, so you should allow the taxi guys to do whatever they want to you" We have heard that since they make so little money we shouldn't expect good service, and that since Thai's are so dangerous we should be happy they don't stab us every time we get in the car. All of this is bullshit, and even though I think maybe your actions were a tad extreme, I, at least, am willing to admit that it's annoying when they keep saying no and driving away. Yes, it is annoying. Yes, in most countries the rate of a taxi refusal is far far lower than it is here. And no, it doesn't make you a clod for complaining about it. What gets me is when you say you want to go to soi 11 for example, and they take you to soi 10 instead and expect you to get out, climb stairs, and cross over yourself because they don't want to make a u-turn. This always ends in them either doing it and grumbilng, or accepting 35 baht less than the meter because I will have to get a new taxi. If I wanted to walk, I would've walked. One guy did this once when I had an 8 months pregnant lady in the car with me. I don't care whose country it is or how much they make, that's is F'd up, and I am not going to stand for it. And those of you who do only encourage bad behavior. And I'm not just saying this because everybody's ganging up on you and you bought me dinner once. But it didn't hurt. Got your back, buddy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jxxxl Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Generally I've had good experiences with Taxi's in BKK, but the taxi drivers that hang out on Soi 11 are a bunch of thieves. I used to stay at the Grand President and there's a big group of drivers that hang out across the street. None of them want to use the meter and charge rediculous prices. They are always calling out when they see I want a can and when I tell them to use the meter, they use all sorts of tricks to get me in the cab and then give me some sort of bullshit about a fixed fare. Same as around patpong and SC late at night. There are certainly some real arseholes out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardinalblue Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 It might be an inconvenience to you to get another cab, but hey you are on foreign turf and it is best not to create ways and avoid any or all confrontations in LOS. You will always lose and there is little to gain ... What has my attention is when one becomes vunerable or at the mercy of others... The other day where the american engineer left his passport and some other important documents in his taxi. The driver took advantage of this opportunity to extort 25k and wanted more...now there is an asshole and malicious behavior. This is my greatest fear is something bad happens to you that puts one at risk and it will be fate on whether good or bad people arrivel I just have a bad vibe about future situations in LOS. The odds are against you..... Fortunately, the taxi driver and his buddy, a tuk tuk driver, were caught by the tourist police..What i haven't heard is what really ever happens in a case like this (legally and the court system playing out) and does the victim receive any of his money that was extorted from him.... I wonder if it is told not to do it but in reality nothing ever really changes and it is back to normal looking for misfortune of others... That is what i defined as "an asshole" taxi driver. Don't sweat the small stuff otherwise.... CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iuytrede Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 "What gets me is when you say you want to go to soi 11 for example, and they take you to soi 10 instead and expect you to get out, climb stairs, and cross over yourself because they don't want to make a u-turn. This always ends in them either doing it and grumbilng, or accepting 35 baht less than the meter because I will have to get a new taxi. If I wanted to walk, I would've walked. " What gets me is that they almost always want to make this stupid U-turn (takes 15 minutes) and don't let me just walk (takes 1 minute). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorro Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 I was a taxi driver in my uni days in Sydney and I have been on the other side of the wheel and it is an extremely difficult job. So many people would get into my cab and tell me stories about how drivers had ripped them off and done this and done that and how they couldn't get a cab on Saturday night at 2 in the morning etc. Most people IMHO hate spending money on taxis and as a result take it out on the driver. They will spend a hundred bucks on a dinner and another hundred on drinks but they really begrudge the ten or twenty they have to spend on the cab because they feel they don't really get anything for it. I have empathy for all drivers as they work long hours dealing with a very difficult public, driving in a very stressful environment with no holidays or sick pay or super and they only make money if it is busy because some nights they will drive all night for nothing or next to nothing. Sure there are some sharks out there but the majority i have dealt with in Bangkok were decent hard working people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soongmak Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 I think people are a bit harsh with Hugh. Relax guys! We all have gotten angry with cab drivers sometime, I am sure. Mine happened last songkran. My wife and I would take a taxi to Rangsit, where we would wait for the family pick up truck to take us to Pak Chong. We whizzed past Don Muang on the highway, and a while later I read that we had to take the offramp to go to Rangsit. The taxi driver didn't seem to have an inclination to take this offramp. I tried to explain to my wife that we were missing the exit, but she couldn't tell the taxi driver in time. Well, shit happens. The explanation of the taxi driver why he missed the exit was that he fell asleep. That pissed me off, but not nearly as much as when he grinded to a halt in the left lane on the highway while cars where swirling around us. What did the fucker want to do? He wanted to do a u-turn and use the onramp as an offramp. Jeezus, I went nuts. I told him something like, "drive you fucker, I don't want to die here!" and I had to tell him five times before he finally got the message. I never felt this relieved when I finally got out of his car. That was one scary ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous_Dog Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 Jxxxl, I have had the same experience when I lived there for a while when I first moved here. However, after a while the sharks got to know me, so they;d offer to drive me from one side of the road to the other, for 5 baht! Became a standing joke, No meter - 5 baht. Still sharks and arseholes in Soi 11 though, but even the sharks smile sometimes. That all said glad I wasn;t the only one to think everyone was going overboard! DOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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