ChristianPFC Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 Price comparison (all distances measured on google maps) Bangkok 1.2 km for 12 Baht = 10 Baht/km Huay Yai 7.0 km for 50 Baht = 7 Baht/km Pattaya 3.9 km for 80 Baht = 21 Baht/km Pattaya at night after disco 150 Baht for 3.1 km = 48 Baht/km http://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2016/08/pattaya-quicky-fri-5-sat-682016.html Bangkok taxi 5.5 Baht/km (after first 2 km included in 35 Baht flag fall) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 Xi om in saigon, ojek in indonesia, moxi in thailand. They are known to be a tourist trap in many of the tourist attraction area. I have used them sparingly because of these, usually just to try new things. i usually travel with friends hence taxi would make more sense. Back to topic, thailand price are still way cheaper than any other country offering similar service. 100 bath is really usd 2 for some but if taking a taxi would only cost half that in my country, id hesitate taking moxi as well. At 10 bath/km, it is very reasonable though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozmouse Posted February 3, 2017 Author Share Posted February 3, 2017 such savings certainly contributed to your next trip's airfare fund in a big way i know i know... i still laugh about it! the money wasnt the point... he flippin took us for a journey. Well maybe the money does make the point... we paid for time in taxi...... considering we were charged a 1/3rd of the far, we were probably in taxi for 20 min more than the 10 min it should have taken. rip off? inexperienced driver? dont know, but uber saved the day when he didnt go the suggested route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firecat69 Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 Everybody has a different level at where they feel they are being ripped off. I walk out of Soi Twilight and know meter fare on Taxi to Renaissance Hotel would be 60 baht and taxi wants 200 , I will not pay it. I might say 100 and 90% of the time it will be accepted and I just can't be bothered walking up the Soi stopping taxis to save 40 baht. And sometimes I just close the door and flag down one until I get the meter. Then I almost always give the driver 100 if the meter sats 60, So same same! But my choice. Now if I am with a boy then the first one who says 100 or meter will get the fare since I want to get back to room as soon as possible. (hehe) I have said it before that I have been all over the world and have found no place where the quality of most taxis are so high and the fares so ridiculously low. A 5 minute taxi ride in NYC, Montreal, London, LosAngeles etc costs more then a 30- 45 minute ride to the airport and except for London the quality of the car most times much better in Bangkok. It is just laughable to me that visitors will pay the same at McDonalds, Starbucks, Pizza places that they will in their home countries and will pay 500 baht for a 10 baht can of soda in a Bar and then want to take out their frustrations about money on a hard working taxi driver or motorcycle driver. I just don't get it! Most cities in the world it costs more to take a bus from the airport or the train then it does to take a taxi from Swampy to the BKK Hotel. Now if taxi, motorbike fares had been going up at the same rate as drinks on Soi Twilight or as off fees, or minimum tips to boys then there would be something to complain about. vinapu and kokopelli 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinapu Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 Everybody has a different level at where they feel they are being ripped off. Sometimes rip off is still blessing, once I was leaving BBB Inn for early morning departure in dead of the night during storm with lightnings and really heavy rain . Thankfully taxi appeared almost immediately and he quoted 600 which is twice the meter. I was sooooo happy to be skinned alive as walking from door to the curb was enough to get completely soaked. I thought , blessed are extortionists because they appear when needed. If he quoted 1000 I'd pay then and would be still smiling now paulsf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveboy Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 I must have traveled between Babylon and Silom, Babylon and Lumpini at least a hundred times... always by foot. At daytime and at nighttime. (I could walk between Sauna Mania and Babylon after midnight without any street lights) I never took a motorcycle in BKK. Being on vacation and always with plenty of time, I enjoy walking in my comfortable tennis shoes. But even more important, I don't like the safety statistics of riding a motorcycle in BKK. Thailand is the second worldwide in the number of road accident deaths. And motorcycle deaths account for 73% (!!!) In comparison, pedestrian deaths account for 8%. Still not very good, so I take extra precautions (after the first time of nearly being run over) especially when crisscrossing streets, and I look for any alternate ways like going up or down on overpasses and underpasses. Patience and calmness is a valuable ingredient for a long life... ChristianPFC and splinter1949 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Promsak Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 My local (mid Bangkok Sukhumvit) motorbike taxi stand has a plasticised poster with all the local destinations and prices. In addition, there is another poster with photos of all 36 registered riders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 It is just laughable to me that visitors will pay the same at McDonalds, Starbucks, Pizza places that they will in their home countries and will pay 500 baht for a 10 baht can of soda in a Bar and then want to take out their frustrations about money on a hard working taxi driver or motorcycle driver. I just don't get it! I am an occasional customer of Starbucks in