Meter’s ticking: Bangkok taxi fare fiasco fuels call for stricter rules

A taxi driver in Bangkok who declined to use his meter and instead tried to charge a fixed fare of 300 baht has prompted a demand for more stringent enforcement by the relevant authorities.

The incident occurred today when a passenger named Kannika Sena informed Khaosod Online about her experience. Kannika had just returned from out of town and visited CentralWorld shopping mall. With her child asleep, she was keen to return quickly to her residence in Charoenkrung Soi 72, leading her to hail a taxi.

Karnnika revealed that after informing the Bangkok taxi driver of her destination, he did not refuse. However, once the taxi left the mall, he informed her that the fare was 300 baht. She noticed the driver had not activated the meter and questioned him, to which he responded that it was a fixed rate.

She disagreed, arguing that the meter should be used. This led to a price negotiation, dropping from 300 baht to 200 baht, then to 120 baht. The driver asked if she found 120 baht expensive, to which she responded that she would pay whatever the meter read.

The Bangkok taxi driver was unhappy that Kannika was unwilling to pay the flat fare and threatened to kick her out of the taxi.

“I shouldn’t have picked you up.”

She told him she had been living in Bangkok for ten years, thinking he might have assumed she was a foreigner or from another province unfamiliar with the fare structure. Despite the heavy traffic and her sleeping child, she stood her ground, forcing the driver to use the meter.

When asked about the distance already covered without the meter, Kannika offered to add 10 baht to the final meter reading. The fare from CentralWorld to Siam was 97 baht, so she paid 107 baht. She believed some passengers might have agreed to pay the flat fare of 300 baht to avoid inconvenience or out of fear. She admitted she was scared but felt safe due to the crowd and it being daytime, reported KhaoSod.

Kannika shared her experience to warn other passengers, noting such Bangkok taxi drivers are common. She expressed her view that even foreigners should not be overcharged, as it would make Thailand more appealing as a tourist destination.

Kannika mentioned that most taxis in the area prefer foreign passengers. She concluded by urging relevant agencies or the Department of Land Transport to impose stricter penalties on such taxi drivers and take passenger complaints more seriously. She did not want complaints to be ignored or penalties to merely be fines without teaching the drivers a lesson.

Follow more of The Thaiger’s latest stories on our new Facebook page HERE.