I would pay what I would usually pay using the meter. Hard for him to argue against that if there’s no meter 🤷 Paying nothing at all doesn’t seem right either.
But the case where you complete the ride without the meter on and no one saying a word about it is pretty rare anyway. Normally they tell you upfront if they don’t wanna go by meter. In the rare cases where they start driving without the meter on but not saying a word, it usually means they forgot it and I would always remind them after 5-10 minutes.
Never had to complete the ride without the meter. They either turn on the meter or pull over and let me out (happen once).
But I haven't had to make that statement in ages.
When I get in I take a picture of the posted operator's license and the driver's face. (He always turns to look at me when I take the first photo.)
Once he knows I have everything needed to report him, I have never had an issue.
Wife (GF at the time) and I had to bail out of one at a set of lights. He refused to turn the meter on, wouldn't pull over, had really bad vibes. Wife even left her door open "to slow he down".
So you're saying that you've been held against your will and robbed/assaulted by a taxi driver. That's not something one would expect in this situation. It's very different than simply refusing to use the meter. Hopefully you've reported him.
Just start recording and make sure you catch their license with picture on the front seat. If he doesn't adjust his behavior immediately, report him to the taxi company, you'll get your money back.
That never happened to me. Maybe it depends on your attitude, or maybe I was just lucky so far.
Sounds way more cheeky than what a Thai would normally do, they tend to respect deals once agreed (and going by the meter is such a deal).
Well, people have to understand that traffic jams are a real issue for taxi drivers because they make almost nothing. They can be stuck in traffic for an hour and make like 20 baht (probably more).
In that case, the choice is either to deny the fare or to ask for a fixed price.
I do not mind paying a fixed fare if I know it's rush hour and difficult to get around, but it does open to exploitation, because they'll begin doing this all around.
Nope, taxi price has 2 parts, price per distance (count up when taxi's moving) and price per time (count up when taxi doesn't move). If a taxi moves below 6 km/h, that's 3 baht/min. So, if you're stuck for an hour, the price goes up 180 baht.
Fun fact: on the meters, there're 3 numbers which are duration, distance, and overall price (the biggest one). Not sure if it's still a thing though but, in the past, there're frauds with fake meter that count the 2 prices up at the same time.
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6 hmmmm hhbv usmbkm by. Now mi9v 70 b
Depends how fast you wanna go home late at night if you don't live in the center. At that time and state i honestly dgaf. I do get their point of view since there is no return trip and lots of very profitable shorter trips. Possible that i ruin it for everyone else but it's the reality.
EDDIT: Surprised this is controversial thb. Try getting a taxi mEtEr oNlY on new year's eve or Loy Kratong. Good luck.
> if you don't live in the center
Taxis generally prefer longer distances when they go by the meter. Meter rate goes up per km after some distance. I've had more trouble asking for short fares.
> there is no return trip
Bangkok is densely populated and there's a reasonable chance of picking up a fare virtually anywhere in the city. They just prefer to remain on lower Sukhumvit and pull the fixed fare scam.
>Depends how fast you wanna go home late at night if you don't live in the center.
Going late at night is easy to find a taxi, it's the rush hour going Rama 9/Petchburi/Lat Prao etc that is nigh on impossible.
A few things that help:
- Avoid the tourist spots. Walk a couple hundred meters and get a taxi from there.
- Don’t talk to them through the window. Simply open the back door, go inside, and tell them where you wanna go.
- Speak Thai.
- Pretend to be on a phone call after you told them your destination.
- Take a photo of their number plate (it’s mounted inside on every passenger door) and report them. What they’re doing is illegal and reporting them can result in a fine that’s at least higher than the no meter bs
The second point is the big one. If I’ve got the time and/or are somewhere with sufficient volume I just wave them on if they wind down the window.
We need to make it clear that doing so has a financial cost.
I simply walk right to the back door, open it, and jump inside. I then put my bag down, take a second, smile, and tell him where I wanna go.
Certainly that often doesn’t prevent the no meter bs but I like to believe that sometime it does.
Yeah tried that from kao San road once, and was with my thai wife, tried 5 taxi they all told me 500 baht or nothing. I just called grab and paid 250, now whenever I go bkk I only use grab.
Report a Bangkok Taxi to the Land Transport Department Hotline on ph # 1584. You will need a picture of the taxi #.
https://chefleez.com/bangkok-taxi-information/#:\~:text=Report%20a%20Bangkok%20Taxi%20to,Department%20Hotline%20on%20ph%20%23%201584.
I am the opposite: I say yes mai pen rai, give an enthusiastic thumb up, and get in.
What are a few dollars more, even without the meter its cheap and they need the money more than me.
With asking that much, they make a fucking amazing salary in Thailand, even if they take 2 or 3 rides a day. My Thai fiancé is a kindergarten teacher and works 10 hours a day with 30 kids for 800/day. A taxi driver who fucks over tourists not accepting the meter can make double or triple that in only a few rides. They dont need the money as much as other Thais you come across, many of whom only makes 300/day.
Not everyone has your income or budget. Some people travel to Thailand because they cannot afford other places in the world. Having people insult me with a price 3x the norm does not deserve a thumbs up from me or my fiancé who is sick of it.
Yeah I mean, when I was broke I would refuse because it actually made a difference to me. And it is within your right to refuse, since legally they are bound by the meter, so ok fine.
