An angry Thai man slammed Bangkok taxis on his TikTok account for favouring foreigners after 23 cab drivers refused to take him on a journey that was less than 15 minutes.
The man said that taxi drivers in the Asoke area only wanted to serve foreign passengers because they can rip them off with expensive fares.
The Thai TikToker, @iceprapadang, uploaded the experience to his social media account while waiting for a taxi in front of Terminal 21 shopping mall in the Asoke area of Bangkok.
The caption on TikTok said…
“Break the record! Called the most taxis in my life! Called 23 taxis, but no one serves me (#sucktaxi).” Watch the video here.
The video features the wet road around Terminal 21 shopping mall and huge traffic on the road. The man kept calling taxis one by one, telling them he wants to go to Klong Toey Nok Temple.
All of the taxi drivers refused him, saying they have to go in a different direction. Some refused and were angry at him while some didn’t even stop, even if the vacant sign said available.
He also included a screenshot of a map showing it only takes 14 minutes from the Terminal 21 shopping mall to his destination.
He finally got a taxi on the 24th attempt. He said…
“I know why people turn to Grab service instead. I believe there are some good taxi drivers, but they are pretty rare.”
Many Thai netizens agreed with him and shared similar experiences.
One woman said…
“Grab is the only answer, especially during the rain.”
Another woman said…
“I took a taxi with my foreign boyfriend. It cost 1,000 baht for 4-5 kilometres.”
One man said…
“Poor service but they still ask for better fares.”
Many people said that they were cheated and overcharged. They added that most drivers didn’t use the metre system and forced passengers to pay at a higher rate.
Some netizens urged the man to report the registration numbers to the Department of Land Transport.
According to Section 57 of the Vehicle Act, drivers of public transportation must not refuse to serve passengers, except when the service is likely to cause danger to the drivers or passengers. If any drivers fail to follow the rules, they will face a fine of up to 2,000 baht.
SOURCE: Dailynews | TikTok @iceprapadang