Thailand, particularly when I cannot find a good independent coffee shop open nearby. Paying the same as at home doesn't seem quite right, but the pricing is transparent & all customers pay the same. I could probably get a crap coffee at some roadside stall using robusta beans, but I'm prepared to pay up for quality. The taxis sector is different -no transparency & honesty. If taxis display "Taxi Meter" on the front, they should be honest & use the meter. Or if they don't like the rules, find a non-regulated trade. Arriving at Pattaya Northern bus station, which remarkably seems not to be on the standard routes, I hear the baht bus drivers asking the locals for sam sip baht (30), which they are not at all keen to accept. I've had them asking me for 200, which I do not pay. I am however very satisfied with the kind of pre-booked taxis from Pattaya to the airport. They quote the price up front, I'm not charged double what a Thai would pay for the same type of taxi & what I pay is what we agreed. It's all the duplicity & dual pricing which encourages me not to use taxis. With motorcycle taxis, safety is an additional factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firecat69 Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 The taxis sector is different -no transparency & honesty. If taxis display "Taxi Meter" on the front, they should be honest & use the meter. Or if they don't like the rules, find a non-regulated trade. First let me say I have never used a taxi in Pattaya. But complaints about taxis in BKK are just plain ridiculous. In the 2 1/2 years I lived in BKK I used taxis hundreds of time and in shorter visits over 15 years again many hundreds of times. The times they did not want to turn on the meter is minuscule , maybe 2-3%. They all occurred in front of or close to Soi Twilight and near Patpong Market on Silom. They were easily avoided by flagging down a moving taxi . In front of Soi Twilight especially if it was raining I would agree to 100 baht for what I know is a 60 baht fare. (Big Deal) Bottom line there is nowhere in the world that you get mostly clean and comfortable taxis with great availability at such low fares. Hell in Europe 1 ride would pay for a week of taxis in BKK. Of all the things to complain about in Thailand taxis, would not even make my list. Now Pattaya a completely different story . What taxis there are, all are crooks that have never turned the meter on. If you want to hire a baht bus to take you directly somewhere it will cost you at least double what the same distance would cost you in BKK. And for that princely fare you get to ride in a broken down pick up truck without a/c vs. a modern A/c equipped taxi in BKK. Now baht bus travel is great value as long as you don't mind sharing it with a dozen other passengers and taking only the routes they travel on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristianPFC Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 Arriving at Pattaya Northern bus station, which remarkably seems not to be on the standard routes, I hear the baht bus drivers asking the locals for sam sip baht (30), which they are not at all keen to accept. I've had them asking me for 200, which I do not pay. Indeed there are few passing, might take 5 minutes waiting. The rip-off of the year (2016) was in Mae Sot, and it wasn't even me who was ripped off. Three women got on a songhteo, and their destination was off the line, and they were originally quoted 150 Baht each, but the driver accepted their offer of 100 Baht each. The detour turned out to be about 5 km. Outrageous! My fare of 50 Baht wasn't cheap either, I made a mental note next time to take a mocy taxi, as the savings by taking songtheo was not worth the wait until departure and then the detours from shortest route. Regarding standing taxis in Bangkok quoting flat fees: NEVER! In addition to overcharging, they block one lane in traffic and thus cause delays for others. (However the idea of having a taxi that doesn't have a passenger standing somewhere where it doesn't block traffic is a good one, reduces energy consumption and traffic. And indeed, in non-touristy areas taxis are standing in popular places, and turn on the meter as soon as I get in.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozmouse Posted February 19, 2017 Author Share Posted February 19, 2017 Everybody has a different level at where they feel they are being ripped off. I walk out of Soi Twilight and know meter fare on Taxi to Renaissance Hotel would be 60 baht and taxi wants 200 , I will not pay it. I might say 100 and 90% of the time it will be accepted and I just can't be bothered walking up the Soi stopping taxis to save 40 baht. And sometimes I just close the door and flag down one until I get the meter. Then I almost always give the driver 100 if the meter sats 60, So same same! But my choice. thank my usual modus operandi as well.... they will end up getting good fare, if they use meter. directly related ... just returned from a short escape to bali. yet again notorious for cheap meter taxis, and for organized transport cartels. down in seminyak they have signs up everywhere the local banjar does not allow use of uber/grab in area. I saw online discussions about drivers getting hassled, and advising riders to just say he was my private driver. i used Grab once to go to remote area and then negotiated wait and return fare (after grab calc the o/way thru app). More than happy with service and cost. but new for me was the mocy app GO-JEK. None of the taxi would come down the one way gang to our accom. But go-jek was there pick up at the door. Readily available, phoned direct when booked, arrived with helmet in hand. min fare 4000 max fare i paid 6000. 