Crackdown On Illegal Taxis Begins At Suvarnabhumi Airport Friday

[DMasut]

Well I for one would welcome this if the change actually takes place.

A great start to change the way people see Thailand when they clear immigration.... only to be hit by a bunch of liars and thieves.

They need to extend this to the Train Stations and Ferry Services as well.

[mortenaa]

Quit warning people and start cracking skulls already.

Also I'm so tired of the officially mandated AOT Limousine service being in your face every time you try and get off a plane. What a train wreck.

The AOT taxi service is just great. Service minded, friendly, cheap. If you travel in a big group, AOT is the way to go! 800 Baht for a Minivan to BKK is just good value for the buck.

[TEFLKrabi]

Is it my imagination, and I don't mean to offend here, but our USA visitors seem happier to pay "over the odds" for their taxis as well as giving hefty 20% tips too?

If everyone just went to the correct taxi desk and took a ticket, there would be no mafia at the airport. That said, I prefer the fun and games of the negotiation at departures. It prepares you for everyday life in Thailand.

[manijohn]

Thailand isn't PC (politically correct) enough. In California they would be known as Un-documented Airport Taxis. LOS

[EvilDrSomkid]

And about ruddy time to - You cant get in or out of the airports for the congestion of unnecessary taxi traffic! Its a total shambles for an airport supposed to be the hub of Asia. In my opinion there are far to many taxi's in Thailand, and they just add to the every day pollution and congestion in and around the city. They are a menace and a nuisance pulling out on you and stopping where ever and when ever they feel. Taxi's in Thailand are overkill much the same as mobile phone shops!!

Why don't you just stay home, you grouch?

Thailand a 'shambles'? Why do you bother coming to Thailand if you can't deal with this?

Is your name Victor Meldrew?

You should write a stern letter to the Bangkok Post, that will show them!

Used to take a (legal/illegal, who knows) taxi from departures every time. Now my wife rocks up in OUR car right outside departures. Too sweet.

[DMasut]

Crackdown on illegal taxis begins at Suvarnabhumi Airport Friday

BANGKOK: -- Illegal taxis at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport will be targeted in a crackdown by the authorities from Friday, according to Deputy Director of the Department of Land Transport Chairat Sanguansue.

Speaking in his capacity of chairman of the sub-committee to regulate public transport at Suvarnabhumi, Mr. Chairat said intensified crackdowns on unauthorised taxis will start Friday July 31.

Notices have been issued and posted at the airport and a public relations campaign has been initiated to warn offenders, he said.

Meanwhile, police officers and security guards patrolling airport premises on Thursday began warning unlicensed tour guides before beginning to arresting those who are unlicensed from August 9.

-- TNA 2009-07-30

It is not (only) the illegal taxis who scam the tourists. The legal taxis and the official counter where you get the official ticket are scam. Every time they try to scam me different.....

Correct, flew in on the 1st of May this year and wasn't really bothered in shopping around for a taxi.

Took the first and the 'best' I met and that was AoT Limousine service in the luggage claim section.

I 'bought' a taxi-ticket from Swampy to Amata Nakorn for THB 1,500, a bit overprised, but what the heck.

After I passed the customs there was another AoT boot and one of them took me out with my luggage.

The guy there checked my voucher and started to yell to the guy who came with me outside: THB 1500 no good, THB 2000 is the price. Anyway, they discussed and phoned back and forth for about 10 minutes until I said (with a read headed face): "I want my money back and I want it now!!!!" They forced me to start calling for a BiB and after my first attempt of catching a BiB's attention, they saw that I wasn't bluffing (in fact I was) and they called for the cab.

1,500 THB "A BIT OVERPRICED!?!?!" 300 THB to Bangkok Center is good, 450 THB is a bit overpriced.

1,500 THB is rape without a condom!!!

