Clip of Thai-speaking 'farang' complaining about Phuket taxi fares goes viral

[SOTIRIOS]

....seems like he is misrepresented as a farang....hardly typical...and hardly a tourist...

[elgordo38]

He should have left out the girlish "bye bye" and wave at the end.

I guess he was brought up dual-lingual.

And yes, it is about time there were regular "Baht Bus" routes running over Phuket, it would reduce accidents, as fewer inexperienced / drunken tourists would be tempted to hire a motorcycle. It would also reduce congestion as more people would use a "Baht Bus" system to get around rather than drive/ride with the ensuing parking problems.

But once again money and threats of violence and retribution will prevent progress.

You can say that for a lot of cities in Thailand and a good example is Chiang Mai. We desperately need a good bus system not that Mickey Mouse system the mafia crafted to silence the outcry. Its a real joke. I suppose nothing concrete will happen until traffic is backed up for hours. Phitsanulok has a good bus system right outside the highway bus terminal and also taxi's present with posted rates for different parts of the city. Its a bit crude but effective which is all I ask. I am tired of doing the red truck game/dance each time I want to travel further than my bicycle will carry me. Tuk Tuks forget it I just ignore them. I refuse to ride in a vehicle I must crawl into on my hands and knees for a very overpriced/polluted ride.

[DTRACKER300]

Jack the track would want to be careful he does not meet with a nasty accident. And pretending to be Thai won't help him. Speak English you pretender.

We all know about Phuket and the government promised meters on all taxis and bikes.. Bla Bla never happen like all they promised 0 reform. Regime failed. He may face charges for posting and deportation.

[sahibji]

why there are countries in that world that have have taxi fair clarity and uniformity.

the question again boils down to enforcement of the rules. people tend to use their whims and fancies if they know they can get away with it.

[falang khinok]

Nonsense. If you live in Bangkok, you know the taxis are mostly honest. If you're a tourist in Bangkok, you might run into more problems I guess. I use taxis every day, and can't remember one trying to scam me.

Agree w u 100% reflects my experience ?

[rocketman777]

As a comparison, the same journey in Pattaya, on a baht bus, is 10 baht.

Comparing this to the Pattaya Baht bus is apples to oranges.

Pattaya Baht Buses generally have a route and pick up and drop off many passengers along that route. Thats why its far less expensive. If you 'hire' a baht bus to take you point to point it would be much more expensive and comparable to Phuket.

Bangkok and other major cities generally have regulated metered taxi service.

In many of these cities the flag down rate is comparable to or more then 100 baht. ( Not sure the Bangkok flag down rate is but I guess from these post its less)

The take away from this is that Phuket needs a regulated metered taxi service

[SoiBiker]

Flag fall in Bangkok is 35 baht.

[recom273]

Aren't all tourist areas expensive .. Wether it's for western tourists or local tourists.

I remember going to Rayong for one night, the bungalow resort was awful, food crap and the taxi from bus station extortionate.

Ko Samet, the pleasure of sharing the back of a pickup truck with 16 others for 100B or something. The driver was doing well, 1600B an hour.

Phuket, yes, rip off and after riding bikes there, the taxis are all out bullies who think they own the roads.

Samui was the same price ..

A taxi driver who demands 200b for a minimum fare is greedy. They will sit there with a smug look on their face as they announce the fare, refuse to negotiate and are happy to refuse the fare and just sit there chatting with their buddies, while the rest of the regular population of Thailand work for 6-8 hours to pay for the 500m trip.

That's not an index linked comparison taking into account the lack of social security, it's greed.

[citzofwrld]

As a comparison, the same journey in Pattaya, on a baht bus, is 10 baht.

Comparing this to the Pattaya Baht bus is apples to oranges.

Pattaya Baht Buses generally have a route and pick up and drop off many passengers along that route. Thats why its far less expensive. If you 'hire' a baht bus to take you point to point it would be much more expensive and comparable to Phuket.

Bangkok and other major cities generally have regulated metered taxi service.

