weiwei22

Just returned from a trip to Thailand. Want to mention about taxi drivers in Bangkok are surprisingly unfamiliar with the roads! We usually carry with us, a card from the hotel with its name and address in both english and Thai, we carry a map with the hotel circled. And more than a few times the drivers stared with genuine perplexity at the map and card and either got lost or simply couldn't help us.

I would have thought old establishments like the Oriental hotel or Peninsula hotel the taxi drivers would be able to find blindfolded, but they just couldn't! At first I thought they were trying to meander for a bigger fare, but this happened so often I think they are really lost! Also how come even with a map they cannot find the places we need to go? Even I felt I could have driven there myself with a clear map.

Does this have something to do with the taxi being red/blue or yellow/green? I never understood that point on this forum.

orgy7

Odds are they just came form the village a couple of weeks ago and trully have no clue where anything is.. It getts real bad after the harvest in the Issan region has been picked.

getting around BKK by car is a pain there are many one way roads. (what you thought a 2 wasy road may have just been one way for cars and one way for buses only) so the driver may not have been lost but had too take what seems a long out of the way trip.

one last reason driver may not have known where too go.... some taxis may be out of thier zones when you hail them..

For instance.. the taxi just came from the Rangsit distict. which is past the airport. and was looking for farang too make up fair on way back too it's home zone.

or maybe they were just hustling you.

I cant wait for the day the city is coverd with subways.. .

simpsonc510

Speaking of the subways, when is the opening date now?

rhkkmk

we have found in asia, and especially in thailand that they are totally unfamiliar with maps of any kind, so we now know not to even bother with showing a driver one....it may be a perspective or visual stigma or just that they can't read...
you have to be very sepcific with some drivers as to where you are going...i notice that the doormen use reference points in instructing some drivers where you want to go...

the whole thing with the red/blue vs. the green/yellow taxis centers around the fact that the yellow/green are owner occupied cabs and the drivers usually have tons of experience and a vested interest in pleasing the customer and successfully completing the ride where as the red/blue drivers are just hired hands and have often little experience and practically no incentive to do a good job...there is just no comparison in the ride in one vs the other IMO...

Peteralan

A major reason is that many are not educated in their own language let alone English. It would be a help if you could learn the pronunciation first and they are more likely to be able to get you where you want to go. Alternatively try getting a taxi from in front of a tourist hotel rather than in the street. You will have to pay more but you can batrer or just accept it. You can't have everything.

Kathie

There is no reason you would pay more for a taxi in front of a hotel than a taxi on the street - as long as the use the meter. Insist that they do.

Andrea_expat

Another issue is that taxi drivers may be literate and able to read a map, but only in Thai! I was surprized that two major tourist maps of Bangkok I was given while in Bangkok were printed in English only.

We were initially frustrated when we'd hand it over to the taxi drivers, folded so that the section we needed was on top, with our destination marked, when several taxi drivers would unfold it to look at the whole map. It took us a couple of times to figure out that because the map was in English, they couldn't read it, so they were unfolding it to look at the whole city (river, etc.) to get their bearings so that they could figure out our destination and the path we wanted to take.

Other than the constant haggling with them to use the meter, we didn't have any problems with them getting lost, however.

A tip from a friend of ours who lives in Bangkok: they are required by law to accept passengers and use their meter - if they refuse, you can make a motion like you're writing down their license number (inside the car on the dashboard) to turn them in - we did this once and it worked, and she swears she does it all the time!

orgy7

Andrea It seems that the locals don't even know that the driver is required too take them where ever.... From experience, and just looking around, I see that most people open the door and tell the driver where they would like too go and wait for a confirmation if he (taxi driver is willing too take you there)

the prob of getting ripped off is not only for forigners but Thais themselves just 3 days ago my thai fraind and I came from the north by bus and hopped into taxi when she told the driver where I lived the man said 10 baht more too close... we got out and took another taxi.

Peteralan

I think the locals are not just telling the driver where they want to go but actually bartering the price (notwithstanding meters). I don't know how true it is but I have heard that there are three prices..one for local Thais, one for Farangs who live in Thailand and know the ropes and one for foreigners themselves. I guess the whole thing is academic if one insists that they use the meter.

lisa

I generally had the best luck getting taxis at hotels, even ones I wasn't staying at. If I wanted a taxi, I would walk to the nearest hotel and explain to the hotel doorman that I wanted a taxi and where I wanted to go, and that I wanted to make sure I got a driver who knew where that was. Hotel personnel understand that this is a common problem. The doorman would then get me a cab and make sure that the taxi driver knew where he was going and if necessary write down directions in Thai. Toward the end of the trip I also started telling the doorman to tell the driver that I had already been to all the jewelry stores and would not be buying any jewelry, so please just take me where I want to go. I seemed to have better luck though if I said I was meeting some Thai friends or my tour guide at a certain place and time.) I would tip the doorman a small amount for this. Hotel personnel explained to us that many of the taxi drivers in Bangkok are from other regions of Thailand and may not be familiar with the city at all and may not know how to read maps, even in Thai.

When I tried to hire a taxi myself on the street, if I said e.g. "Oriental Hotel," the driver would nod vigorously and say "no problem," but once I got in and the cab started moving it quickly became clear that the driver had no idea where he was going (and of course neither did I), so I would get out and repeat the process. Frustrating, but all part of the adventure of foreign travel!

BillT

Reason enough to hire a driver like Ratt and then use the sky train and the river boats!

rhkkmk

i would also add that it is a reason to only ride in yellow and green cabs...my experiences are that they generally know roughly where to go for lesser known places and know all of the major hotels and most of the tourist sites...i have never been taken by a taxi driver to a shopping location, i.e. jewerly places...
if i have had problems it is usually in a red and blue cab and it just instruct them to pull over immediately...sometimes i pay them something and sometimes i just walk away...depends on the circumstances...i know...ugly american....bottom line...they need to have some knowledge of the city!!!

orgy7

LIsa, thats a verry good idea. "having the doorman tell the driver he/she is meeting up with frainds" etc...

I mention hailing taxis rather them some at hotel. from personal experience and reading articles and tips from travel writers. but maybe they didn't come up with the bright idea you came up with..
I personaly hait hailing cabs. for one Im leagally blinde and can barely see the things comming and sometimes it takes 10 minuts pluss too get.

I don;t know if I could do what you do..
i just feel weird walking up too a hotel im not staying at and having the doorman or transportation person. give me a service for free. or worse for a tip..

Then again a consierge has the dutty too help anyone if he/she is staying at the hotel or not.