PLEASE PEOPLE SPREAD THE WORD...THESE GUYS ARE HERE BECAUSE YOU LET THEM GET AWAY WITH CHARGING THESE PRICES!!!

AoT is just the 'organized' version of what has been going on for years.... now the goodfellas have taken over.

The layout of the new airport is almost 3.5 kilometers to the nearest main road. Pack light and you might be able to take a bus to where you need to go... or at least to the nearest main road.

I WONDER HOW LONG BEFORE THEY BUILD THE MRT or BTS THROUGH TO HERE?

I've attached the Airport's Transport Options for you to look at.

Maybe the buses work better for you.

AirportSuvarnabhumi.pdf

[SantiSuk]

Those of us in TV.com are savvy and save money from using the unofficial taxis.

But in the big scheme of things a 50 baht supplement on the meter to Bangkok is hardly going to break the bank and the benefits from not being besieged by touts and knowing that non-savvy tourists will not be ripped off make me a supporter of this crackdown (if indeed it is a lasting one).

Does anybody know what is the metered fare to Pattaya including the 50 baht supplement from the public taxi line? I used to get 1100-1200 baht including tolls from the unofficials (if I arrived between say 8pm and 6am - otherwise I always take a public bus)

[uniq]

1,500 THB "A BIT OVERPRICED!?!?!" 300 THB to Bangkok Center is good, 450 THB is a bit overpriced.

1,500 THB is rape without a condom!!!

PLEASE PEOPLE SPREAD THE WORD...THESE GUYS ARE HERE BECAUSE YOU LET THEM GET AWAY WITH CHARGING THESE PRICES!!!

AoT is just the 'organized' version of what has been going on for years.... now the goodfellas have taken over.

The layout of the new airport is almost 3.5 kilometers to the nearest main road. Pack light and you might be able to take a bus to where you need to go... or at least to the nearest main road.

I WONDER HOW LONG BEFORE THEY BUILD THE MRT or BTS THROUGH TO HERE?

I've attached the Airport's Transport Options for you to look at.

Maybe the buses work better for you.

just read correctly before you start yelling - 1500 THB for a 90 km trip in the AOT limousine is actually even a fair price, a cab will be around 1000...

I don't understand what all the noise is about being scammed - a person with a bit of sense for reality won't get duped and the others don't really realize anyhow. if you compare prices with western countries, it's still dirt cheap, for 1500 thb i don't even get a 15 km ride in my home country...

[Arkady]

On my first visit to Thailand in the early 80s the old Don Muang terminal was still in use and taxi touts came in and grabbed luggage out of tourists' hands. New arrivals didn't even get a chance to find out if there were any legal taxis or not. Anyway there were no meters then and no taxi desk that told you what the real fare should be or took details of the cab. So you were as likely to be overcharged by the legals as the illegals. On the other hand the risk of being mugged or even murdered by the illegals was far higher. After a number of such grisly incidents in the early 80s the airport authority announced a crackdown on the illegals. This was not successful and was overtly abandoned after the illegal taxi touts murdered a fairly high ranking airport official who was thought to have been in the chain receiving bribes to let them into the airport.

Now here we are 28 years later and the airport authorities have just announced yet another crackdown on illegal taxis. Who can take these pathetic corrupt individuals seriously? It would be very simple to get rid of taxi touts, excise collection scams, King Power's scams and all the other unpleasant things that the airport authorities actively choose to inflict on travellers at Suvarnabhumi. Unfortunately they don't want to stop any of these things because they have a very strong belief that foreigners deserve to fleeced to fullest extent humanly possible. They are perfect targets because they are wealthier than Thais, don't understand the language or legal system and don't have any of those big shot connections that can suddenly pop up and bite you when you try to intimidate even quite humble looking Thais.