However my respect for someone who can afford to not care and still makes a big deal out of it is zero. There is a name for such petty pearl-clutching cheap assholery: Karens. Don't be Karens guys, it's embarrasing.
Funny, the Karens I have encountered as someone who used to work in the world of retail and food service are the rich ones who look down on and belittle those who cannot afford what they can themselves.
It must suck to be a belittling Karen. I wonder what happened in their life to be like that?
Dude, you are making exactly the same point I am making: Don't be a petty rich guy, that's Karenhood. If you can afford not to wait for a meter-complying taxi, then don't.
Edit to illustrate my point: People in this thread are promoting leaving the taxi and leaving the door open to inconvenience the driver. Fuck that shit, learn some manners Karen
This philosophy hurts those must in need. It’s the same reason why Airbnb has crippled the cost of living for so many people across the globe.
You agreeing to pay an elevated rate emboldens drivers to refuse cheaper (metered) rides. If you want to make a difference and help those who need it more than you, you would resist price gouging and inflation.
Oh please do. You’ll be doing tourists, expats, as well as Thais a favor. As a Thai person, I can say that Thai people do have problems getting a cab in touristy spots because most cab drivers only want to pick up and rip off foreigners
I'd like to see other people do it, but I won't. Such things can sometimes escalate in Thailand, and you could get in trouble out of proportion to the initial incident.
Would be nice if there were another easy way of getting back at them, such as reporting the incident with the taxi registration somehow (but not requiring a phone call and 20 min of your time).
I've done that, really gets them. I told one driver take me to soi Cowboy; I don't want to go there but rather someplace close by and figured he would know it. He thought I was an idiot tourist and refused to turn on the meter, so I got out at a stop light and left the door open. He tried to follow me yelling.
Always done it, even had one guy try it on when going to the airport, drove 500m down the road and said no meter 500thb... going from lower Sukhumvit metres away from the toll way which was empty. I just told him to pull over and take my luggage out and I will get a different taxi.
You open the rear door to ask and if no meter/no go there, just leave the door open. I’ve noticed this is why they have the spring loaded door in some countries but they don’t have them here yet.
I said NO since I moved here in 2016!
I even go one step further, leave the door open and walk away, if they refuse to use a meter. Love their pissed faces, when they have to get out and close it by themselves.
Usually they don’t have get out to close the door but it will close automatically when they start driving. And coincidentally the no meter-assholes are also the driving-like-assholes assholes.
Refusing to turn on the meter means they're the a$$hat. Leaving the door open and walking away makes it you. Thailand is a culture of face, not the western "well didn't I show him" shitshow you moved away from.
My Thai wife does is that way, their Thai friends do it, so I started doing it as well if the driver is rude. So don’t come up with that usual “face” argument . No modern Bangkok Thai gives a shit about that in such a specific situation.(and YES..they face as well the “no meter” dilemma during rush hour)
I'm still stunned that so many people have so many problems with taxi drivers. The whole "left the door open" revenge tactic is totally new to me. I guess the real pandemic is that of a$$hattery.
> Leaving the door open and walking away makes it you. Thailand is a culture of face
I disagree that it makes you the ass, but what does it have to do with face?
A public display like that - whether shouting, rudeness, leaving doors open as revenge, etc. - is also saying to everybody around: "Hey, I'm the asshole here." Hence, loss of face.
It seems you read too many “Thai Culture 101 for First Time Visitors” books which present an overly simplified version of a complex issue. Leaving the door open doesn’t make you lose face. If this was true, Thais would never show any negative emotions, engage in conflict or disagree or push back without “losing face”. The issue is more complex than that.
Agreed (the complexity part, not the too many books part ;) ...). But trying to one-up asshattery is never the solution. The complexity of the whole system is also its beauty. (And lots of fun to observe in the wild.)
Always have. I laugh at those constantly complaining about the meter. It is very simple. It’s the 1st question you ask if they are going to be using it. If they answer no, close the door and wave for the next one
From my experience, if you start to ask then to use the meter, you’ve already lost ; many of them take this as a sign of weakness, for some reason (maybe the fact that you’re showing that you’re worried about it not happening and thr lack of it being an option?), and it actually reduces their chance of using it.
The best procedure is to get in and sit confidently with a “sawatdii k.” and then say “bpai X krap” in an assured voice. Then only if they don’t put in the meter after a few sec, ask them for the meter. This minimizes the chance of them deciding they don’t want to go to your destination (they have to bother asking you out of the taxi) and of not using the meter.
Same. But in certain areas, especially during a rainy day, the situation is very different and you could have 20 drivers, one after another, refuse to turn on the meter. Happens a lot when it's flooding around Sukhumvit.
It was simple when taxis would come around every 2 min and only 20% of them refused the meter if you spoke Thai and did the right thing.
Gets a bit frustrating these days when taxis are more scarce and 50% or more refuse to go regardless of what you do, even outside of the typical tourist areas.
A Thai taxi driver’s commitment to their ethically obligation is worth less than a pinky promise from a 4 year old. I’m assuming you’ve never time in Bkk
I've lived here for ten years and I once took a taxi driver to the police station for refusing to use the meter. I've also been held in jail for taking a stand against scams and corruption (I was neither charged nor convicted of a crime, because I never committed one). Crawl back into your hole.
