Motorcycle taxis

[arsenal]

Am I allowed to be slightly irritated by Thai immigration official's habit of stapling things into my passport.?

And while I'm avin' a bit of a moan I'll mention the motocy taxi drivers. Simply venal when on the road. I wonder if they ever equate the horrific way they drive with less and less people using their 'service'?

And one last one. The relatively new Thai habit of cocking the head to one side, adopting a look of horror and screeching out 'aaaaaahhhhh' when they dont understand what you've said.

[francois]

You poor chap. :heart:

[gerefan2]

Am I allowed to be irritated that none of the replies from the above relate to Thailand.

Allow me to correct that.

Yes fucking motor bike taxis. Drive like idiots but only when returning from a job? Why? To get back before their colleagues and put their token at the top. Totally selfish. Totally dangerous too. And another thing...

Why the fuck do they drive the wrong way down a one way street? Call themselves professional drivers...they are as bad as lorry drivers in the UK... ever noticed that a lorry is usually at the front of every big motorway smash?

Anyway, As I was crossing Second Road leaving BT the other week I was nearly taken out by a bloody motor bike taxi doing about 50 going the wrong way. Obviously I’m looking the other way, as I crossed the busy road, and this c@nt passed about a foot away and scared the sh1t out of me. He sped off to the taxi rank further up the road.

The following day, again leaving BT, but this time on my motor bike I had just started off having parked it opposite the BT entrance when another c*nt of a motor bike taxi came straight at me. Fuck, I thought I’m not having this, so made straight for him, countering his every move, until we stopped head on 2 feet from one another. He edged forward, so did I again blocking him off. Lots and LOTS of gesturing from me and pointing the correct direction had no effect except to make the fucker smile. My repeated shouts of “mai dai” (cannot) did the trick and got him angry. But still he just sat there. Finally he edged forward once more and so did I until our bikes touched. We were at it for quite a few minutes until I thought I had made the point and drove off and left the bastard ranting and raving. Twat.

[Nirish guy]

. My repeated shouts of “mai dai” (cannot) did the trick and got him angry. ...... We were at it for quite a few minutes until I .....drove off and left the bastard ranting and raving. Twat.

You will let us know where to send the flowers to won't you or perhaps donations in lieu of same perhaps for your funeral ! :-) Ha, yu may hope he's in better form the next time you {bump) into him or you could well get a machette across the back of the head - fair play to you though, you're a braver man than I am when I'm there !

[arsenal]

Next time gerefan2 I suggest you note his number and write a scathing report about him on tripadvisor.

And all members will no doubt feel my pain on this. Many of the younger taxi drivers are really good looking, in fact I saw two of my previous offs wearing the nefarious orange tunic.

And yet on the two occasions I had to take a taxi both drivers were fat and aged. So sad.

[goji]

Why the fuck do they drive the wrong way down a one way street?
And, where pavements exist, they also drive on them.

Of course, in a country that has a completely corrupt and useless police force, stopping the likes of Arsenal for riding carefully, but with no helmet is more lucrative than stopping some lunatic motorcycle driver.

Even if the motorcycle driver is a danger to all others, whilst Arsenal with no helmet is just endangering himself.
Incidentally, motorcycle taxi passengers frequently have no helmet.

One of the many results of endemic corruption.

[Oliver2]

I prefer elderly drivers...anyone recall the sweet old guy on the corner of Boyztown? always cheerful and mannerly. And a safe driver. He must have retired a couple of years back.
On the other hand, my first (and worst) experience in Pattaya was of an exceptionally cute (and very young) driver who drove me to Jomtien. He was too young to have learnt the meaning of fear. Unlike me. On the credit side, it was due to that experience that I discovered the baht bus to the beach.

[Jellybean]

. . . Incidentally, motorcycle taxi passengers frequently have no helmet . . .

goji, I always ask for a helmet, kaw mùak-gan-nók dâai-mái?(Can I have a helmet?) or simply, kaw mùak-gan-nók?

If the driver doesn’t have one, he’ll ask to borrow one from another driver. At least that’s my experience.

[arsenal]

There are simply too many of them leading to reduced income for all. I saw one lying in the road after a crash, others down Jomtien Beach Road clearly drunk and other others near Pratamnak drunk and fighting.

A year or two back I took one and told him to go slow.
He replied. "Slow is more money." Then he's surprised when I don't want him for the return journey. Horrible bunch.