[reaper]

define illegal... adding a surcharge of 50 baht to the fare or chargin a tourist/returnee 600 Baht to get to town center. Pure BS

[DMasut]

ALSO HELPFUL LINK: http://www.1stopbangkok.com/getting_here/airport/

SCAM ALERT! Airport taxis

When collecting your luggage you’ll notice large signs warning you to avoid unauthorised taxis and use the AOT Limo Service instead for your own safety. In fact all taxis at the airport are authourised Bangkok metered taxis and perfectly safe, while the AOT Limos are aggressively and unfairly promoted, costing three times more! Even if you ignore their well placed desk, an army of their reps will accost you when you exit, politely but firmly hawking this rip off option. It’s not a very good first impression of Thailand, but the AOT airport management have poor judgement when it comes to transparency. Outside the ground floor (the taxi rank was only recently moved up from the basement after persistent complaints) you’ll find an orderly queue, and for a 50 baht admin fee will be in a taxi in no time. They’ll even help you insist the driver uses the meter - average price 300 baht. As with all developing countries you might occassionally encounter a dishonest driver (if so record his publicly displayed taxi number and threaten to report him to the tourist police). You can avoid this by spending 900 baht on the AOT’s highly profitable limo service, but we discourage it out of principle.

[crocodilexp]

I 'bought' a taxi-ticket from Swampy to Amata Nakorn for THB 1,500, a bit overprised, but what the heck.

...

The guy there checked my voucher and started to yell to the guy who came with me outside: THB 1500 no good, THB 2000 is the price.

For a clueless tourist, the "official" taxi services inside the airport are much more of a nuisance than any touts. All except the most gullible ones know not to go with the touts, but the official looking stuff (that overcharges 3x) is hard to avoid. It is not so easy to find the normal taxi queue (one with a 50 baht surcharge), unless you're *specifically* looking for it, and purposely *ignore* all the people inside trying actively to "help" (unlikely for a first time tourist).

Catching a taxi from departures level (and avoiding the 50 baht surcharge) is a shortcut for old hands, but does carry some amount of risk. Back in Don Muang there have been occasional robberies and even murders of tourists by rogue cabbies. The official taxi queue with the form and surcharge is a system for protecting against that -- bypass at your own risk. The risk is arguably low, but knowing how the airport is hotbed of mafia (including police extortion artists), not a risk I need to take.

[DMasut]

just read correctly before you start yelling - 1500 THB for a 90 km trip in the AOT limousine is actually even a fair price, a cab will be around 1000...

I don't understand what all the noise is about being scammed - a person with a bit of sense for reality won't get duped and the others don't really realize anyhow. if you compare prices with western countries, it's still dirt cheap, for 1500 thb i don't even get a 15 km ride in my home country...

1,500THB for 90km/45miles isn't too bad...but considering you can take a MiniVan or 1st Class Sleeper Train to anywhere in Thailand for that amount, it is still expensive.

However this is Thailand, not your home country...and by overpaying you encourage the 'dishonest' practices to continue.

PEOPLE...STOP THIS...COMPARED TO MY COUNTRY THINKING...it is not relative for anything except your pocket...and not up for speculation of others to gauge how much they can get away with overcharging you.

It is just wrong for them to do so. If the well dried up they would disappear and you would have a greater time in Thailand that is MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE.

IT's not about how much money you have and how much you can afford...it is as much a matter of principal.

[StreetCowboy]

Those of us in TV.com are savvy and save money from using the unofficial taxis.

But in the big scheme of things a 50 baht supplement on the meter to Bangkok is hardly going to break the bank and the benefits from not being besieged by touts and knowing that non-savvy tourists will not be ripped off make me a supporter of this crackdown (if indeed it is a lasting one).

Does anybody know what is the metered fare to Pattaya including the 50 baht supplement from the public taxi line? I used to get 1100-1200 baht including tolls from the unofficials (if I arrived between say 8pm and 6am - otherwise I always take a public bus)

I think 1200 is a fair price. I was quoted 1200 from Bangna by a local taxi driver earlier this week.

