Taxi won't take me...what is my recourse?

Doug, I hope your gallstone surgery proceeded without complications.
Get well!

I believe Thailand's Transport Ministry is responsible for that but if you have a Thai friend, you can ask for further recommendations. Hope you're feeling better now. Cheers.

Department of Land Transport who deal with the problem.   There was app for Android and iOS you could download and make reports called "DLT Check In" but not sure if still works.

Taxi won't take me...what is my recourse? Simple answer, considering the abundant,  readily available taxi cabs in BKK, just take the next taxi.

The first taxi driver was probably afraid you'd vomit in his cab. If you speak Thai well enough to communicate "gallstone infection", then you should also try be more understanding of the cab driver's position. He may not have academically understood the seriousness of a gallstone (lodged in the bladder), even in the Thai language. Ok?

Just let it go...vengeance and retribution is not a good look and will probably do nothing to aid in your recovery.

@jana611:  You really missed the point here.  They can't say no anymore; that's the law.  And how silly to assume the driver was afraid he'd vomit in the taxi.  Were you there?  How can you know what the driver was thinking?

“That's the law”, means something very different here in Thailand.  We do not live in a rules based, black or white environment.  Taxies aren't supposed to say no, in theory, but in fact they often do.  The vast majority of the time it is simply not worth the time, effort and frustration to fight over such a minor slight.  You simply move on to the next taxi and get on with your life.

NathanW wrote:

@jana611:  You really missed the point here.  They can't say no anymore; that's the law.  And how silly to assume the driver was afraid he'd vomit in the taxi.  Were you there?  How can you know what the driver was thinking?

I "missed" the point? Ha!

Yawningly,......thank you, for your (obviously) "knowledgeable" reply. Congrats! Now, returning to the topic thread point. Sigh,

villagefarang wrote:

“That's the law”, means something very different here in Thailand.  We do not live in a rules based, black or white environment.  Taxies aren't supposed to say no, in theory, but in fact they often do.  The vast majority of the time it is simply not worth the time, effort and frustration to fight over such a minor slight.  You simply move on to the next taxi and get on with your life.

Indeed. But,......regardless of the law, I personally support any taxi driver's "right" to refuse service to anyone, and for "whatever" reason. That is my considered opinion, Chow (Ciao).

@jana611:  You're welcome!  I'm glad to help.

Call 1584, with a full report : picture of license, picture of driver information inside the car. The taxi driver have point based system as far as I know upto 3 times point deduction, the driver will permanently get suspended from driving a taxi.

****
Kind Regards,
Ed
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The driver had no right to refuse, but sadly it's not a rare event. However, I would imagine that the driver's reason was more to do with traffic conditions, than the fear of you vomiting. I don't see taxi drivers refusing to take patrons of bars and nightclubs and some of them are likely to vomit in the back of the car. I had the same problem recently whilst wanting to go to the motor show at Impact Challenger, from China town. Three cabs in a row refused, so instead I used one of the car sharing websites (I'm not sure if you can name them on this forum) A car arrived in less than 5 minutes, the driver drove calmly, and was very pleasant to talk to. I am now a convert and use the service all the time, the drivers are also reviewed with star ratings, so you can avoid the bad ones.

Differences of shared opinions, and values, is the stuff that keeps life interesting. Thanks for sharing your's. Regards

A large percentage of taxi drivers do not own their vehicle and have to return it to the depot at the end of their shift.  If you want to go somewhere when that time is approaching and it is not in the same direction, they will almost certainly turn you down.

Occasionally you will see something in the news about a couple of taxi drivers being fined a thousand baht for refusing customers but it doesn't happen all that often.  People are probably turned down thousands of times each day and I don't see that changing much.  Sure it can be frustrating but I for one don't want to get in a taxi where the driver feels forced to go somewhere he doesn't want to go.

Being stuck in traffic with a taxi driver who is angry and resentful from the start, doesn't rate high on my bucket list.  How would you feel if a passenger forced you to go to a congested area and at the first sign of congestion paid the meter and got out leaving you stuck there burning gas and losing money?  The system is pretty much stacked against these guys and they don't make much money to begin with, so it might help to look at things from both sides.

If a Thai national wants to be a crusader and punish taxi drivers, that is up to them but as a foreigner I prefer to find my own workaround.

villagefarang wrote:

A large percentage of taxi drivers do not own their vehicle and have to return it to the depot at the end of their shift.  If you want to go somewhere when that time is approaching and it is not in the same direction, they will almost certainly turn you down.

Occasionally you will see something in the news about a couple of taxi drivers being fined a thousand baht for refusing customers but it doesn't happen all that often.  People are probably turned down thousands of times each day and I don't see that changing much.  Sure it can be frustrating but I for one don't want to get in a taxi where the driver feels forced to go somewhere he doesn't want to go.

Being stuck in traffic with a taxi driver who is angry and resentful from the start, doesn't rate high on my bucket list.  How would you feel if a passenger forced you to go to a congested area and at the first sign of congestion paid the meter and got out leaving you stuck there burning gas and losing money?  The system is pretty much stacked against these guys and they don't make much money to begin with, so it might help to look at things from both sides.

If a Thai national wants to be a crusader and punish taxi drivers, that is up to them but as a foreigner I prefer to find my own workaround.

An absolutely outstanding post. Thank you, kind sir, for sharing such a rare thought. Indeed, I applaud the effort you've made. Perhaps my English communication ability will evolve to that level, someday. I sincerely hope so. Meanwhile, I'll be working to get there. Cheers, regards and thanks again, Jana.