[Oliver2]

Motor-cy taxi drivers have to pay a third-party for their stand and vest....does anyone know how much of the fares they keep? Some of these stands must be more lucrative than others. Presumably, the fees they pay are higher.

[goji]

Horrible bunch.
That is my impression too, although I avoid using them.
The crazy and inconsiderate riding is sufficient.

I remember when the airport bus stopped in North Pattaya and one of them got on the bus to read out a long list of places that could be reached from there. Then customers started asking if it was the stop for their hotel.
Every time the answer was yes, even when the customers would be better off stopping in central or south Pattaya.

[Oliver2]

One bad experience shouldn't lead to such a drastic condemnation of so many people trying to make an honest living. My experiences in Pattaya and Bangkok over twenty plus years have been, on the whole, satisfactory. I can recall terrifying experiences at rush hour returning to Surawong from Babylon and of course by the Pattaya ride I mentioned before. But usually I've not experienced problems...and I've never ridden a motor-cy in the UK and so I am more than averagely- nervous.
And I certainly miss the old guy outside Scandic in B'town.....a cheerful smile and greeting each time I passed.

[francois]

Motor-cy taxi drivers have to pay a third-party for their stand and vest....does anyone know how much of the fares they keep? Some of these stands must be more lucrative than others. Presumably, the fees they pay are higher.

They keep all the fares they receive. As you say, some stands are more lucrative and the drivers pay more, each month, for their jacket.

The drivers pay about 2000 Baht +/- per month to rent the jacket. Some can buy the jacket for whatever the going price is at that particular stand.
Thus they pay no more monthly fees.

[Nirish guy]

So, who then controls the original setting up and locations of the stands in the first place and / or the issuing / selling of jackets then ( or this being Thailand perhaps we maybe shouldn't ask ? :-)

[dinagam]

They keep all the fares they receive. As you say, some stands are more lucrative and the drivers pay more, each month, for their jacket.

The drivers pay about 2000 Baht +/- per month to rent the jacket. Some can buy the jacket for whatever the going price is at that particular stand.
Thus they pay no more monthly fees.


The blue jacket masseurs at Dongtan Beach have to pay an annual licence for the permit to carry out their trade in that location. A sum of slightly lower than 2000b was quoted by my regular masseur. A monthly fee of 2000b for the motorsai jacket is exorbitant, and I pity them.

[Nirish guy]

. A monthly fee of 2000b for the motorsai jacket is exorbitant, and I pity them.

So DOES that 2000bht fee then ACTUALLY get paid directly to City Hall or is it just more a case of someone collects each month and it then goes directly into someones pocket just perhaps. Based on the amount of drivers dotted about the place it must be a nice little earner for someone though, literally collecting money for doing literally nothing !

Still assuming that it is going to City Hall I'm sure that now that things are getting tough for the drivers with less customers around and whatnot that City Hall are already drawing up plans to dip into that money for nothing fund to help out those drivers that are most in need !! Yeah of COURSE that's they'll be doing, I'm sure, NOT !

[gerefan2]

with less customers around

Are you are there are less punters? I don’t see many Chinese Tour Groups on motor bike taxis!

[Nirish guy]

Thats a point I guess, but on a simple law of averages and on reading reports of bars etc being half empty it obviously not ALL chinese tour group who have vacated the area. Likewise even if the locals are still using bikes as normal I'm betting its the tourists who enable to riders to make the cream of their earnings with both tips and simple overcharging perhaps so ANY drop in those numbers would I assume have a bigger knock on effect to their earnings.

[goji]

A monthly fee of 2000b for the motorsai jacket is exorbitant, and I pity them.

If they work 5 days a week, it's just under 100 baht per day.
Should not take long to earn it back and if it does, then it's time to find a different career.

Promoting a proper bus service, cycling and walking would be good. Whilst taxing cars, motorcycles and baht buses. Common sense stuff.

[Oliver2]

"Finding a new career" is not that easy in Johnson's UK, or Trump's USA and even less easy in Junta-Thailand. Motor-cy drivers aren't well-paid and I'd be interested to know how many deaths and injuries are suffered each year but I suspect that a working-class guy doesn't have many better options. This may be one of the reasons why there are many of them, even in rural areas where the number of rides are limited.

[latintopxxx]

.....maybe if they offered more than one type of ride ...they would be in the money...

[a447]

I suspect that a working-class guy doesn't have many better options. This may be one of the reasons why there are many of them, even in rural areas where the number of rides are limited.