In many of these cities the flag down rate is comparable to or more then 100 baht. ( Not sure the Bangkok flag down rate is but I guess from these post its less)

The take away from this is that Phuket needs a regulated metered taxi service

There's been numerous times during my five month stay in Pattaya that baht bus drivers, that took me (along with many others) less then half their route then demanded 30baht when I got out alone. One told me, because it was night, 10:00pm. Which I though was really funny. So, what do you do, ignore the demand for more, pay the 10baht, and walk away, or pay up? I've just been telling them, you're cheating me, and then paid the extra 20baht to avoid a big scene.

[luckyman]

"The video clip, with a length of two minutes and 29 seconds, was initially uploaded by Facebook user, Jack Brown on Saturday afternoon (June 18) and by Sunday morning had amassed more than 105,000 views and 11,000 Likes."

Is this really breaking news?

Tells me more about the state of mind of current generation (bored to death, constantly engaged with their 'smart'phones yet getting none the wiser, really) than it tells me anything new about Phuket's public transport...

Next!!

[lvr181]

Then how come the taxis in Bangkok are cheap and use a meter?

Yes. I have just returned from Bangkok and in the three weeks there did not have any problem with taxi drivers not using their meter and no refusals either! And so I am happy to give them a little extra for their service.

It seems that Phuket taxi drivers are a law unto themselves and act as a 'mafia' group to stop competing services and to hell with what the Thai Government wants! Those drivers and their owners should lose their licence to operate a taxi and have that licence given to those who will provide proper services.

[gandalf12]

THis guy must have no shortage of kitty cats in phuket…..jealous of this cunning linguist.

At age 73, no way I will speak Thai as well or as rapidly as this guy. However, very pleased I could understand about 90% of what he was saying.

There's an aphorism youth is wasted on the young. Not in this guy's case.

It is called lazy. Of course you could speak good Thai but it takes effort

[fakser]

Great !

Dozens of tuk-tuks standing idle along the beach road and Hatpatong because they charge 200 Baht for any ride. Even for a 50 meter ride.

Tourists vote with their legs and avoid this scam. A 20 Baht valued tray of friut in Bangkok, cost 60-100 Baht in Phuket.

The are shooting in their legs and will lose their business but they are blind to see it.

[gios50hk]

The rhythm especially of his Thai is very good, very natural. I think he must still have an accent to some extent though, because I can understand him much more easily than the average Thai male.

I don't think he has a justifiable complaint about the tuktuk fare however. In what country are taxi rates uniform throughout? Not the US, for sure. Moreover, it's usually the case that services are more expensive in tourist areas. It's like buying candy in a movie theater. The consumer is a captive.

[gios50hk]

To CaptHaddock (re your quote - 'In what country are taxi rates uniform throughout?' The answer to your question is - Hong Kong!

Taxis in Hong Kong are strictly controlled by HK Govt - there are standard fares applicable for HK island, New Territories and Lantau Island for the first 2km (or part thereof) of any journey. Obviously, toll roads and tunnels etc are additional to the fare. Items of luggage and even animals have a standardized rate - although wheelchairs are free.

All rates are freely available via the HK Govt website - any dissatisfied passengers are encouraged to report any dishonest or bad drivers. (drivers are required by law to clearly display a plate showing their photo, name and badge number).

[bearpolar]

Great !

Dozens of tuk-tuks standing idle along the beach road and Hatpatong because they charge 200 Baht for any ride. Even for a 50 meter ride.

Tourists vote with their legs and avoid this scam. A 20 Baht valued tray of friut in Bangkok, cost 60-100 Baht in Phuket.

The are shooting in their legs and will lose their business but they are blind to see it.

I live in a thai area of phuket and everyone who isnt working construction is hurting a lot

most street vendors that used to be making 50-100k a month are barely breaking even now

When people spend less in patong and karon the rest of the island goes poor

[AlQaholic]

Phuket?? why would anyone go to Phuket?

[Eligius]

His accent is almost Thai - just a couple of minor issues with enunciation of certain words. Anyway, his message is what's important not how well he speaks Thai (unless of course, it was so terrible as to prevent him from being understood - something which was NOT the case here). If I didn't see his face first I'd assume he was a Thai from a certain upcountry part of the country.

Frankly, being able to speak Thai is not that special anymore. More and more westerners can speak it quite well. And no, he doesn't have a "western accent" at all.