I lived and worked in the UK for a number of years, and can assure you that your command of written English is better than many native English speakers. Also your use of colloquial dialect and contextual understanding is very impressive.

villagefarang wrote:

If a Thai national wants to be a crusader and punish taxi drivers, that is up to them but as a foreigner I prefer to find my own workaround.

Most moral crusaders and social justice warriors that I've encountered weren't Thai, and in case you forgot, it was a foreign person that started this post more or less asking how to punish a taxi driver.

I agree that there are always two sides to every story, some taxis drivers are great, some are not. I treat all people as individuals and don't generalise or form an opinion, until I have something to base my opinion on.

Taxi drivers are individuals and you have to look at the character of the individual who refused to take the foreign passenger to hospital. Work it out for yourself with some compassion, and empathy for the foreigner who was in distress. Is an individual that refuses to take a person in obvious distress to hospital, for whatever reason, exhibiting positive character traits?

I now prefer to use the online ride sharing websites, where you can see a star rating and reviews in Thai, English and many other languages about the driver. It alleviates the risk of getting an "angry and resentful" taxi driver.

While others like to get neck deep in he said she said, right or wrong, placing blame on one person or another, I prefer to look at the broader underlining issues, questions and possible extenuating circumstances.  I figure there is no way to know what really happened in any given situation since we weren't there and we only get to hear one side of a story.  Still if people want to take sides and argue their case that is fine with me.  I just prefer to look at things differently.

I know how this topic started but I thought we had dealt with that and moved beyond his personal need for vengeance.  I thought we were expressing thoughts on the subject of taxis refusing customers and some possible explanations or solutions.

It's not complicated. The OP claims that he was in distress and that the taxi driver refused to take him to hospital. That's the side of the story we have, and if that's true then the driver is wrong on many different levels. The trouble with defending such behaviour and looking for excuses, is that it helps perpetuate such behaviour. The OP didn't ask for multiple scenarios, he asked for advice on how to do something about what he claims happened to him.

I confused how that led to your comment, and I quote...
"If a Thai national wants to be a crusader and punish taxi drivers, that is up to them but as a foreigner I prefer to find my own workaround."
It was a foreign national that wanted advice on how to "punish" a taxi driver, and not a Thai national!

If you can read Thai then take a look at LINE today where you will be able to read a story about what a taxi driver in Bangkok did for a lady who had suffered a heart attack. The driver took the lady, didn't worry about her vomiting, busy traffic conditions, or not getting paid. He called for an escort with sirens to help him get through the traffic, when that didn't arrive he drove in and out of the traffic and through red lights. The driver got the lady to hospital in time to save her life! This man did the right thing, the taxi driver who refused to take the OP did not, and I don't care what reasons are given to try and excuse such behaviour because for me a basic human reaction is to protect life.

Interesting how you try make complicated things simple, while making simple things more complicated.  What is complicated about my opinion that it is perfectly acceptable for Thais to have opinions about their culture or system and maybe try to change things but perhaps less appropriate for foreigners to offer unsolicited advice and try to get revenge or change things to suit there needs or desires?  Maybe I should make it a bit more simple.  Thais change taxi culture = Okay.  Farangs getting involved in trying to change taxi culture and punish one driver = Not Okay or at least not advisable, in my humble opinion (which I think I am entitled to).

I don't have any idea how the OP was displaying his “distress” and whether anyone else recognized it as such.  If his behavior was bizarre, erratic or confrontational that would make things more complicated than he suggests but we will never know.  I don't know what he said to the driver or how he said it and I don't know the reason or manner in which the driver refused to take him.  With only one side of the story, short on detail, how can a just and fair opinion be formed.

You are free to have your opinion but I disagree with your take on things.  Perhaps I am just a little less judgmental and punitive in the way I think.

villagefarang wrote:

Interesting how you try make complicated things simple, while making simple things more complicated.  What is complicated about my opinion that it is perfectly acceptable for Thais to have opinions about their culture or system and maybe try to change things but perhaps less appropriate for foreigners to offer unsolicited advice and try to get revenge or change things to suit there needs or desires?  Maybe I should make it a bit more simple.  Thais change taxi culture = Okay.  Farangs getting involved in trying to change taxi culture and punish one driver = Not Okay or at least not advisable, in my humble opinion (which I think I am entitled to).

I don't have any idea how the OP was displaying his “distress” and whether anyone else recognized it as such.  If his behavior was bizarre, erratic or confrontational that would make things more complicated than he suggests but we will never know.  I don't know what he said to the driver or how he said it and I don't know the reason or manner in which the driver refused to take him.  With only one side of the story, short on detail, how can a just and fair opinion be formed.

You are free to have your opinion but I disagree with your take on things.  Perhaps I am just a little less judgmental and punitive in the way I think.

A true Feng Shui mentality, indeed.

Tuenchai wrote:

I lived and worked in the UK for a number of years, and can assure you that your command of written English is better than many native English speakers. Also your use of colloquial dialect and contextual understanding is very impressive.

Thank you, for the compliment, and same to you, for sure. My compliment to Villagefarang, pertained to both the context of his thought pattern(s), coupled w/ his unique method of delivery (composition style). Cheers!

villagefarang wrote:

You are free to have your opinion but I disagree with your take on things.  Perhaps I am just a little less judgmental and punitive in the way I think.

I am free to have my opinion, yes that's correct and it is this. You seem to believe that foreigners should just put up with it when they are treated badly. The OP said that he was doubled over in pain. Trying to justify the actions of a taxi driver that you've never met, as opposed to believing the OP and having some sympathy for a person that was left at the kerbside in pain, tells me a lot. You keep sympathising  with the wrongdoers and trying to justify their actions, and I'll keep sticking up for and supporting the victims!