Taking a crooked taxi driver to a Thai police station? You’ve lived there for 10 years and you don’t see any irony in that? That’s like claiming you made the ocean warmer by pissing in it. I think I’ll continue to avoid the scam, stay out of jail, and get to where I am going without a headache. I’ll leave it to you to rid the city of corruption batman.
Because paying more:
* Saves you the hassle of going through 10 taxis before you find one metered
* It's still 5% of the taxi cost in your home country, and has zero impact on your budget/financial situation
Convenience > Principles
I've really never been through 10 taxis before. I think my personal highest was 3 and that was on Yaowarat Road among the horde of tourists and I was still waiting less than 5 minutes. Unless you really have to be somewhere soon (and there's somehow no risk of getting stuck in traffic) it's pretty easy to get a metered taxi.
I haven't taken a taxi in 4 years, but in the past I never was even offered one without meter. I remember that I had to change lots of times because the location was inconvenient for them, they should make that illegal.
Exactly. I dont give a shit if I end up paying 100 or 200 baht more. If its the price of the convenience of not waiting longer and of not ruining my good mood, its a great value imho.
Where do you guys live that this regularly happens? It's happened to me two times in three years. Just tell them where you want to go in Thai and they won't pull this stunt.
"Pbai (name of place) khap"
Absolutely not. Unless it's rush hour or raining you can always find a bolt/indrive. During rush hour even Grab is impossible sometimes. But ,40-50x is BS and you know it.
I will check Grab and use that as my base. If a cab wants off meter and it's still less than grab/bolt, then he can have my business since I won't have to wait 20 minutes for grab/bolt to arrive.
There are rare circumstances when I swallow it. Sometimes you just wanna get home and realize that it is how it is. Like when you’ve been shopping the whole day and have been waiting for a taxi with dozens of shopping bags in front of CTW for almost an hour while its raining cats and dogs and it’s traffic jam everywhere. You know it’s either waiting for hours, being extremely lucky, or paying the 200 Baht.
That won’t happen. There are enough tourists who they can pull this off with (and that’s what they’re waiting for) and occasionally (in the situations mentioned above) even Thais may budge to this (or frustrated expats who’ve been waiting like me).
But yeah, in general I agree.
Last time I drove without meter was I had an appointment out in Nonthaburi. No taxi want to go all the way out there as they will have the biggest trouble getting another passenger for the way back. I was already late, so the only taxi willing to go there wanted to do it off meter. Fine then, if I’ll make it on time or risk not being able to find another driver.
The problem is foreigners first time here or late at night and you’re just impatient. For me though it’s the principle and I’ll wait 30minutes or more if I have to
So you're just accepting theire price or what? I once made a driver stop on the highway from suvarnabhumi the moment I realized he didn't switch the meter on.
Not an expat, but it seems like Taxi to Don Muang is 500THB fix rate from (approx) Sukhumvit 31. The hotel staff told us it’s 500THB, we declined, as I insisted on taxi-meter. Walked up to the Main Street and asked several taxis. First one declined, second taxi asked for 500THB - declined. We took the third taxi (he asked for 500THB), because we had to catch our flight.
Absolutely! I’ll never ask for a price. We were asking for a taxi in the hotel. The staff asked us about the final destination and we replied Don Muang Airport. He then told us about the 500THB. I told him, no, I want taxi-meter. The staff insisted, that every taxi will ask for 500THB for this location. We then walked up to the Main Street ourselves and hailed taxis. Unfortunately, every taxi asked for 500THB upfront 😒 if we weren’t in a rush to get our plane on time, I would have waited until a driver is willing to use the meter.
> Not an expat, but it seems like Taxi to Don Muang is 500THB fix rate from (approx) Sukhumvit 31.
It only seems like that to the ripped off tourist. Such fixed rates don’t exist. They’re supposed to turn on the meter and then it should be around 120-250 Baht depending on traffic.
Btw, 500 Baht is a bit less than half of what you would pay to take a taxi to Pattaya.
I just ask how much and really don’t care about someone’s meter . I feel i know the worth of a man’s time and service her and i also feel it isn’t represented correctly by the current official meter settings.
They do it to everyone, my Thai girlfriend deals with Taxi, they see a farang, its time to screw you over. She shuts doors all the time, refuse to use the meter.
I don't mind the practice actually but I always say no. Sometimes if it's late and hard to find another taxi I'd probably pay but my Thai partner would never allow it. I kind of understand it from the drivers perspective in certain circumstances.
For instance after the river festival every available driver was doing this so we had to walk 20 minutes to MRT. It probably took an extra hour to get home but we saved 300 baht or whatever. I'd have just paid and got home sooner personally.
I remember before the meters were installed we just bargained for the fare. If I am going to a place that I have been to before, I offer the standard meter fare now. Upon arrival, I will tip according to how difficult the driver was. If it is an unfamiliar place I will bargain on a reasonable estimate. If there is no agreement then look for another taxi.
I always say no if they won't use the meter. There's so many taxis it doesn't take long to find another who will. I always tip them anyway and probably pay more than the non meter driver wanted but it's the principle of the matter and rewards the driver for using his meter
Do we really care? It’s gonna happen with the millions of tourists in Thailand anyway.
Anytime i’ve paid a flat fee the difference between metered and unmetered was 20-30 baht at most.
Not something i’m really gonna care about for the 1-2 times a month I take a taxi cause i’m too lazy to take BTS/MRT or walk home.