This guy has a "western accent":

He is clearly being ripped off for that short ride - so I agree with him on that. As for his Thai: it is quite evident that this is not simply some Western tourist guy or average English teacher here who has been in Thailand for a couple of years and managed to learn Thai quite well: he speaks with a remarkable ease, fluency, confidence, rhythm, intonation (overall not at all 'Western') and native verbal adornments - such as the intensely annoying 'na khrap' after every other statement, which another Thaivisa member has commented upon in this thread - which are extremely impressive. He even pronounces 'khrap' on occasion as 'hap' (or similar), which I have noticed from some Thais (i.e. the 'k' is not really pronounced as a k but almost as an 'h'). But I must admit I find him very irritating: he comes across as a Westerner who is trying to be a Thai (his Thai is so natural that he's probably been here for many years, or came here as a child), and in fact he is the same guy who was slagging off us Westerners in Thailand (in another of his videos) saying that 70% of us here are 'no good' (while he of course is wonderful - that's the implicit message!). I wonder what scholarly research, spanning years of investigation, he performed to come up with that judicious assessment of the rest of us Westerners in Thailand! Anyway, although the guy's persona and personality rub me up the wrong way (maybe I'm just jealous - ha ha!), he is right about being ripped off. The fare he was charged was, of course, ridiculously high.

By the way: the other Western guy (the humorous chap in the 'speaking about Thai food' video embedded by Tomtomtom69) is much more likeable, as he does not take himself so seriously and can clearly have a good laugh at himself. He is not trying to 'become Thai'.

[apalink_thailand]

I just rent a car when I go to Phuket. Works out much cheaper per day, especially with a few friends and especially if you want to tour about on the island. You can rent them right at the airport for quite cheap.

[GeckosDiving]

Western Tourists DO NOT understand the Dynamics of Poor Countries. Farangs have this Defect called to FIX THINGS UP

The Taxis are expensive and they "Over Charge" for a reason. THEY have to be SHADY for a reason.

1. No Social Security to Leech onto like in UK where many people just live on benefits without working

Named and shamed: Five of Britain's biggest benefits cheats who stole £4.5m from the taxpayer

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2736546/Named-shamed-Five-Britain-s-biggest-benefits-cheats-stole-4-5m-taxpayer.html

Fraudsters used fake identities, secret bank accounts and faked illnesses

One woman stole an estimated £4million by using 100 false identities

Revelation comes as ministers introduce new benefit-abuse probe team

2. No Medical Insurance...FREE MEDICARE like in UK

3. No Pension

4. No easy loans for kids higher education, No easy car loan, No easy house loan

I don't understand the Logic behind farangs trying to FIX things in Thailand...Yes. If they use METER and FIX RATE....They will go out of work.

I challenge this FARANG to live the life of a TUK TUK driver without cheating and see how far he goes...

Please STOP fixing things in Thailand.

Man I've read alot of bullshit in my time but buddy you take first prize !! Thanks for the laugh Lol

[long klong]

>>while others criticized the westerner for failing to agknowledge the difference between private transport options (such as tuk tuks and taxis) and public transport options (such as sawng taeos) which they pointed out are available in Phuket for between B20 to B40 per trip.

Perhaps the people criticizing the guy should inform the rest of us how we can get a 20-40 baht ride from Kata beach to a nearby hotel. I'm sure most of the tourists visiting would also like to know this.

The same situation exists in Laguna. Tourists with children walking back in the rain from Cherngtalay to their hotels. It's awful. No transport available. Amazing for a great holiday resort. Many of these tourists will never come back. Why can't they have mini vans like in Hong Kong plying along designated routes? Maybe the Laguna taxi mafia will not allow that to happen - absolutely incredible!

[alofthailand]

Taxis in Bangkok have using metres for more than 20 years ! I ask politely andv they always put it on if they have not already. I take taxis all the time in BKK and have never really had a significant problem - in two decades.

[CaptHaddock]

To CaptHaddock (re your quote - 'In what country are taxi rates uniform throughout?' The answer to your question is - Hong Kong!

Taxis in Hong Kong are strictly controlled by HK Govt - there are standard fares applicable for HK island, New Territories and Lantau Island for the first 2km (or part thereof) of any journey. Obviously, toll roads and tunnels etc are additional to the fare. Items of luggage and even animals have a standardized rate - although wheelchairs are free.