[DMasut]

crocodilexp and UNIQ...sounds like you guys work for the TAXI services... because us "old hats" know there is very little chance of murder and need for scare tactics. NICE TRY...NOW GO AWAY.

[robint]

oh how i miss the good old days of Don Meuang, it was a dream

on arrival, i always took a thai limo, fixed price B1500 to pattaya but after a 15 hour flight, I wanted comfort an no hassle and a few beers on the way down. Drivers always courteous and drove like a proper chauffeur.

of course i could have walked out of the terminal and onto the main drag and hailed a passing cab to take me to Morchit bus station (10mins - 40B if i was feeling cheap charlie)

its never been easy to get a proper driver to take you back from pattaya to the airport, they always drive like madman, i hated that. minibus service even worse, so i got the bus to morchit, then waked around to departures and hailed a leaving cab who would take me to airpot for 50B on the meter. Zero problems

You can now get to and from the swamp using the Bell Bus from pattaya north and gate no 7. its a breeze, 150 baht, runs every 2 hours from 6 am to 6pm so dont arrive late or you will struggle. it took me 3 hours once using buses when i arrived 20.00hrs. no way would i pay the 2500B the taxis demanded for pattaya

[sunnymarky]

oh how i miss the good old days of Don Meuang, it was a dream

on arrival, i always took a thai limo, fixed price B1500 to pattaya but after a 15 hour flight, I wanted comfort an no hassle and a few beers on the way down. Drivers always courteous and drove like a proper chauffeur.

of course i could have walked out of the terminal and onto the main drag and hailed a passing cab to take me to Morchit bus station (10mins - 40B if i was feeling cheap charlie)

its never been easy to get a proper driver to take you back from pattaya to the airport, they always drive like madman, i hated that. minibus service even worse, so i got the bus to morchit, then waked around to departures and hailed a leaving cab who would take me to airpot for 50B on the meter. Zero problems

You can now get to and from the swamp using the Bell Bus from pattaya north and gate no 7. its a breeze, 150 baht, runs every 2 hours from 6 am to 6pm so dont arrive late or you will struggle. it took me 3 hours once using buses when i arrived 20.00hrs. no way would i pay the 2500B the taxis demanded for pattaya

The fact is they are taxi metered cabs at the airport and the authorities should be enforcing the metering, it has to be possible even in Thailand , Its the capital city for heavens sake.

Edited July 30, 2009 by sunnymarky

[BlueSmurf]

Illegal taxi's?

What are they?

I always walk outside to the public taxi rank and get a ticket for a metered taxi - no meter - no ride.

I always ignore the countless offers for taxi's inside the airport.

These public taxi's cant be illegal as there's a notice inside the airport pointing them out? Which are the illegal ones?

I guess this wont be an issue when the rail link opens (when is that by the way? - not soon enough as far as I'm concerned)

Well I expect the rail link to be more expensive than a meter taxi if there is 2 or more of you..The link will take you into the city but not to your room/home/hotel.You will then have to get a taxi or God forbid a tuk tuk..I base this on the prices that are cgarged for the sky train..On the good side it may be quicker....

PS those AOT limo's really give a bad deal...I was in Swampy 2 days ago and the touts with their wary/confused/tired/jet lagged customers were still working..

[saintofsilence]

What I would really like to see at the airport right now are some trolleys. I came in a flight on 21 July and there was scarcely a trolley in sight. Pity the aged tourists with heavy bags or families with young kids. When I asked one of the attendants about the whereabouts of all the trolleys I was met with a shrug of the shoulders and a stupid grin. In an almost new airport this makes my blood boil that something as simple as a trolley to carry your bags is unavailable. There, I've got that off my chest, I feel a lot better.

That is probably due to trolley scam do a search

[peecee]

And what time does it start on Friday? I missed that

From 0200hrs to 0202hrs!

[mortenaa]

1,500THB for 90km/45miles isn't too bad...but considering you can take a MiniVan or 1st Class Sleeper Train to anywhere in Thailand for that amount, it is still expensive.

