Thai taxi talk tiff: Dialect debate drives social media stir

The Thai Taxi Association ignited a heated debate on the nation’s social media platforms after they advised the capital’s taxi drivers to avoid talking to passengers in the Isaan dialect in order to level up the service standard of Thai taxis.

Bangkok is considered to have the most taxis in Thailand due to the bustling demand for their services making drivers from several of the kingdom’s regions flock to the capital city to earn more money.

It is not uncommon for taxi drivers to slip into their native dialect when communicating with Thai passengers, particularly when they discover that their passengers are from their home provinces. While some drivers employ the standard Thai language, traces of their regional accents often persist.

The issue of dialect usage had never assumed centre stage until the Thai Taxi Association posted an official recommendation on its official Facebook page stating…

“Announcement. Please use the “Thai language (standard Thai language)” when interacting with passengers. Avoid using the Isaan dialect with passengers. This step will enhance the professional image and service standard of Thai taxi drivers.”

Netizens expressed their opinions on the announcement with most insisting that using the standard Thai language does not play a significant role in professionalism or high service standards.

Some netizens from the northeastern provinces found the recommendation to be racist and expressed their anger in the comments section.

“I am Isaan people. What’s the problem?”

“Only Isaan accent? What about the southern accent?”

“Are you telling me that Isaan language is inferior to the standard one?”

“I use taxis almost every day. I do not care about your dialect. What I want you to do is stop complaining about random stuff while driving.”

“I recommend the page administrator to stop eating Isaan food. Can you do that?”

“Level up the service standard? Maybe you should start with your mindset and attitude.”

One netizen claimed that the administrator is also a taxi driver. He has been operating several Facebook pages to give recommendations to other drivers. The netizen also stated that a group of taxi drivers once physically assaulted the administrator due to his provocative statements.

The news agency, PPTV HD, reported yesterday that the team had made efforts to contact the Facebook administrator to discuss the rationale behind the recommendation but received no response.

This incident is not the first time that the Thai Taxi Association’s Facebook page has come under fire from netizens. Recently, the Facebook page faced criticism for advising passengers not to request phone chargers, not to ask for pit stops, to remember to tip drivers, and to opt for Grab services during peak hours or when faced with driver refusals

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