Honest taxi driver...

[Idefix 2,275]

Hi,

 

We read on this site lot of stories about baht-bus drivers

and the ways they try to take us as much money as they can...

 

So this small story to say that some of them are very honest.

 

I took one night a baht-bus on Soi 2 to reach Soi 7.

 

On beach road, around Soi 5, the baht-bus stop for a group of Korean people.

One of them talk to the driver and, if I do not know wath they say,

I quickly understand that they want to go at a precise point in Pattaya.

 

The baht-bus continue and - oh surprise - turn left when arriving Central Road.

 

No problem, I think, Soi 7 is just the next Soi.

So I ring the bell, go down, and give my 10 bahts to the driver.

 

Surprise, the driver (a lady) refuse the money

She try to explain "Me sorry. Me taxi now. Me sorry sorry" ...

 

For me it was ok, I was arrived, and ok to pay. So I insist a little...

but "No no... Sorry sorry..." and she begin to go...

 

So I say my best "thank you" in Thai with a big smile, and go Soi 7.

 

May be she is the only exception, but she exists and I am happy to say it.

 

Other good stories about taxis in Pattaya ?

 

Idefix

[wrassell 0]

Good story,,, I myself have had mostly good experience with the baht buses,,,most of them are just regular people trying to carve out a living....The thing that bugs me most is this 5 baht 10 baht contraversity. I am sorry if I offend some here on this board and this always seems to be a touchy subject. It makes me ill when I see someone with ten times the income and lifestyle who tries to chisel baht busses out of a lousy 5 baht under the guies of principal. If you want to talk about two tier pricing then why does someone in the US or any other western country make ten times what a thai makes, I don't hear many complaining about that....Just my thoughts

[Eneukman 1]

Hi,

 

We read on this site lot of stories about baht-bus drivers

and the ways they try to take us as much money as they can...

 

So this small story to say that some of them are very honest.

 

I took one night a baht-bus on Soi 2 to reach Soi 7.

 

On beach road, around Soi 5, the baht-bus stop for a group of Korean people.

One of them talk to the driver and, if I do not know wath they say,

I quickly understand that they want to go at a precise point in Pattaya.

 

The baht-bus continue and - oh surprise - turn left when arriving Central Road.

 

No problem, I think, Soi 7 is just the next Soi.

So I ring the bell, go down, and give my 10 bahts to the driver.

 

Surprise, the driver (a lady) refuse the money

She try to explain "Me sorry. Me taxi now. Me sorry sorry" ...

 

For me it was ok, I was arrived, and ok to pay. So I insist a little...

but "No no... Sorry sorry..." and she begin to go...

 

So I say my best "thank you" in Thai with a big smile, and go Soi 7.

 

May be she is the only exception, but she exists and I am happy to say it.

 

Other good stories about taxis in Pattaya ?

 

Idefix

Something similar happened to me 2 or 3 years ago though I hadn't gone near as far. The driver stopped and looked round at me to see what I wanted to do. As I was heading back to the RG, I jumped off and got another bus a minute later.

 

2 weeks or so ago, I was heading up to my language lesson. The schools is on Central Road, 300 or so yards past 3rd road (almost next to Carrefour). Most days I have to change buses at Central Road, but this day the driver turns right so I stay on. He had actually been chartered to go to a soi off Central Road and when he turned into the soi, I pressed the bell to get off. He asked where I was going and said he would take me there once he had dropped the other 2 passengers off. No extra charge.

 

Most drivers are decent, honest, people but it's just unfortunate that there is a small minority who give the rest a bad name.

 

Alan

[Tengotodo 52]

Good story,,, I myself have had mostly good experience with the baht buses,,,most of them are just regular people trying to carve out a living....The thing that bugs me most is this 5 baht 10 baht contraversity. I am sorry if I offend some here on this board and this always seems to be a touchy subject. It makes me ill when I see someone with ten times the income and lifestyle who tries to chisel baht busses out of a lousy 5 baht under the guies of principal. If you want to talk about two tier pricing then why does someone in the US or any other western country make ten times what a thai makes, I don't hear many complaining about that....Just my thoughts

Just because we happen to be born on the other side of the world does not neessarily mean we should apologize for our relative prosperity. Although we may make 10X as much (it's true), some things are 10X more expensive here as they are over there (drinks, company, etc..). I suspect the average educated Thai has a reasonably comfortable and happy existence.

 

I do not "object" to paying 5 Bhat more, "out of principle", as you say. Instead, I object to rising prices generally. 5 bhat here and 5 bhat there..it adds up! 5/40 baht is about 5% extra every time you pay for something. My salary did not go up for the last two years I am not cheap, but only idiots pay more than the posted price (IMOP).

[Tengotodo 52]

oops.. 5/4 = 1/8 = about 12%!!! (blame american school system) :frustrated

[wrassell 0]

Just because we happen to be born on the other side of the world does not neessarily mean we should apologize for our relative prosperity.  Although we may make 10X as much (it's true), some things are 10X more expensive here as they are over there  (drinks, company, etc..).  I suspect the average educated Thai has a reasonably comfortable and happy existence. 

 

I do not "object" to paying 5 Bhat more, "out of principle", as you say.  Instead, I object to rising prices generally.  5 bhat here and 5 bhat there..it adds up!  5/40 baht is about 5% extra every time you pay for something.  My salary did not go up for the last two years   I am not cheap, but only idiots pay more than the posted price (IMOP).

As I said my post may upset some here. I didn't say we had to apologize to anyone for our relative prosperity. Beer certainly doesn’t cost 10 times more here than it does in the west, unless of coarse your drinking ten times more here (which I also tend to do). As far as things going up 5 baht here and ten baht there have you looked at housing cost in the US lately, and we all know about fuel cost. As for your salary not going up I am sympathetic I also have to deal with fixed income. Even on our fixed incomes most of us still have many times more spending power than most Thais do.

 

Baht buses are convenient and even at ten Baht it is a bargain, try hailing a cab in San Francisco for 25cents. I am not suggesting we should throw our money away. When a foreigner boards a baht bus they pretty much know the fare the driver is going to ask for is ten baht. Bearing this fact in mind it seems the foreigner has a choice to use or not use the baht bus. So when a foreigner intentionally boards a baht bus knowing this and then intentionally pays the five baht that person is being deceptive. I don’t see many of these persons telling the driver they are only paying five baht before they board, no they just board anyhow, with the intention of cheating the driver out of five baht. When someone does this sort of thing I consider it stealing or cheating, not principal, remember we have the option to use or not use the baht buses, whatever the price.

 

I am not a big fan of dual pricing, I don’t like it at all, and it affects me as much as the next guy. Given the fact that we are foreigners here we surely have the option to leave anytime we desire, especially if ten baht is too much to pay for transportation. Many of us come here for better lifestyle on what money we have and we can certainly achieve that, I don’t think paying ten baht for transportation is going to jeopardize that.

 

Maybe I am putting too much into this, maybe I am just confusing the word principal with word theft, and maybe I should let well enough alone. I think that if principal were really involved then a boycott would be a fair solution I am sure they would take notice of that. Stealing from baht bus drivers just gives us all a bad name and makes me feel ashamed.

 

Just my thoughts, thanks