As a Thai I can say Thai people really hate Taxi/Tuk Tuk scams. We feel like they betray all good things Thai people have put our hard work and efforts to make our country better. Adam, please report them.
and what about the entrance fees for palaces, temples and shows or nature parks, or the bills for clinic treatment.. there may be demanded up to 400% surcharge according to state laws for foreigners,,, that's not the little taxi driver .. that's the State that's not fair!!!!!
@@freddenker9537 This has nothing to do with scamming people. It makes perfect sense to charge a rich foreigner more than a local underpaid Thai, as the country is relying on Tourism as a big part of it's income. I am all for this, and I am a foreigner moving to Thailand. I am under the impression that the Thai generally are proud, kind, and protective of their country. As any country should be. If you view it like this and leave your personal feelings out of it, it sounds perfectly reasonable to me.
@@Stefman1983 so abroad should now also rich Thais (others do not fly there) pay more ... that would be the conclusion .. Or is it Stockholm Syndrome? .Not all foreigners who live here and mostly have children are RICH..or have a work permit And please don't forget the Thais have only been living here for 800 years.. "The Thais" don't exist either 47% are ethnic Chinese, then Khmer, Burmeses Laoten.Malay, the real Thai probably only make up a small part of the population Thailand its a Immigrant country and always has been..you need national pride like in the USA
@@freddenker9537 if you're a guest somewhere, accept the rules of the place you are visiting. If you don"t like it, leave. Nobody is forcing you to visit Thailand, let alone any tourist places. If I am visiting a country i adapt, i am a minority and i accept it. Last thing I would think of doing is saying "its not fair!!!!". But hey, opinions may differ. Just my 2 cents.
This just happened to me yesterday. Got a texi at Iconsiam, driver didn't start the meter, and said 450. I said no, then he said 300. I said no meter, i get out. He turned on the meter, clearly not happy. When I got to hotel, meter came out to 117😂😂
great video, no rambling like some other channels lol. straight to the point and informative! one of the best resources for thailand visitors on utube 👍
I've never ride a taxi in Bangkok for years. Most of them are cheating and I don't want to get upset and ruin my day. Rules and law in Thailand are such a mess.
I got used to getting in the taxi's and telling them I was in a hurry, no time to buy jewels or go to the tailor. One taxi did use the meter, but did the "couple of laps" around the victory monument circle. I waited til traffic slowed, jumped out and threw him a couple of baht and then got in another. So do avoid staring at your phone, or you can get scammed even if they are using the meter.
Also keep in mind that the doorman at a hotel can also be in on it. He will ask where you are going and make out he has organised a great deal for you with a taxi.
They still do it even to Thais. Speaking Thai doesn't matter nearly as much as where and when you are trying to get the cab. I've never ever had a problem at a hotel. They are surrounded by CCTVs, security, concierge, etc. However, if you're in Chinatown late at night, be prepared to reject 3 or 4 or 5 cabs before you find one that will use the meter. Pretty sure scammer thinking is "Where can I go to find passengers who don't have other transport options and where I won't get caught."
Great information especially for those making their first trip to Bangkok. Sad to see this is still a thing. In the late 90's I was buying a suitcase with my Thai sister in law in the Patpong night market. I was staying on Sukhumvit Soi 4. Four taxi drivers refused to take me and wanted 300 baht. Tourist police nearby rectified the situation on the spot. Can't remember what the actual metered fare was, but I'm thinking it was maybe 80 baht? Definitely a fraction of what they were asking for.
Never get in a taxi without asking them to use the meter. The same goes for tuktuk. Never hop on unless both parties agree on a fare. I understand a lot of people are saying to just pay the overpriced fare cause its still cheap for us, but if you allow these scammers to scam you, then no doubt they'll do it again to the next person and so on. Plus, an extra 100-150 baht goes a long way here in thailand. Stay safe people.
Informative video, thank you. I only use the green and yellow taxis as a last resort if other forms of transport are not feasible. I had to use one the other week to get to Don Muang airport, no 'Grabs' or 'Bolts' available, it was rush hour on a Monday morning. The hotel concierge flagged one down for me and agreed a price (500 baht) I knew this was way more than the apps but was was reasonable enough for me. I get in, 5 mins drive along Sukhumvit he pulls over and he decides he can no longer take me, 'too much traffic, I find you another taxi'. He knows, I've got luggage and its time sensitive to get a flight. It then becomes an uncomfortable standoff where I have to stare him down, take a photo of his ID on the dashboard and remind him we agreed a price. I tell him to take the flyover and I pay his toll charge. He was very moody the rest of the trip. Unfortunately you have to sometime really assert yourself in Thailand without getting too aggressive.
