Taxi app gaff sends passengers to wrong airport causing 10,000 baht loss

A Thai woman filed a complaint with the police, and the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB), after a taxi driver from the Gosabuy application dropped her at the wrong airport. It cost her over 10,000 baht as a result and got only 2,000 baht in compensation.

The passenger, 51 year old Aranya Kaewma, told Thairath that she booked flights with her husband to fly from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Chiang Mai International Airport on November 7.

The flight’s departure from Bangkok was at 6.10am so Aranya booked a taxi from the Gosabuy application to pick her up at her hotel on Nimit Mai Road in Bangkok at 4.30am. When the taxi arrived she emphasised to the taxi that her destination was Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Aranya, who works as a teacher, said the driver did not say anything but she was not worried because she had put the correct information about her destination in the application.

The taxi driver told her and her husband that he would go to the airport via Sai Mai Road. Aranya did not reply because she does not know Bangkok as she has lived in Chiang Mai her whole life. But as the trip was taking longer than she expected Aranya asked the driver again whether he was going to Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The driver said no, adding that the Gosabuy command centre told him that the destination was Don Mueng International Airport, which is about 40 kilometres away from Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The taxi driver eventually turned around but by the time they arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport, 5.45am, the flight gate had closed and the couple missed their flight.

Aranya paid 550 baht for the taxi fares and had to rebook flights to the nearby province of Lampang because no flights to Chiang Mai flight were unavailable. The flights cost 4,070 baht each.

Aranya and her husband arrived in Lampang at 2.10pm where her son picked them up. She then had to fill up the car with petrol at a cost of 1,000 baht and she was also fined 1,000 baht by her school for being late.

The Gosabuy application compensated her at 2,000 baht but she is not happy because she lost 10,690 through no fault of her own.

Aranya filed a complaint with San Sai Police Station in Chiang Mai and notified the OCPB about the issue, who are now investigating.

Aranya wants the application to apologise and cover the whole amount of the loss.