However this is Thailand, not your home country...and by overpaying you encourage the 'dishonest' practices to continue.

PEOPLE...STOP THIS...COMPARED TO MY COUNTRY THINKING...it is not relative for anything except your pocket...and not up for speculation of others to gauge how much they can get away with overcharging you.

It is just wrong for them to do so. If the well dried up they would disappear and you would have a greater time in Thailand that is MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE.

IT's not about how much money you have and how much you can afford...it is as much a matter of principal.

Can you please stop using BOLD letters?

1500 Baht for a 90Km trip is dirt cheap! You cannot compare using public transportation, as you have a limousine all by yourself. I took the 6 hours 3rd class train trip to Aranyaprathet once. I paid 46 Baht. Well, I don't recommend it, though it was interesting..

[skorchio]

can't say I have ever had a problem at the counter - if you state your destination in Thai, they just take you there, on the meter......

Crackdown on illegal taxis begins at Suvarnabhumi Airport Friday

BANGKOK: -- Illegal taxis at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport will be targeted in a crackdown by the authorities from Friday, according to Deputy Director of the Department of Land Transport Chairat Sanguansue.

Speaking in his capacity of chairman of the sub-committee to regulate public transport at Suvarnabhumi, Mr. Chairat said intensified crackdowns on unauthorised taxis will start Friday July 31.

Notices have been issued and posted at the airport and a public relations campaign has been initiated to warn offenders, he said.

Meanwhile, police officers and security guards patrolling airport premises on Thursday began warning unlicensed tour guides before beginning to arresting those who are unlicensed from August 9.

-- TNA 2009-07-30

It is not (only) the illegal taxis who scam the tourists. The legal taxis and the official counter where you get the official ticket are scam. Every time they try to scam me different.....

[mortenaa]

AOT Limos are aggressively and unfairly promoted, costing three times more!

I think its a really fair choice for anyone. They have bigger and better cars for everyone. A great example is a family with a lot of baggage, that simple doesn't fit in a regular taxi with a huge gas-tank in the trunk. 800 Baht for a minivan to CBD is great value for money!

[zzaa09]

Illegal taxi's?

What are they?

I always walk outside to the public taxi rank and get a ticket for a metered taxi - no meter - no ride.

I always ignore the countless offers for taxi's inside the airport.

These public taxi's cant be illegal as there's a notice inside the airport pointing them out? Which are the illegal ones?

I guess this wont be an issue when the rail link opens (when is that by the way? - not soon enough as far as I'm concerned)

.....and for those of us not wanting to transit within BKK metro? What about long-distance taxis? As a rule one can make a decent bargain with the counter/screener.

[rwhoov]

Can anyone explain why all the "exits" from the airport have been closed except Exit 3? As far as I can see, it's simply a way to make sure everyone exits to AOT llimo service. I used to go out Exit 9 or 10 and wait for my ride with no crowds. Now it's just chaos trying to get out. Again, it seems to be just for the convenience of AOT. Any other explanations?

[mortenaa]

Can anyone explain why all the "exits" from the airport have been closed except Exit 3? As far as I can see, it's simply a way to make sure everyone exits to AOT llimo service. I used to go out Exit 9 or 10 and wait for my ride with no crowds. Now it's just chaos trying to get out. Again, it seems to be just for the convenience of AOT. Any other explanations?

Just the opposite. It keeps all the people providing illegal taxi services away, and lead you straight out to one meeting area, which also happens to be the exit for the public taxi service.

[zzaa09]

and what about the tuk-tuk mafia in Phuket! Can they go on with their overpriced system of 200 THB starting price no matter how close you want to go or is this perhaps "legal" since only farangs are using them?