All rates are freely available via the HK Govt website - any dissatisfied passengers are encouraged to report any dishonest or bad drivers. (drivers are required by law to clearly display a plate showing their photo, name and badge number).

Hong Kong is a city, not a country. Many cities do regulate taxi service, but countries don't.

[SiSePuede419]

"What happened with Phuket taxis"

Nothing "happened" except another Chump went to one of the more expensive locations in Thailand and then whinges about the high cost.

Duh, 555.

[DrTuner]

I just rent a car when I go to Phuket. Works out much cheaper per day, especially with a few friends and especially if you want to tour about on the island. You can rent them right at the airport for quite cheap.

Me too, but then the problem becomes parking. I've stopped going to Phuket, Krabi is better and far easier to get around.

[mikebell]

Lived in Thailand for 12 years. I visited Phuket twice, Decided never again because of transport costs. Why do tourists go there & make a repeat trip?

[Tomtomtom69]

Anyone who has lived here 10 years and spent their time well, should be able to speak Thai like this. Anyway, he is a fool, get your own wheels if you don't like the rip off Tuk Tuk charges, no way I would pay that. That journey would have been pleasant on a push bike, and easily short enough to have been walked ,is there something wrong with his legs? And stop calling yourself 'Falang' every 2 seconds.

Agreed - while this guy made a point, why didn't he just drive himself? He also made no attempt to bargain the price down nor did he ask the price BEFORE he got on the tuk-tuk, like he should have.

Up until recently, there were even Chinese people driving their cars from Kunming and Beijing to Phuket just to avoid getting ripped off by local tuk-tuk and taxi drivers, LOL. While they won't be able to do that anymore starting next week, but for them and everyone else there's still the option of renting a car and driving yourself. Or a motorcycle if you must. Very little need to take rip off local tuk tuks and taxis.

However, why doesn't the government introduce a roaming Phuket taxi service? Does anyone know how many taxis are on the island? In my opinion, 5000-10000 taxis, all running on meters and with a reasonable starting fare, say 50-60 Baht during the day and 75-90 between 10pm and 5am would be a good start. It really can't be that hard. Bangkok has 106,000 - why don't they just move some of them to Phuket? Bangkok should only have like 50,000 taxis max. No wonder most of them are empty - with a majority of Bangkokians either driving or catching the skytrain/subway, not to mention the low starting fares that haven't increased in years is it any wonder that Bangkok taxis aren't able to make a living and that there are so many that rip off their passengers to get by?

Extremely low base fares that can barely cover the taxis rent = more incentive to rip off tourists. Start regulating the industry properly and all the complaints about poor Phuket (and Thai) public transport will start to dry up.

[apalink_thailand]

I just rent a car when I go to Phuket. Works out much cheaper per day, especially with a few friends and especially if you want to tour about on the island. You can rent them right at the airport for quite cheap.

Me too, but then the problem becomes parking. I've stopped going to Phuket, Krabi is better and far easier to get around.

Truthfully, I have avoided trips to Phuket for years, precisely for that reason. Parking can be a pain but if you go to the places outside of the main tourist areas, its OK.

[Tomtomtom69]

Lived in Thailand for 12 years. I visited Phuket twice, Decided never again because of transport costs. Why do tourists go there & make a repeat trip?

I don't think that transport costs are the main reason for not going to Phuket. I went there last year for the first and only time since I traveled there as a toddler with my parents. I drove my own car - so local transport costs were irrelevant as I didn't take any public transport. Had I decided to fly, I would have ended up renting a car locally. Maybe that's what you should have done.

The Phuket old town was nice, kinda reminded me of Penang and Malaysian cities in general with it's Sino-Portuguese architecture and sidewalks/footpaths lower than the road. However, that's not a good enough reason to get me to go again.

I agree that Phuket is overrated - it's expensive in general but one thing you can definitely avoid is getting ripped off by taxi and public transport drivers. Avoiding getting ripped off by food and drink vendors and tourist attractions is more difficult though.

[jim cortesos]

Respect for Jack..sorta of a Thai-Farang Russel Brand but real Thai lo-fi..He has a huge talent for speaking Thai and gets thing done ..Looks like he is going places riding the communication skills..Not easy..The Thai lady dentist that I went to spoke english so well I was shocked! I wish Jack best of luck very impressed.