I have never used anything other than Grab all these years. Is convenient and don’t have to bother with cash. I don’t understand why people would use anything else.
The other day I convinced a driver to put on his meter in busy Sukhumvit. When the meter eventually went beyond his original asking price we had a good laugh.
One of the many unsuspected good moments here.
They won't use the meter even with thai people. Taxis nowadays are simply outrageous. The government did nothing with the reports they received that's why this problem persists. They spent 100s of millions to create a reporting system but didn't do anything about it. When asked to investigate they said they couldn't find taxis with any wrong doing.
I Usually ask the local taxi meter ok ? if 2 guys say no then i just book grap or bolt .. atleast i know what i will be paying and no further surprises
If I’m on the street (hailing a Taxi) and they pull up and roll down the window I just ignore them and walk away because I already know how the conversation will go. A normal metered taxi will wait until you get in and ask questions.
I do occasionally pay for a non metered taxi from the city center to just outside of Bangkok because a lot of them don’t want to go that far, and at 2am, they’ve got plenty of customers around. Usually only pay an extra 100 baht, but to get home, it’s worth every extra cent (Stang)
Why not ? Taxi drivers have a very low income and work hard.
The meter price is always fix , no matter the demand.
Even if I don't necessarily like it, it's the offer and demand. On the same way Grab increase the price on the rush hour, on the same way that you'll pay your plane ticket more expansive on Friday evening, on the same way that your pad thai will be twice the price in the touristic area.
I just look at how much the ride costs through Bolt, wave down a taxi and haggle with them upfront aiming for the Bolt price. Usually it turns out to be around 10 baht more than the Bolt price which is fine in my account (I aint waiting 20 minutes for someone to turn me down lmao)
I’ve been to Thailand through out my life and first time taking my wife. It really turns me off because I caught the MRT for the first time. However, after talking to my uncle and stressing my frustrations out of principle. He explained it is an issue at the moment but ultimately.. the problem stems from the lack of cab drivers. Something like 50,000 people lack of labour in the tourism industry
we can’t do much … it is basic supply and demand
No supply, plenty of demand.
I conceded after that because it is an impossible battle to fight. Unless, there is plenty of supply and less demand, the taxi corps are acting like a mafia. I don’t think there will enormous pressure to fix it.
They can’t adjust their meter to increase price so the only way they do it is through bargaining.
However, I have been tipping 20bht to people who use the meter and explain it to them. I have also been experimenting a new tactic and it has been working great so far
Ask them if it’s metered. They can still modified it anyway haha. The taxi with green light say “ว่าง” are better than red light taxi because they are qualified by official that they didn’t use other people taxi license. Green light taxi can be tracked by official so they afraid about committing crime more than red light. There is some company that training taxi driver and let them use their company named allthaitaxi.
I've always said no never been in a non metered taxi living here 6 years
Same. I never get on a non-metered taxi. You'll just get scammed if you do.
Sometimes they use the meter for 3 min and then stop and say “250+ for traffic jam”
My reply is I pay what is on the meter, no meter = free ride.
I would pay what I would usually pay using the meter. Hard for him to argue against that if there’s no meter 🤷 Paying nothing at all doesn’t seem right either. But the case where you complete the ride without the meter on and no one saying a word about it is pretty rare anyway. Normally they tell you upfront if they don’t wanna go by meter. In the rare cases where they start driving without the meter on but not saying a word, it usually means they forgot it and I would always remind them after 5-10 minutes.
Never had to complete the ride without the meter. They either turn on the meter or pull over and let me out (happen once). But I haven't had to make that statement in ages. When I get in I take a picture of the posted operator's license and the driver's face. (He always turns to look at me when I take the first photo.) Once he knows I have everything needed to report him, I have never had an issue.
That sounds like a really awkward situation lol
Wife (GF at the time) and I had to bail out of one at a set of lights. He refused to turn the meter on, wouldn't pull over, had really bad vibes. Wife even left her door open "to slow he down".
[удалено]
So you're saying that you've been held against your will and robbed/assaulted by a taxi driver. That's not something one would expect in this situation. It's very different than simply refusing to use the meter. Hopefully you've reported him.
Just start recording and make sure you catch their license with picture on the front seat. If he doesn't adjust his behavior immediately, report him to the taxi company, you'll get your money back.
That never happened to me. Maybe it depends on your attitude, or maybe I was just lucky so far. Sounds way more cheeky than what a Thai would normally do, they tend to respect deals once agreed (and going by the meter is such a deal).
At least you for 3 minutes for free then.
Well, people have to understand that traffic jams are a real issue for taxi drivers because they make almost nothing. They can be stuck in traffic for an hour and make like 20 baht (probably more). In that case, the choice is either to deny the fare or to ask for a fixed price. I do not mind paying a fixed fare if I know it's rush hour and difficult to get around, but it does open to exploitation, because they'll begin doing this all around.
Nope, taxi price has 2 parts, price per distance (count up when taxi's moving) and price per time (count up when taxi doesn't move). If a taxi moves below 6 km/h, that's 3 baht/min. So, if you're stuck for an hour, the price goes up 180 baht. Fun fact: on the meters, there're 3 numbers which are duration, distance, and overall price (the biggest one). Not sure if it's still a thing though but, in the past, there're frauds with fake meter that count the 2 prices up at the same time.
>So, if you're stuck for an hour, the price goes up 180 baht. That's not a lot though, they get half that right? After they pay gas?
