Bangkok taxi driver condemned for ripping off foreign tourists

Thai netizens condemned a Bangkok taxi driver for ripping off two foreign tourists. The driver was caught on a viral video charging the tourists 700 baht for about a 7 kilometre trip which was considered almost seven times more expensive than the standard fare.

On Saturday, April 15, the Facebook page called Let Me Know If You Wanna Be Famous Return Part 6 (อยากดังเดี๋ยวจัดให้ รีเทริน์ part 6) posted a video capturing the moment when two foreign women were travelling by taxi in Bangkok. The caption stated…

“A page follower found this video and sent it to me. Songkran is the golden time for taxi drivers. The follower told me that he watched a livestream of these two foreign tourists while they were travelling in Thailand during the Songkran Festival. They took a taxi from SO/ Bangkok Hotel to Asiatique the Riverfront. It should be less than 10 kilometres, but the driver asked for 700 baht fares. This is 10 times more expensive than the standard fare.”

In the video, the two foreign women are seen getting into the yellow-green taxi in front of the SO/ Bangkok Hotel. After the driver learned that the destination was Asiatique the Riverfront, he said…

“It’s 700 baht because of the traffic.”

The tourists were shocked by the price and urged the driver to turn the meter on but the driver refused. He said…

“No, no. It’s traffic. 700 baht.”

The video cut off during the negotiation. The Facebook page included the taxi’s registration plate in the caption as well. It is a Bangkok-registered 1มข3583. The follower added that a lot of foreigners were watching the live stream, and this action completely damaged the country’s image.

According to the new fares for taxis in Thailand, the basic fare for 1,600 to 1,800 cc taxis is 35 baht and for the 2,000 cc taxi cars is 40 baht. The fare increases according to the distance:

• A journey from 2 to 10 kilometres costs 6.5 baht/kilometre
• A journey from 11 to 20 kilometres costs 7 baht/kilometre
• A journey from 21 to 40 kilometres costs 8 baht/kilometre
• A journey from 41 to 60 kilometres costs 8.5 baht/kilometre
• A journey from 61 to 80 kilometres costs 9 baht/kilometre
• A journey from 81 kilometres onwards costs 10.5 baht/kilometre

In traffic jams or in case taxi cars travel less than 6 kilometres per hour, the cost will be 3 baht/minute.

The distance from the hotel to the Asiatique Riverfront is about 7 kilometres, so the fare should be less than 200 baht even if there is bad traffic.

Many Thai netizens complained in the comments and urged the relevant department to take severe action against this kind of taxi driver. Some of them mentioned that taxi drivers not only ripped passengers off but also refused to provide services and had bad manners.

Another viral video that recently emerged on TikTok showed a Thai woman sharing a shocking motorcycle taxi fare during the Songkran Festival. The woman revealed that a rider charged her 500 baht each for a trip from the entertainment venue on Rama 9 Road, Royal City Avenue (RCA) to Khao San Road.

An app-based rider confirmed in the comments that the fare was too high and that the cost on the application was only 170 baht, even if it was during Songkran and traffic was bad.