Singaporeans Get Into Fare Dispute With Tuk-Tuk Driver In Bangkok
After getting into an apparent argument over fare discrepancies on a tuk-tuk in Bangkok, a Singaporean filmed his subsequent altercation with the driver and uploaded it on TikTok.
@bkkdiaries BKK tuktuk driver demanded more money. i did not agree so he stops halfway and turns violent. police report has been made #bangkok #tuktuk #taxi #scam #violent
The man claimed that the driver asked for more money after getting on the ride. Following the incident, in which the driver apparently acted violently, the Singaporean made a police report against him.
Singaporean couple argues with tuk-tuk driver in Bangkok
The uploaded video shows two Singaporeans in the midst of an argument with a tuk-tuk driver.
The accompanying caption reads, “BKK tuk-tuk driver demanded more money. i did not agree so he stops halfway and turns violent. police report has been made.”
Source: TikTok
The video caption accuses the driver of failing to cheat tourists.
The Singaporeans were headed from Centralworld to Surasak BTS station, but apparently got told that it would cost more midway through the ride.
According to the OP in the comments, the driver had allegedly asked for 300 baht halfway through the trip.
Source: TikTok
When the couple refused, the driver stopped and allegedly started shouting. In an attempt to placate the driver, the man passed him 100 baht, but after he took it, he apparently started claiming that he wanted to stop in Chong Nongsi instead of Surasak as agreed.
The distance between both locations is about 5km.
In the video, the tuk-tuk driver can be seen reaching out toward the one holding the phone on multiple occasions, but a woman, presumably someone accompanying the man, would prevent him from coming closer each time.
The driver can also be heard repeatedly shouting an obscenity in English. He claimed that if they wanted to only pay 160 baht, they only get to Chong Nonsi, and to get to Surasak it would cost 300 baht.
The man can be heard saying, “We give you 100 baht to come here very good for you, very fair for you”. But clearly, this wasn’t enough to placate the driver, who continued to shout at the couple.
Source: TikTok
When the man walked over to the tuk-tuk to take a photo of his licence plate, the driver aggressively shoved it in front of the camera. The video ends after that.
Files police report in Thailand
In a second TikTok video, the OP posted an image of a police report made against the driver.
Source: TikTok
The incident report said on 2 Sep at 3.41pm, the couple was quoted 160 baht when they got on (travelling from Centralworld to Surasak BTS). But when they approached Chong Nonsi, the driver asked for 300 baht, so they stopped the car and paid 100 baht.
The driver got angry, scolded and pushed them.
Other forms of public transport available in Bangkok
Although the couple had agreed on a price with the tuk-tuk driver beforehand, things can change quickly and drastically.
With a plethora of other options such as Grab, Bolt, and the metro system, perhaps travellers can consider these options over the tuk-tuk, which doesn’t have a meter like normal taxis.
At the same time, we don’t have the driver’s side of the story, so it is unwise to speculate about what really happened.
We hope the matter can be settled amicably, and indeed if investigations found that the driver had tried to scam the couple and gotten violent, he can be brought to justice.
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Featured image adapted from TikTok.
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