Taxi turmoil: Thai woman cries foul as Bolt taxi charges 1,350 baht for 30 minute trip in Bangkok

Another day in Big Mango, another story of a bad boy Bangkok taxi driver ripping off a customer, this time a Thai woman was ripped off by Bolt Thailand.

The Thai woman condemned the rail-hailing application for overcharging her after a Bolt taxi driver demanded 1,350 baht for a 30-minute ride, about 50 kilometres, from the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC Bangna) to Bangkok University.

The woman, Natcha Ditsayawattana, shared her experience of taking a taxi via the Bolt application on the We Are Consumers Facebook group yesterday, October 2. Natcha explained that she requested a taxi to pick her up at BITEC Bangna at around 11pm on Saturday, September 30, to go to Bangkok University.

Natcha said that the application initially showed that the journey would take about 30 minutes for 41 kilometres to her destination, with an estimated fare of around 300 to 400 baht. However, when the ride concluded, Natcha found herself charged a total of 1,350 baht, inclusive of the toll fee.

Natcha pointed out that there were no conditions for the app to charge her extra. She pointed out that there was no rain, no traffic jams and it was not rush hour.

Natcha said she did not understand Bolt’s system. The taxi driver had not turned on the meter, but she assumed that the application would accurately calculate the fare. She mentioned that the highest fare she had previously paid for a similar trip was 600 baht but this was double.

Bolt ripoff

Natcha urged the Bolt application to provide clarification regarding its pricing structure. She also sought assistance from fellow netizens within the Facebook group to help decipher the intricacies of her ride.

Some netizens blamed the taxi driver for potentially taking advantage of Natcha while others pointed fingers at Bolt’s system for the apparent miscalculation. Beyond these concerns, many users criticized Bolt’s overall service, expressing doubts about its reliability and safety, as several drivers were allegedly operating under false identities.

One netizen said that the price could even take them to Chon Buri province, as he took a taxi car to Chon Buri’s Sri Racha district at only 1,000 baht. Many others said the fare was even more expensive than a flight to Chaing Mai.

Despite Natcha’s attempt to reach out to Bolt Thailand’s official Facebook page by tagging them in her post, as of now, she has not received a response from the company.

This is another reminder to taxi customers all over Thailand to demand drivers switch on meters or ask for a price before travelling.

Follow The Thaiger’s latest stories on our new Facebook page HERE and read more about Bangkok’s bad boy taxi drivers HERE.