Why the so-called-legal airport-taxis at Phuket can charge you 700 THB instead of a normal 250 THB for a drive to Patong beach? Which VIP or Bonze is this tuk-tuk-mafia feeding in Phuket that nobody distrubs them (for sure not the men in brown) and that they can go on undisturbed cheating farangs and ripping-off tourists?

There is much more to do than catching the (already escaped and disappeared) illegal taxis in Suvarnabhumi to re-establish the confidence of the tourists in this country. The shoplift scam is in my opinion much a worse case to worry... but it doesn't seem to bother the authorities. Even the PM had an explanation to this scam!

Yes, as long as they've become religious regarding the illegal transport at Swampy - why not do a clean sweep? Phuket, Samui, Hua Hin, Krabi, et al need a complete overhaul and monitor system in place.

[KBTexas]

Is it my imagination, and I don't mean to offend here, but our USA visitors seem happier to pay "over the odds" for their taxis as well as giving hefty tips too?

If everyone just went to the correct taxi desk and took a ticket, there would be no mafia at the airport. That said, I prefer the fun and games of the negotiation at departures. It prepares you for everyday life in Thailand.

Taxi's in Thailand are a very good value compared to the US. If I took a taxi from my home to the airport (18 miles) it would cost ~$70/2400 baht. I can get a taxi in Bangkok that takes me downtown or to Don Muang (yeah, I know, no more, but for comparison purposes) from Suv for ~1000-1200 baht. I am not going to complain about this price when it would be double or more here. Maybe it is overpriced to folks who live there year round, but it is a bargain if you're used to taxis here. It is all relative as to your frame of reference.

Best Regards,

Ken B

[andyww]

Sometimes I think its a different Thailand I am travelling to compared to other people on here. I have never come across any problem at all with taxis at Suv. The touts dont bother me I just ignore them. Use the meter or agree the fare in advance. Whats the problem? What are these so-called illegal taxis?

Its when I get back to Heathrow in the UK that I get annoyed. Like so many other aspects of life, the scams in the UK are worse than in Thailand but here they are legal.

At Heathrow only Black Cabs are allowed to pick up. These are a scam in themselves, but even more so at Heathrow because unless you want to go a long distance from the airport they refuse to take you. They want a minimum of 40 GBP (2160 baht) to go anywhere at all, but a reasonable journey into Central London will be at least 50 GBP.

Other taxis such as minicabs do pickup at the airport but they are not officially allowed to so you have to liase with the driver by phone and be ready to jump in the moment he appears in the departure drop-off area. Its a total joke. There is even a plan to charge all cars which enter the airport area.

Compared to the UK, getting around in Thailand is a pure delight, with so many inexpensive options, taxis, buses, even the official airport limos are not bad value.

I hope this crackdown is the usual Thai "be seen to be doing something but not really change anything" as the "system" (if it can be called that) seems perfectly OK to me.

On the subject of trolleys, try flying into Gatwick airport when its busy. Bet you wont get a trolley for 15-20 mins if you are one of the last off the plane.

[john b good]

Crackdown on illegal taxis begins at Suvarnabhumi Airport Friday

BANGKOK: -- Illegal taxis at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport will be targeted in a crackdown by the authorities from Friday, according to Deputy Director of the Department of Land Transport Chairat Sanguansue.

Speaking in his capacity of chairman of the sub-committee to regulate public transport at Suvarnabhumi, Mr. Chairat said intensified crackdowns on unauthorised taxis will start Friday July 31.

Notices have been issued and posted at the airport and a public relations campaign has been initiated to warn offenders, he said.

Meanwhile, police officers and security guards patrolling airport premises on Thursday began warning unlicensed tour guides before beginning to arresting those who are unlicensed from August 9.

-- TNA 2009-07-30

Do you (does anyone) really think that thay are gonna get a handle on these scum who have taken over Suvaranbhumi.

If anyone believe this shyt they must believe in fairies.

The whole thing is just one helluva a joke.

Nothing is gonna change. Thailand is a joke

Thailand has not got the bottle to to do SFA