Bangkok Taxis Fares Could Go up Soon
It is in the news again that the government is considering to raise the meter rate on taxis. There is a lot of disgruntled taxi drivers out there who say that they are fighting a losing battle with the rising cost of living. They complain that everything around them has been going up apart from the taxi rates and that is not fair. When you get in a taxi the price starts at 35 Baht and this continues for the first kilometer. This then goes up to 5 Baht/kilometer for a distance up to 12 kms, 5.5 Baht/km up to 20 kms, 6 Baht/km up to 40 kms etc. Finally, over 80 kms is 8.5 Baht/km. In addition to this, if the taxi is stuck in a traffic jam and cannot go faster than 6 km/hour, there is an extra fare of 1.5 Baht per minute.
It has been like this for as long as I can remember, and I think it is only fair that that these prices go up. After all, both the fuel and cab rental has gone up a lot but they still make the same amount of money. For example, cab rental has jumped from 250 Baht to between 550 and 650 Baht per shift. The Minister of Transport says they will be looking at adjusting one or all three of the following: the starting rate, the per-kilo rate, and the rate charged during traffic snarl. What do you think, is this a fair thing to do for both driver and passengers? And if they do indeed go ahead with raising the meter rate, will it make it easier to catch a taxi in the future?
Higher prices seem fair as inflation in Thailand continues unabated. Everything else in Thailand has gone up to the point where it’s difficult to have a meal for less than $5 in a shopping mall eatery so why should taxi fares be any different? Although I drive myself in Bangkok, I see no reason why the starting fare of taxis can’t go up to 40 Baht and then the per km fare increasing to 6-7 Baht per km after that, which is still very cheap. In cities like Sydney, Australia, taxi fares have gone up from being relatively affordable 10-15 years ago to being outrageously expensive these days. I am not aware of the government forcing them to apply a single flag fall fare either as different companies have slightly different starting fares.
Also, why can’t the taxi companies choose to regulate the fares themselves rather than the government? Although they would need to do so in an ethical manner to control the urge for greed and massive price increases, that way they could at least be able to offer their drivers a reasonable wage.
One thing I miss form Bangkok after I’ve moved to Phuket are the taxis – cheap and going by the meter. Higher prices are sad news but seem fair.
If a driver doesn’t try to take me somewhere I don’t want to go, drives directly to my destination and is generally polite then I always tip. If the service is good the rate is definitely too cheap at the moment. It can’t be an easy job in Bangkok.
Yeah, it’s only fair. How a tuk tuk ride can cost more than an air conditioned taxi always confused me. But tuk tuks aren’t regulated sooooo. Raise the fairs and enforce the meter use (yeeeeahhh…good luck with the latter)
Seems fair to me. I have always been astonished by how cheap taxis are in BKK. Maybe they will be able to maintain the cabs better too.
Does this mean they will be willing to take us where we want to go? if so, im in favor!
I don’t mind paying a few bucks more but I expect from those taxis a better service as well!