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Taxi drivers wait for customers in Bangkok, Thailand, May 29, 2021. Photo by Reuters
A taxi driver in Bangkok is facing public outcry from Thai netizens for charging foreign tourists 10 times the normal fare during the Songkran festival.
A Facebook page in Thailand with 29,000 followers late last week posted a video showing two foreign women who caught a yellow-green taxi from SO/ Bangkok Hotel to Asiatique the Riverfront, a 7 km journey.
After the driver learned that the destination was Asiatique the Riverfront, he said it would cost 700 baht (about $20) because of traffic jam due to the week-long Songkran festival that wrapped up on Monday, according to reports.
The tourists were shocked by the cost, 10 times higher than normal, and urged the driver to turn the meter on but the driver refused.
The video quickly went viral on social media.
In Thailand, a taxi journey from 2 to 10 km costs 6.5 baht per km. In traffic, it rises to 3 baht a minute.
The fare should have been 200 baht at the most, even in bad traffic.
Many Thai netizens criticized the driver’s behavior as they could damage Thai’s tourism image, and urged local authorities to take severe action.
Overpriced taxi services are a main issue of concern among foreign tourists traveling in Thailand, according to a survey conducted by the Tourism Council of Thailand last year.
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