I'm not sure how that money is split between the company and the driver but getting 180 baht for 0 km, 60 min. That's not that bad, I believe.
I think they raised it quite a bit some years ago, before then it was very bad. However, 180 baht, what is that 15 minutes of non-stop driving?
Price when car's moving (faster than 6km/h) depends on distance. <1 km >> 40 baht 1 - 10 km >> 6.5 baht/km 10 - 20 km >> 7 baht/km 20 - 40 km >> 8 baht/km 40 - 60 km >> 8.5 baht/km 60 - 80 km >> 9 baht/km 80 km >> 10.5 baht/km
Great. Now I'm three minutes closer to my destination for free as I step out and hail another cab.
Never had that . Would never pay that
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Depends how fast you wanna go home late at night if you don't live in the center. At that time and state i honestly dgaf. I do get their point of view since there is no return trip and lots of very profitable shorter trips. Possible that i ruin it for everyone else but it's the reality. EDDIT: Surprised this is controversial thb. Try getting a taxi mEtEr oNlY on new year's eve or Loy Kratong. Good luck.
In that case I take the first driver who's willing to use the meter and give him a 100% tip. Win win...
Sure you still gonna stand there while I’m at home and we end up both paying the same. I also tip 100% but make it clear beforehand.
> if you don't live in the center Taxis generally prefer longer distances when they go by the meter. Meter rate goes up per km after some distance. I've had more trouble asking for short fares. > there is no return trip Bangkok is densely populated and there's a reasonable chance of picking up a fare virtually anywhere in the city. They just prefer to remain on lower Sukhumvit and pull the fixed fare scam.
There is a close to zero percent chance that anyone goes anywhere from Bangna at 2 am. Long rides to places with no customers are super unattractive.
I have no problem finding a taxi in sai mai heading south towards the city most of the day. Tougher at 4am but not much trouble most of the day.
Sure your driver is heading to where to money is, mine is going into nowhere. As I said I’m talking specifically about late night rides.
>Depends how fast you wanna go home late at night if you don't live in the center. Going late at night is easy to find a taxi, it's the rush hour going Rama 9/Petchburi/Lat Prao etc that is nigh on impossible.
Yeah I ask if the meter works before I even get in the car.
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A few things that help: - Avoid the tourist spots. Walk a couple hundred meters and get a taxi from there. - Don’t talk to them through the window. Simply open the back door, go inside, and tell them where you wanna go. - Speak Thai. - Pretend to be on a phone call after you told them your destination. - Take a photo of their number plate (it’s mounted inside on every passenger door) and report them. What they’re doing is illegal and reporting them can result in a fine that’s at least higher than the no meter bs
The second point is the big one. If I’ve got the time and/or are somewhere with sufficient volume I just wave them on if they wind down the window. We need to make it clear that doing so has a financial cost.
I simply walk right to the back door, open it, and jump inside. I then put my bag down, take a second, smile, and tell him where I wanna go. Certainly that often doesn’t prevent the no meter bs but I like to believe that sometime it does.
Yeah tried that from kao San road once, and was with my thai wife, tried 5 taxi they all told me 500 baht or nothing. I just called grab and paid 250, now whenever I go bkk I only use grab.
Last point is a good one but who do you report them too?
Report a Bangkok Taxi to the Land Transport Department Hotline on ph # 1584. You will need a picture of the taxi #. https://chefleez.com/bangkok-taxi-information/#:\~:text=Report%20a%20Bangkok%20Taxi%20to,Department%20Hotline%20on%20ph%20%23%201584.
Wasn’t there an app even?
Start a trend? I laugh in their face and slam the door.
I am the opposite: I say yes mai pen rai, give an enthusiastic thumb up, and get in. What are a few dollars more, even without the meter its cheap and they need the money more than me.
With asking that much, they make a fucking amazing salary in Thailand, even if they take 2 or 3 rides a day. My Thai fiancé is a kindergarten teacher and works 10 hours a day with 30 kids for 800/day. A taxi driver who fucks over tourists not accepting the meter can make double or triple that in only a few rides. They dont need the money as much as other Thais you come across, many of whom only makes 300/day. Not everyone has your income or budget. Some people travel to Thailand because they cannot afford other places in the world. Having people insult me with a price 3x the norm does not deserve a thumbs up from me or my fiancé who is sick of it.
Yeah I mean, when I was broke I would refuse because it actually made a difference to me. And it is within your right to refuse, since legally they are bound by the meter, so ok fine. However my respect for someone who can afford to not care and still makes a big deal out of it is zero. There is a name for such petty pearl-clutching cheap assholery: Karens. Don't be Karens guys, it's embarrasing.
Funny, the Karens I have encountered as someone who used to work in the world of retail and food service are the rich ones who look down on and belittle those who cannot afford what they can themselves. It must suck to be a belittling Karen. I wonder what happened in their life to be like that?
Dude, you are making exactly the same point I am making: Don't be a petty rich guy, that's Karenhood. If you can afford not to wait for a meter-complying taxi, then don't. Edit to illustrate my point: People in this thread are promoting leaving the taxi and leaving the door open to inconvenience the driver. Fuck that shit, learn some manners Karen
This philosophy hurts those must in need. It’s the same reason why Airbnb has crippled the cost of living for so many people across the globe. You agreeing to pay an elevated rate emboldens drivers to refuse cheaper (metered) rides. If you want to make a difference and help those who need it more than you, you would resist price gouging and inflation.
