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

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).

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.

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.

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!