I think Bolt drivers are finding ways to get you too. For example, you select economy and drivers accept then decline the ride again and again. But if you select the higher class/rate cars like XL, suddenly those same drivers accept, and they may not even be an XL car.
I just returned from Bangkok and we could not find a Taxi that would turn their meter on. The hotel also could not get us a taxi that would turn their meter on. They would help us negotiate a price. We were on vacation so it was easier for us to negotiate a price that was fair to us.
Love your content. I always have issues with moto-taxi (motor cycle) drivers trying to charge me 100 baht to take me 5 blocks! They won't negotiate at all, lol.
One of the taxi guys knows exactly where I’m going every Friday lol. He always waits for me. He took the time to learn how to fold my wheelchair, push me into my condo and get a fair price that includes tips for the service. The first time he turned the meter on (Friday night at naha, a rare thing). I iffered him this and he’s happy. He hates his cheating colleagues and said no wonder everyone uses bolt haha
@@grahamjohnson4702 that’s what the airport train line is for...Surely you are aware it terminates at Phaya Thai? How many times have you been to Thailand? 🤔
A couple of weeks ago I was in Las Vegas. Coming out of the Luxor, I sat in a taxicab. The driver proceeded to click "Two Passengers" on his screen when I was alone. He was dishonest, trying to charge me for two people, with a blatant scam right in my face. I told him to stop the cab and got out. The next taxi driver tried to go around the long way unnecessarily on my way to the palms and try to charge me extra, despite me showing him my gps and telling him to take the correct way. Taxi scams are everywhere and not just in Thailand. After two back to back bad experiences with these two taxis, I just resolved to only use Uber from now on and to never deal with taxis again. The advice to use only the Uber equivalent apps in Thailand is a very sound one. Thank you for another informative video. Well done.
Thanks for saying hi when I bumped into you down sukhumvit yesterday. Your videos have inspired me to walk around the city a bit more when in bangkok. I normally just start the holiday down Khaosan.
Taxis are often easiest form of transport, but enjoyment of them ruined by scammy taxi drivers who do this way too much. Good advice BTW cheers for that
Totally good info. 👍 A tip is to always flag a taxi down yourself that is moving. These are the drivers that really want to work and not wait around for a sucker. Hand out at waist level, not waving a hang around like we do in NYC. 😂👍
sooo helpful. i will def use my thai language skills the way you did with the taxis. i didnt think speaking thai would of made a difference with the taxi drivers but it def showed a difference. thanks adam!!
well done mate, great way of teaching bkk noobs, taxis not using meters can be so frustrating though when you just want to get to where you want to go...
Awesome Tips! Dont recommend making it obvious that your going to report them though, had one punch a friend for taking a photo of the id once. Although its usually just a "No thank you, goodbye"
Bolt last week I was taking from Sukumvit 41 to BKK airport ... ordered the Bolt,,, got in the car and started driving away,,, Driver then starts talking loud about price is too low... and demanded I pay additional 200 THB more! I said no I pay the Bolt price,,, he stopped the car and told me to get out.... reported to Bolt,,, but I was shocked with this attitude
I made a report 6 taxis in a row, and I am now waiting for the transportation department's response. It might take a while, but I have done this before. Some of them have been punished and cannot get the license again. And yes, many tourists spoil them because it is cheaper than what they must pay in their hometown. But that makes my life, as a local, harder. Because the taxis would not accept Thais passengers again. As you might have seen in front of the central world plaza and MBK. Thanks for the video!
FYI, Thai people get the same treatment 😅. No taxi driver likes to drive through soi 11 on Friday and Saturdays evening. Best tip is walk to a quiet street and hold or order Bolt over there. And about your tip to enter taxi with confident without asking first, is risking to be beat up afterwards…
Would partially agree with Adam on the get in part because that might work for some drivers, but I just don't bother either. Just get out when they tell you to and you won't get beat up..