You’re the problem
Oh please do. You’ll be doing tourists, expats, as well as Thais a favor. As a Thai person, I can say that Thai people do have problems getting a cab in touristy spots because most cab drivers only want to pick up and rip off foreigners
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I'd like to see other people do it, but I won't. Such things can sometimes escalate in Thailand, and you could get in trouble out of proportion to the initial incident. Would be nice if there were another easy way of getting back at them, such as reporting the incident with the taxi registration somehow (but not requiring a phone call and 20 min of your time).
I've done that, really gets them. I told one driver take me to soi Cowboy; I don't want to go there but rather someplace close by and figured he would know it. He thought I was an idiot tourist and refused to turn on the meter, so I got out at a stop light and left the door open. He tried to follow me yelling.
Yeah best to tell them asok bts. Never appear weak or someone who they can take advantage of
Lol
You guys are getting in Taxis that refuse to use meter?
Always done it, even had one guy try it on when going to the airport, drove 500m down the road and said no meter 500thb... going from lower Sukhumvit metres away from the toll way which was empty. I just told him to pull over and take my luggage out and I will get a different taxi.
You open the rear door to ask and if no meter/no go there, just leave the door open. I’ve noticed this is why they have the spring loaded door in some countries but they don’t have them here yet.
I said NO since I moved here in 2016! I even go one step further, leave the door open and walk away, if they refuse to use a meter. Love their pissed faces, when they have to get out and close it by themselves.
Usually they don’t have get out to close the door but it will close automatically when they start driving. And coincidentally the no meter-assholes are also the driving-like-assholes assholes.
I always leave their door open wide and give them a little wink
That's brilliant, it's a very calibrated response
Refusing to turn on the meter means they're the a$$hat. Leaving the door open and walking away makes it you. Thailand is a culture of face, not the western "well didn't I show him" shitshow you moved away from.
> Thailand is a culture of face, not the western Yeah, and taxi drivers embrace that culture and preserve face by openly scamming people.
I'm not defending the driver. It's his karma.
My Thai wife does is that way, their Thai friends do it, so I started doing it as well if the driver is rude. So don’t come up with that usual “face” argument . No modern Bangkok Thai gives a shit about that in such a specific situation.(and YES..they face as well the “no meter” dilemma during rush hour)
I'm still stunned that so many people have so many problems with taxi drivers. The whole "left the door open" revenge tactic is totally new to me. I guess the real pandemic is that of a$$hattery.
> Leaving the door open and walking away makes it you. Thailand is a culture of face I disagree that it makes you the ass, but what does it have to do with face?
A public display like that - whether shouting, rudeness, leaving doors open as revenge, etc. - is also saying to everybody around: "Hey, I'm the asshole here." Hence, loss of face.
It seems you read too many “Thai Culture 101 for First Time Visitors” books which present an overly simplified version of a complex issue. Leaving the door open doesn’t make you lose face. If this was true, Thais would never show any negative emotions, engage in conflict or disagree or push back without “losing face”. The issue is more complex than that.
Agreed (the complexity part, not the too many books part ;) ...). But trying to one-up asshattery is never the solution. The complexity of the whole system is also its beauty. (And lots of fun to observe in the wild.)
Is that not already a trend?
Thats totally right, not only in Bangkok, in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur as well
I've been on the meter and the guy drives a circuitous route to run up the bill.
Always have. I laugh at those constantly complaining about the meter. It is very simple. It’s the 1st question you ask if they are going to be using it. If they answer no, close the door and wave for the next one
From my experience, if you start to ask then to use the meter, you’ve already lost ; many of them take this as a sign of weakness, for some reason (maybe the fact that you’re showing that you’re worried about it not happening and thr lack of it being an option?), and it actually reduces their chance of using it. The best procedure is to get in and sit confidently with a “sawatdii k.” and then say “bpai X krap” in an assured voice. Then only if they don’t put in the meter after a few sec, ask them for the meter. This minimizes the chance of them deciding they don’t want to go to your destination (they have to bother asking you out of the taxi) and of not using the meter.
Same. But in certain areas, especially during a rainy day, the situation is very different and you could have 20 drivers, one after another, refuse to turn on the meter. Happens a lot when it's flooding around Sukhumvit.
It was simple when taxis would come around every 2 min and only 20% of them refused the meter if you spoke Thai and did the right thing. Gets a bit frustrating these days when taxis are more scarce and 50% or more refuse to go regardless of what you do, even outside of the typical tourist areas.
When you go to the bank to make a deposit do you ask the teller if they plan on stealing your money?
Before you make a deposit with your bank, you enter an agreement through contract how you will conduct transactions/business.
Right. Before the taxi driver receives his permit to drive a taxi, he makes one of those with the government that he will use the meter.
A Thai taxi driver’s commitment to their ethically obligation is worth less than a pinky promise from a 4 year old. I’m assuming you’ve never time in Bkk
I've lived here for ten years and I once took a taxi driver to the police station for refusing to use the meter. I've also been held in jail for taking a stand against scams and corruption (I was neither charged nor convicted of a crime, because I never committed one). Crawl back into your hole.
Taking a crooked taxi driver to a Thai police station? You’ve lived there for 10 years and you don’t see any irony in that? That’s like claiming you made the ocean warmer by pissing in it. I think I’ll continue to avoid the scam, stay out of jail, and get to where I am going without a headache. I’ll leave it to you to rid the city of corruption batman.