50% off if you preload value with app. They all got either 10,000 or 20,000 from me. loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollingstone Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 Agreed that the Black Cab in London is outrageous. Could not understand why the British government allows sheer robbery in broad daylight. LOL. And another pain, if you want to pay credit cards, you generally have to endure a painful process, e.g. the driver will have to contact their controls and register cc details etc., if they are willing to accept cc in the first place. Why can't they make this easier for riders? This is United Kingdom; and in London. Excuse me ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollingstone Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 The other day I flagged down a taxi outside Soi Twilight, taking a boy to Suhkumvit, the driver quoted 200 baht. I countered 150 (and I was generous there) and he would not budge. I walked off and flagged down another one. This one turned on meter (a small surprise for me which I did not expect) and the fare came close to 70 baht only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firecat69 Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 A valuable lesson learned. Fact is if it is not raining and you can walk a few steps up to Patpong and flag down any moving taxi chances are 10-1 they will turn on the meter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hutchison Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 I am an occasional customer of Starbucks in Thailand, particularly when I cannot find a good independent coffee shop open nearby. Paying the same as at home doesn't seem quite right, but the pricing is transparent & all customers pay the same. I could probably get a crap coffee at some roadside stall using robusta beans, but I'm prepared to pay up for quality. Since when has Starbucks had quality coffee? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 Everything is relative. Some places serve up really bitter tasteless coffee, probably from the cheapest Robusta they can find. Others don't even have a coffee machine. Starbucks do offer a proper coffee. In the case of the Tuk Com branch, their new upstairs lounge is also very pleasant. Mind you, I still visit Gafae much more frequently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DThump Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 I am an occasional customer of Starbucks in Thailand, particularly when I cannot find a good independent coffee shop open nearby. Paying the same as at home doesn't seem quite right, but the pricing is transparent & all customers pay the same. I could probably get a crap coffee at some roadside stall using robusta beans, but I'm prepared to pay up for quality. Robusta beans are indeed inferior to Arabica beans, north of Chiang Mai some hill tribe people grow and roast some renowned Arabica coffe. Since when has Starbucks had quality coffee? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 Everything is relative. Some places serve up really bitter tasteless coffee, probably from the cheapest Robusta they can find. Others don't even have a coffee machine. Avoiding BAD coffee is the main objective. Starbucks do offer a proper coffee. Whilst it is not the best, it is of better quality than some of the others. In the case of the Tuk Com branch, their new upstairs lounge is also very pleasant. Mind you, I still visit Gafae much more frequently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokopelli Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 From cost of mocy rides to Starbucks coffee all within three pages! Where next will this thread go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firecat69 Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 Just one of many threads that have gone off topic. Not a Big Deal IMHO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinapu Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 From cost of mocy rides to Starbucks coffee all within three pages! Where next will this thread go? My guess is to discuss recent changes at Tarntawan hotel. LOL On more serious note I actually like when threads go astray for a while as it reflects normal conversation. I'm sure nobody cares , including me, but I feel urge to announce to the world that I stepped inside of Starbucks anywhere only once in my life and it was in BKK when one of our esteemed members suggested one on Silom as a meeting point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ryanasia Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 Everything is relative. Some places serve up really bitter tasteless coffee, probably from the cheapest Robusta they can find. Others don't even have a coffee machine. Avoiding BAD coffee is the main objective. Starbucks do offer a proper coffee. Whilst it is not the best, it is of better quality than some of the others. In the case of the Tuk Com branch, their new upstairs lounge is also very pleasant. Mind you, I still visit Gafae much more frequently. Now I understand. Some people are stupid and some people are not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveboy Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 Since when has Starbucks had quality coffee? They say that initially the quality of their coffee was very good. Now, it is merely decent. I am always amazed by my friends dumping so much money into Starbucks. For them, any criticism of the place is blasphemy. And it makes sense, since for them buying at Starbucks is for an elite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 Now I understand. Some people are stupid and some people are not. One statement is highly doubtful and not backed up by any supporting evidence. The other is correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinapu Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 For them, any criticism of the place is blasphemy. And it makes sense, since for them buying at Starbucks is for an elite. My God, Starbucks as ego booster , that's something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