It's literally their job regardless the time or the day or location 😂 I just get I'm say turn on the meter and either have the meter go on or just roll til they say get out then I'd report the cab in question... and I'd love to see any cabbie approach me physically to as you say "beat me up" 😂😂😂😂 that would definitely be a mistake on their part 😂
Nice vid! I used Grab Taxi for the first time just two weeks ago. When I went to get out of the car the guy said I had to pay. I assumed it was like Uber and your card just gets charged automatically. So I gave him cash. Well, checking my card, seems he got paid double for that trip! :(
Your advice is spot-on! There are times, however to negotiate. Two weeks ago, I took a taxi from Ekamai bus station to a hotel on Sukhumvit soi 11. He wanted 500, I said, no meter, and then I switched to Thai. We settled to 200. It took over 75 minutes to get there. I felt that I got value for my money. Yes, I could have walked with my luggage or gone up and taken the BTS, but hey, there was AC and the cab was clean and comfortable.
exact same thing happened to me terminal 21. i told him meter and he started talking in a loud tone so i yelled over him and told him the price and he agreeed but he was not a happy camper
We left Bangkok few days ago. We were scammed (successfully) by driver’s of the taxis and the tuktuk😉 Just and info. From Central World to Asiatique driver was asking: Taxi - 800 Baht tuktuk - 400 Baht Bus (not aircon) - 8 Baht
Hey bro was cool to meet you down Soi 4 that day, made my trip, thanks for the tips and info about Thailand the last few years, my 5th time and still love it there, cheers Johnny 🇳🇿
I learned the Thai numbers several years ago. It makes a HUGE difference when trying to haggle on the taxi price, and all other shopping as well. I agree about the tipping. If they do meter then I always tip. Not so if they want a flat rate. Trying to learn more grammar now. Any suggestions on Thai language study guides ?
or "pee mai loom meter na khrab" means " with respect don't forget the meter" if they not want you say "yot" stop take a picture of the yellow plate on the door always if you are in a taxi call 1584 and complain the taxi giving that number normaly they will follow up on you call like keis say if you speak thai i gets more easy i live here 15 years and i almost never have problems.
Hey , why not take just take the BTS skytrain from Nana or Ploen chit to Asok ? From Nana to Asok is no more than 35 THB , from Ploen chit to Asok shouldn’t be more than 65THB .
Amazing “ message “ for not just the tourists but locals as well ! Especially afternoon when the heat is boiling & you have to get in & out of taxis ! How frustrating ! Good job Adam ❤ BTW you spat out in Thai so well na krup 😂
The hassle from BKK taxis to pattaya is so frustrating, $30 usd more isn’t much, but knowing I’m being hustled digs deep… I’ve since only gone by bus, more inconvenient, but knowing I’m not being hustled makes the trip much more satisfying, especially after flying 20+ hrs from the states…
Try emailing Nams Taxi Pattaya, female drivers, they pick you up from the airport, drive you to your Pattaya hotel for 1000 baht all in. I only book the Bell bus (online) if I'm getting into BKK airpoty early, but it is comfortable and they too drop you off at your hotel, all for 300 baht.
I got the same treatment trying to go to Sathorn, “traffic jam no go” With tourism now, I was even refused when i offered 40 baht from soi 3 to soi 13 (on a bike) 🤯
Not being dramatic at all! Last December I was getting very frustrated trying to get a meter taxi… not to mention I had my Thai gf with me. Thanks for the video bro 🤙
I'm getting bored of Bolt drivers turning up and demanding more money. I used to let it go but when I return, i'm going to report every driver that does it to me. Never happens if I an with a Thai person. I also love how they would rather lose a fare than negotiate with a tourist/falang. Speaking Thai don't stop them either they just lie back in Thai!
what about taxis at the airport? I read a blog that it shouldn't be more than 500 baht to Silom area (where I will be staying) that includes meter, highway tolls and airport pickup surcharge. do we need to worry about the meter at the airport? we need to ask the driver the amount AFTER we show him the hotel's address? thanks.
Hi Adam, as always enjoying all your video's. Looking for a little advice I'm arriving on Mon 1st May at around 330pm. What would be your best advice to get from airport to Nana area
At that time the train is the fastest, but taxi is the easiest.. use the bolt or grab app to book ur taxi.. Train requires a couple changes, google can help you.. but when I’m tired after a flight I just take the longer aircon taxi.. But only on bolt!
My last visit was horrible with the taxis not wanting to take me to my destination. Thank you for the advice. I will try it out, but they've already forced me to learn how to ride the MRT, BTS, and water taxis.
