Pattaya: Motorcycle taxi rider relied on foreign tourists - now he has nothing

[webfact 74,497]

Pattaya: Motorcycle taxi rider relied on foreign tourists - now he has nothing

 

Picture: Sophon Cable TV

 

Sophon Cable TV went to a motorcycle taxi rank in front of Big C extra in Central Pattaya where they interviewed "win" rider Jamcharoen Bunleu, 52. 

 

Even though the first wave of the pandemic may be over, times are still desperate for him.

 

He used to earn 400-500 baht a day. Now he is lucky to get 50-60 baht. 

 

Some days he gets nothing even though he is present at the rank from 8 am to 5 pm. 

 

He said he used to rely on foreign tourists - now there are none. 

 

He needs to support seven family members so recently he has been forced to try construction jobs at 500-600 baht a day when he can get them. Even then he is unable to make ends meet. 

 

Now with the price of gold being high he has sold his jewelry nest egg. He's got nothing left to fall back on now. 

 

His family is subsisting on basic foods like fermented fish sauce just to stay alive. 

 

Sophon said the job of "win" or motorcycle taxi rider is just one of many at the resort suffering greatly. 

 

Source: Sophon Cable TV

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-08-12

 

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[ChipButty 14,302]

Motorcycle taxi rider scammed foreign tourists - now he has nothing, fixed it for him

[ezzra 42,728]

not sure how's this guy story is any different from millions others who are in the same situation and even worse, i trust that this guy and others will somehow manage to ride out (no pun intended) the bad times as i'm sure that those days of him taking the mickey out of farangs will surely return... 

[Jingthing 68,342]

Maybe he can join the Grab ranks? 

 

[rasmus5150 2,916]

High season is going to be very "low" this year.

[OneMoreFarang 24,781]

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

He needs to support seven family members

And all the others can't work?

[AlfHuy 1,982]

500-600 baht a day working in construction. Yeah, right. Probably no skills at all in this business.

I am sure Cambodians, Burmese etc don't get much more than 300baht a day.

 

[BigStar 1,586]

29 minutes ago, ezzra said:

not sure how's this guy story is any different from millions others who are in the same situation and even worse,

Sometimes we select one, or a group, as representative of others as well. We don't really have space to tell all the stories of millions of others. Yet sitting out all day in the same spot, barely shaded from the heat, hoping for a fare seems its own special torture. But it's easily dismissed by old fart farang retirees sitting comfortably at their keyboards of course.

 

To me this says try to tip more generously than you did pre-COVID. Hard times for these people.

 

29 minutes ago, ezzra said:

i trust that this guy and others will somehow manage to ride out (no pun intended) the bad times as i'm sure that those days of him taking the mickey out of farangs will surely return... 

The question is, how difficult will that be? Not for you, of course. Heh.

 

I've known some funny and quite honest motorcy taxi drivers, joked around many times with them and at times had a regular driver. Sometimes I have a trusted driver go down to Immigration and do my 90-day report for a couple hundred baht. Yeah, many of us, I think, are glad to have these guys around when needed. One of the conveniences and part of the character of Thailand.

 

Edited August 12 by BigStar

[morrobay 1,483]

Not all bad news around here. And better w/o them and their blocked corners, dogs, trash smoking , riding on sidewalks, hostile attitudes. Schandenfreude

[saakura 4,786]

"His family is subsisting on basic foods like fermented fish sauce just to stay alive"

 

Nonsense, you can't survive by drinking bottles of Nam Plaa.

[colinneil 72,507]

Just now, saakura said:

"His family is subsisting on basic foods like fermented fish sauce just to stay alive"

 

Nonsense, you can't survive by drinking bottles of Nam Plaa.

Well mate, i have seen a few very poor families living off rice and nam pla.

It does happen unfortunately.

[timendres 6,365]

8 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Well mate, i have seen a few very poor families living off rice and nam pla.

It does happen unfortunately.

Exactly right. The rice is the sustenance, the nam bpla is just to add some flavor.

[bkk6060 12,027]

12 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Well mate, i have seen a few very poor families living off rice and nam pla.

It does happen unfortunately.

Yes.  And grab some wild herbs and ants, moths or bugs for protein. More common then people think.

[BigStar 1,586]

26 minutes ago, saakura said:

"His family is subsisting on basic foods like fermented fish sauce just to stay alive"

 

Nonsense, you can't survive by drinking bottles of Nam Plaa.

YOUR nonsense, as two posters have pointed out. It would also help if you could learn basic reading before wasting our time. It says LIKE. Basic FOODS (S) LIKE. There's no implication whatsoever here that fish sauce is ALL his family eats.

[GeorgeCross 6,065]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

He used to earn 400-500 baht a day. Now he is lucky to get 50-60 baht. 

 

should have asked him "from how many trips?"