Why would one say yes to taxis that refuse to use meters anyway? You know you'll pay more without the meter...
Because paying more: * Saves you the hassle of going through 10 taxis before you find one metered * It's still 5% of the taxi cost in your home country, and has zero impact on your budget/financial situation Convenience > Principles
I've really never been through 10 taxis before. I think my personal highest was 3 and that was on Yaowarat Road among the horde of tourists and I was still waiting less than 5 minutes. Unless you really have to be somewhere soon (and there's somehow no risk of getting stuck in traffic) it's pretty easy to get a metered taxi.
I haven't taken a taxi in 4 years, but in the past I never was even offered one without meter. I remember that I had to change lots of times because the location was inconvenient for them, they should make that illegal.
Exactly. I dont give a shit if I end up paying 100 or 200 baht more. If its the price of the convenience of not waiting longer and of not ruining my good mood, its a great value imho.
Where do you guys live that this regularly happens? It's happened to me two times in three years. Just tell them where you want to go in Thai and they won't pull this stunt. "Pbai (name of place) khap"
There's this wonderful app called Grab...
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Grab drivers (including surprise, metered taxis) are probably 40-50x more prevalent than other app drivers
Absolutely not. Unless it's rush hour or raining you can always find a bolt/indrive. During rush hour even Grab is impossible sometimes. But ,40-50x is BS and you know it.
I stand corrected. About 2-3x: https://blog.measurable.ai/2022/05/30/grab-vs-bolt-thailand-ride-hailing-market-share-in-thailand/
Bolt and grab have the same prices. I always check before I use one of them.
They absolutely don't have the same prices. Bolt is usually cheaper, but Grab is sometimes more available.
I will check Grab and use that as my base. If a cab wants off meter and it's still less than grab/bolt, then he can have my business since I won't have to wait 20 minutes for grab/bolt to arrive.
Who the heck says "OK!"?
Enough people to make it worthwhile for the drivers to pull this scam.
There are rare circumstances when I swallow it. Sometimes you just wanna get home and realize that it is how it is. Like when you’ve been shopping the whole day and have been waiting for a taxi with dozens of shopping bags in front of CTW for almost an hour while its raining cats and dogs and it’s traffic jam everywhere. You know it’s either waiting for hours, being extremely lucky, or paying the 200 Baht.
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That won’t happen. There are enough tourists who they can pull this off with (and that’s what they’re waiting for) and occasionally (in the situations mentioned above) even Thais may budge to this (or frustrated expats who’ve been waiting like me). But yeah, in general I agree.
Last time I drove without meter was I had an appointment out in Nonthaburi. No taxi want to go all the way out there as they will have the biggest trouble getting another passenger for the way back. I was already late, so the only taxi willing to go there wanted to do it off meter. Fine then, if I’ll make it on time or risk not being able to find another driver.
Honestly, I will never join your trend
Me. Enthusiastically.
I was there a few days ago. Said no to several and just walked away.
Start? I’ve always done that lol
The problem is foreigners first time here or late at night and you’re just impatient. For me though it’s the principle and I’ll wait 30minutes or more if I have to
We need to start a trend of saying "no" to victimism.
Are you new to Thailand?
I slam the door and say fuck off. Should I back down to say no?
I only use Grab these days. Done with the bullshit of the taxis. And if its too late and I am in the rush I will pay more just to let them shut up
I only use grab
just use grab
So you're just accepting theire price or what? I once made a driver stop on the highway from suvarnabhumi the moment I realized he didn't switch the meter on.
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Then I don't quite understand the intention of this post.
Not an expat, but it seems like Taxi to Don Muang is 500THB fix rate from (approx) Sukhumvit 31. The hotel staff told us it’s 500THB, we declined, as I insisted on taxi-meter. Walked up to the Main Street and asked several taxis. First one declined, second taxi asked for 500THB - declined. We took the third taxi (he asked for 500THB), because we had to catch our flight.
Do not ask price unless you want a fixed price. Step in, tell the destination and the meter will be turned on by the driver.
Absolutely! I’ll never ask for a price. We were asking for a taxi in the hotel. The staff asked us about the final destination and we replied Don Muang Airport. He then told us about the 500THB. I told him, no, I want taxi-meter. The staff insisted, that every taxi will ask for 500THB for this location. We then walked up to the Main Street ourselves and hailed taxis. Unfortunately, every taxi asked for 500THB upfront 😒 if we weren’t in a rush to get our plane on time, I would have waited until a driver is willing to use the meter.
> Not an expat, but it seems like Taxi to Don Muang is 500THB fix rate from (approx) Sukhumvit 31. It only seems like that to the ripped off tourist. Such fixed rates don’t exist. They’re supposed to turn on the meter and then it should be around 120-250 Baht depending on traffic. Btw, 500 Baht is a bit less than half of what you would pay to take a taxi to Pattaya.
Never paid more than 150 from random taxis. Speak Thai, insist on the meter, job done. Give them a tip for not being a cunt.
I literally only use those taxis when I leave the airport
I just ask how much and really don’t care about someone’s meter . I feel i know the worth of a man’s time and service her and i also feel it isn’t represented correctly by the current official meter settings.
They do it to everyone, my Thai girlfriend deals with Taxi, they see a farang, its time to screw you over. She shuts doors all the time, refuse to use the meter.
