Relax - S'porean charged $100 for cab ride in Bangkok

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A Singaporean tourist was charged $100 for a taxi ride in Bangkok and deliberately brought to the wrong destination by the cabby.

The incident, which occurred three weeks ago, was reported by a local female blogger called Yu Le Yuan (http://blog.omy.sg/hanyu/), the Shin Min Daily News said on Friday.

According to the blog, she and her friends had hopped into a red-coloured taxi flagged down by the hotel concierge, on the evening of their third day of holiday in Bangkok.

She said they were wary of taxis that "asked for a fixed rate (which was usually more expensive than running the meter)" so hence chose their cabs carefully.

This driver agreed to use the meter and so they got in and asked to go to the Kao Shan night bazaar.

During the journey, however, the cabby repeatedly tried to persuade them to go to the night market found at Patpong instead, a famous red-light district in the Thai capital.

Despite his claims of Patpong being near and fun, the blogger felt differently and they declined his offer.

"After zipping around a few streets, we were told to alight because 'we have reached our destination'." she said.

The fare? A whopping 2550 Thai baht ($106) which left them shocked.

She glanced out the vehicle window and read a sign saying "Patpong".

"The fare surge was ridiculous and I totally had no idea how the driver did it," she wrote.

They refused to pay the exorbitant bill, dropped some 100 Thai baht ($4) instead and got off. The group stormed through the Patpong night bazaar and found another cab - a pink-coloured one - which eventually took them to Kao Shan market.

"The driver was listening to English music and could somehow understand the ordeal we’ve just been through."

"Pink cabs are the most reliable, the other coloured cabs like those yellow/green/whatever ones, you’ve got to judge."

Do the cab colours in Bangkok really determine their trustworthiness? Read on to find out.

Negotiate a price first with Bangkok cabbies

Ms Ruth Lim, Marketing & Communications Manager, Sino-America Tours urged Singaporeans to negotiate a fixed fare with the taxi drivers in Bangkok before getting in.

In an interview with Shin Min, she pointed out that if cabbies are trying to pull a fast one, passengers should just get off and flag down another taxi. Taxis are aplenty on the Bangkok roads and tourists have ample choice, she added.

With regards to negotiating a fixed fare, Ms Lim said it might actually be cheaper than using a meter for long journeys. As for short trips, it may appear cheaper to use the meter, but due to recent rumours of tampered cab meters in Bangkok, Singaporeans should still be on the look out.

A cab's colour also cannot be used as a differentiating factor as to whether it's good or bad. Such ill situations can happen with any cab in Bangkok, she pointed out.

Read also:
- Beware Bangkok airport scam
- Pay, or perform in sex show
- Phuket to clean up jet-ski woes

S'porean charged $100 for cab ride in Bangkok

AsiaOne | Tue, Nov 10 2009

Cabby deliberately takes tourists to Patpong instead of Kao Shan market and hands them exorbitant bill.

S'porean charged $100 for cab ride in Bangkok

Keywords

scams

patpong

bangkok