A bit like Uber drivers, perhaps.

[lonelywombat]

If they work 5 days a week, it's just under 100 baht per day.
Should not take long to earn it back and if it does, then it's time to find a different career.

Promoting a proper bus service, cycling and walking would be good. Whilst taxing cars, motorcycles and baht buses. Common sense stuff.

You are assuming that the costs of motorcycle has no costs of its own. Insurance, gasoline,repairs? Many have been purchased on hire purchase with high rates of interest.
The 100 baht a day is irrelevant.
Of course there are no holidays annual leave or long service leave or retirement.
What happens if they get sick?

[Oliver2]

Sick pay in Junta-Thailand? Social care? When relatively wealthy people in the West express views on economic conditions in poorer countries they sometimes seem to be unable to understand that the working classes which usually, as in Thailand, comprise the vast majority of the population are forced to live day-to-day. Often depending on loans, some of which are run by questionable people.So the answer to lonelywombat's question is easy; no work means no money, which means no food for the family. or a loan.Unless, of course, papa is Khun Trump or one of his ilk, in which case you can boast that you a self-made man.

[arsenal]

The above post should be in its own thread. It's an interesting topic Oliver but you're hijacking.

[pong]

Motocy in a ´win´=the guys with those orange jackets standing on BKK streetcorners make around 1000/day, enough to pocket the BiBs quite nicely. There are more as taximeters in BKK and most of them, 60-70% you will never see, they shuttle up+down long side-sois of streets in the outskirts. There are even some with academic degrees as it pays better as jobs for them. Of coruse you do not need to own the bike-just like the taximeters, you rent them from the middlemen.
And yes, they´re upin the new-game, there are now also Motocy-GRABs. The wonders of the new techno on your fone.
Also the really reckless speeders have found new ways to be able to live that out even more: as food delivery-mans, very much like in the west the pizzaboys who delivers. apparently they earn 30/40 bt for any ride+ tips. Though they have to pay the cost of the food before and thus hope to get that back from the ordering customer. Due to lack of trusted cr.cds for payments.
What oliver describes is for a lot of common Thai a thing of the past, or for that oso ever pitiful Isany area. Even the poor barboy forced into the job due to extremely poor pitifullness is mostly a thing of the past. May still holds for the Khmer though. Seems like a specific side of the left-leaning British press to always parrot those old stereotypes in also a special kind of language use. And even if a gross bad thing gets fixed, there is always, always another next thing that has to induce feelings of pitifullness.

[Nirish guy]

Of course there are no holidays annual leave or long service leave or retirement. What happens if they get sick?

Welcome to self employment 101 WORLDWIDE ! :-(

[latintopxxx]

...dunno...this makes parading around on a stage in speedos selling your body a very attractive alternative...

[lonelywombat]

The above post should be in its own thread. It's an interesting topic Oliver but you're hijacking.

Rolling over with laughter arsenal complaining about somebody hijacking one of his posts.
Now I have seen everything.

[christianpfc]

I take mocy taxi a few times per year and never had a complaint.

But when walking (along road or on sidewalk) you have to watch out for mocy coming against traffic direction, at night sometimes without light.

[gerefan2]

I take mocy taxi a few times per year and never had a complaint.

But when walking (along road or on sidewalk) you have to watch out for mocy coming against traffic direction, at night sometimes without light.

Too right ...see post #3

[lonelywombat]

I think this post has been split from arsenal attempt to creat a world record for his thread

I have been coming here for 30 years several times a year and use motorbikes constantly. Never have I gone down a street the wrong way.I keep an eye on the speedo to keep speed down. If speeding I demand he stop , this has happened only a few times and only remount when he understands SLOWLY.

It appears that arsenal and gerefan2 are talking as motorbike riders themselves and not as passengers.

My regular pickup when going to the complex charged 80 baht rather than the 60b usual. I would have been happy to pay the extra as things are tough but not be flatly told it is 80b. Next night used the same stand when I noticed he was not there and was charged the normal price

Have no complaints as a passenger on motorbikes, and can leave the arguments to farang motorbike owners.

[gerefan2]

I

It appears that arsenal and gerefan2 are talking as motorbike riders themselves and not as passengers.


I am talking about motor bike taxi drivers driving solo back to their stand having dropped their passengers.

That’s when they drive like loons.

See para 2 of my post here #3.