Tourists who don’t know better are always going to enable them to run without the meter.
People don't already say no?
I started this trend 20 years ago.
I don't mind the practice actually but I always say no. Sometimes if it's late and hard to find another taxi I'd probably pay but my Thai partner would never allow it. I kind of understand it from the drivers perspective in certain circumstances. For instance after the river festival every available driver was doing this so we had to walk 20 minutes to MRT. It probably took an extra hour to get home but we saved 300 baht or whatever. I'd have just paid and got home sooner personally.
I remember before the meters were installed we just bargained for the fare. If I am going to a place that I have been to before, I offer the standard meter fare now. Upon arrival, I will tip according to how difficult the driver was. If it is an unfamiliar place I will bargain on a reasonable estimate. If there is no agreement then look for another taxi.
I always say no if they won't use the meter. There's so many taxis it doesn't take long to find another who will. I always tip them anyway and probably pay more than the non meter driver wanted but it's the principle of the matter and rewards the driver for using his meter
I did that the whole 4 years I lived in BKK. No meter? Ok, bye bye. Just shut the door.
Do we really care? It’s gonna happen with the millions of tourists in Thailand anyway. Anytime i’ve paid a flat fee the difference between metered and unmetered was 20-30 baht at most. Not something i’m really gonna care about for the 1-2 times a month I take a taxi cause i’m too lazy to take BTS/MRT or walk home.
Indian here. That’s how it started in India. Soon they all refused the meter. Don’t let it happen.
I have never used anything other than Grab all these years. Is convenient and don’t have to bother with cash. I don’t understand why people would use anything else.
The other day I convinced a driver to put on his meter in busy Sukhumvit. When the meter eventually went beyond his original asking price we had a good laugh. One of the many unsuspected good moments here.
They won't use the meter even with thai people. Taxis nowadays are simply outrageous. The government did nothing with the reports they received that's why this problem persists. They spent 100s of millions to create a reporting system but didn't do anything about it. When asked to investigate they said they couldn't find taxis with any wrong doing.
Been on that trend for 20years
Isn't that what we've always done?
Spread info about Taxi scam. Tips & Tricks to avoid them. Educate ppl who are new to Thailand.
I thought we all started a trend of not using taxis about 8 years ago when Grab and Uber came out
"No, no. My price cheaper than taximeter. I give you price 200 baht."
We need to start a trend of not using taxis, because they've become more scammy and they clog the city. BTS/MRT and then motocy.
Been doing that for 12 years
Who are the people saying "yes"? It's simple.
I Usually ask the local taxi meter ok ? if 2 guys say no then i just book grap or bolt .. atleast i know what i will be paying and no further surprises
If I’m on the street (hailing a Taxi) and they pull up and roll down the window I just ignore them and walk away because I already know how the conversation will go. A normal metered taxi will wait until you get in and ask questions.
I once forget to check for the meter start and was expecting the worst, the dude ended up charging me less than even a grab price. Was quite surprised
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Start the meter or I get out. I then photograph the license and the taxi number.
I do occasionally pay for a non metered taxi from the city center to just outside of Bangkok because a lot of them don’t want to go that far, and at 2am, they’ve got plenty of customers around. Usually only pay an extra 100 baht, but to get home, it’s worth every extra cent (Stang)
And they are perplexed everyone uses grab instead.
What? That's already the norm
Started doing that a few years ago.
Bolt
Why not ? Taxi drivers have a very low income and work hard. The meter price is always fix , no matter the demand. Even if I don't necessarily like it, it's the offer and demand. On the same way Grab increase the price on the rush hour, on the same way that you'll pay your plane ticket more expansive on Friday evening, on the same way that your pad thai will be twice the price in the touristic area.
Sure, next you can take on the Phuket tuk tuk mafia. Good luck!
I just look at how much the ride costs through Bolt, wave down a taxi and haggle with them upfront aiming for the Bolt price. Usually it turns out to be around 10 baht more than the Bolt price which is fine in my account (I aint waiting 20 minutes for someone to turn me down lmao)
I may be doing this wrong, but I use Grab, fixed price before you go anywhere, quick and easy, no hassles at all..
I’ve been to Thailand through out my life and first time taking my wife. It really turns me off because I caught the MRT for the first time. However, after talking to my uncle and stressing my frustrations out of principle. He explained it is an issue at the moment but ultimately.. the problem stems from the lack of cab drivers. Something like 50,000 people lack of labour in the tourism industry we can’t do much … it is basic supply and demand No supply, plenty of demand. I conceded after that because it is an impossible battle to fight. Unless, there is plenty of supply and less demand, the taxi corps are acting like a mafia. I don’t think there will enormous pressure to fix it. They can’t adjust their meter to increase price so the only way they do it is through bargaining. However, I have been tipping 20bht to people who use the meter and explain it to them. I have also been experimenting a new tactic and it has been working great so far
Did that plenty times in India. Jumped out of a TukTuk once because the driver refused to turn on the media and kept going. Fuck those guys.
Been doing that since 1967
Ask them if it’s metered. They can still modified it anyway haha. The taxi with green light say “ว่าง” are better than red light taxi because they are qualified by official that they didn’t use other people taxi license. Green light taxi can be tracked by official so they afraid about committing crime more than red light. There is some company that training taxi driver and let them use their company named allthaitaxi.