Do Foreigners Pay Less in Thailand If They Speak Thai? (TAXI EXPERIMENT)
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- čas přidán 4. 10. 2022
- Lots of people ask me whether you get lower prices in Thailand if you speak Thai? So in this video, I tested that on the red car's in Chiang Mai!
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I’m half Thai and was married to a foreigner. Got a ride to our hotel for 500b one day, next day my husband was the one who asked for taxi and the guy quoted us 800 so I said (in Thai) “dude, yesterday it was 500!”. It was all fun, we laughed about it and he charged us 500 but just goes to show some do charge more for foreigners.
Not exactly a "laughing" matter knowing that someone attempted to cheat you 😅😅😅 I guess there's a positive to it that I'm maybe missing lol
Depends on if in tourist, bar, or area taxis may be able to find someone who will pay more. Who is unaware of normal cost. Taxi fuel cost are higher. Top tip. Use Grab and Bolt to get fare estimate. Then you have some idea of the cost.
why would you pay 500 for taxi? thats a lot within city
Yep had exactly the same thing happen previously, but in this case the taxi driver started arguing with my partner saying that, because she and he were both Thai, she should help him convince me that the higher rate was correct, because "farangs are rich" 😅 essentially telling her to play along! When I replied to him in Thai that he'd "given the game away" he juat drove off 🤣
Why ask them for the price beforehand? I have never asked for the price before in my life as a Thai. By law the price is by the meter. If they don’t want that, just report them.
The experiment is not a failure, the hypothesis is just rejected :)
Precisely my thought! Very well put. 👏
@@tortiraz perhaps a phase 3 was missing. Having a Thai person requesting the same services to see if there would be any difference.
@@coisadealemao2565 Solid point.
The most passive aggressive comment I’ve seen today😭
Foreigners in England would call this racist
I'm Thai and honestly I don't like this kind of price discrimination at all. Everyone should be charged the same price for the same product.
Nah it's fine, if you go study abroad, they do have price discrimination with student tuition too.
You can't call the two prices discriminatory or unfair because they're applied to tourist attractions that are mostly run by the government. Prices do not differ in other commercial establishments such as restaurants, shopping malls, and so on. National treasures include natural and historical sites. Every Thai has their fair share. Foreign tourists are visitors to Thailand, so they should contribute to maintenance costs.
@@weekdaycycling You can actually call them price discrimination. It's a pricing strategy. And yes, I agree that the entrance fee for national treasures should be priced differently for foreigners. That's totally understandable. But it's kinda weird for taxis. Every taxi should have a meter based on distance, no?
@@tuck295q local (citizens) students fees are subsidised by the government. If you aren’t a citizen you usually need to pay the full fee at most universities around the world.
@@biravijnya When it comes to taxis, it should be referred to as cheating or exploiting. A taxi is obligated by law to charge by the meter. Arbitrary pricing in meter taxis is intolerable.
Loved the little disclaimers! And the way you handled the whole "experiment" was very respectful; there's nothing more uncomfortable to watch than videos where someone switches language mid-transaction and starts accosting the worker about price differences. Like you said, everyone's just trying to do their job at the end of the day!
Agreed so much. And also travellers who argue about prices, even when money that they think they are saving, is really small amount for them, but for the driver.etc, it could mean a lot.
Trying to do his job by charging different based on the way people look? Oh ok. If you do that in America, you are scum, but in Thailand, it is understandable. Typical guilty conscious foreigners. "They are beautiful and peaceful people!". Good lord.
@@saatara idc, if something is usually 1 dollar and they charging me 5 dollars, which is cheap, I won't get ripped off. Fuck off yeah?
To be fair I would charge more for non native language customers. Tourists suck.
@@martymcfly8535 The you should lose customers for that attitude. Tourist using your transportation don't "suck" anymore than any local taking up the space, bizarre attitude.
to be honest, it's not "charge more for foreigner" as much as it's "charge more for people who accept it". the last one (to the airport) literally showed this: willingness to haggle/negotiate and walk away ended up with a discount. my mom's family get charged more while being thai because they don't haggle and don't want to deal with the hassle of negotiating/walking away.
Yes exactly. Supply and demand
Nah it’s charging people a different price for the same thing smh
perfect price discrimination
@@Lycoriste I'm Thai. His words mean chartered around. That is, in that lap he would not pick up other passengers. He will send you to the destination that means that he will waste time picking up another passenger for one round at a higher price than usual. That one is the normal price, same as other Thai people. But the price of 100 baht that you paid is the price that is cheaper than normal Thai people.
Not really. I accidentally talked in English and they charged us more than the original price they said it was and was not willing to change it.
Paddy I am guessing you have not been to Chiang Mai for a few years. The price is written on the truck in English and Thai. It is 30 baht for a drop off anywhere along the route the driver is going. If you want an exclusive ride (like the airport) it is about 150 baht and for this they don't pick up other people.
The price has not been 20 baht for many years, and asking for a discount with a red truck from the written price is like trying to bargain down a bus fare. It isn't done by locals, I guess only by uninformed tourists.
Welcome home however. Nice to see you back
Thanks for that extra nugget of information - I hope he reads this and realises he may have gone about this mistakingly :)
Yeah, this is my experience as well. No matter if you are using the red, yellow or white song thaew the price is written down, no difference for falang, thai or northern thai. I used to ride from CM city to Kad Falang and the price was consistent.
I've never had an issue with prices in songthaews unless trying to rent whole one. It's the taxis that are out to get you, especially in Bangkok and Samui. And the tuktuks too in BKK.
The "30 baht" has been newly added, approximately like in 2016? As for 2020 some drivers did still charge less if the distance is short and you speak Northern w/o Central influence.
Thanks that makes me feel better. I paid 140 baht for private trip to the airport in rush hour because I slept in and was in a massive rush :)
As a Thai person I got pretty much the same experience as you did. Transportation prices are widely equivocal here, totally varying by your stance for how likely you're gonna accept the higher calls. There was a time when I saw some of them made very high call for monks as persons supposed not to negotiate much. Foreigners are a kind of person they assume not very negotiating in majority, that's why they more often try to exploit first then compromise later after seeing you insist. Best way to avoid the double standard pricing is via fixed rates, and don't forget to remind them if they try to dodge turning on meters.
You should do this experiment with a native Thai person as a comparison.
One of your best Paddy, I’m loving your work
Loving your perspective of these videos! Keep it up!
Great video Paddy! We have always wondered about this! Having spent alot of time in Chiang Mai, I have to say songtaews are reasonably consistent with their pricing. We were here 4 years ago as well and prices have certainly increased due to the economic situation and price of gas, which makes sense.
I lived in CM for four years and I saw variation between different drivers in how much they would charge, so you'd want to use a larger sample size to see the actual average difference.
Even for Thai tourists and locals, the price can vary depending on your appearance. If you obviously look like a traveler from out of town visiting some popular tourist destinations, you will almost certainly pay more than the locals. This undoubtedly happens all over the world.
Excellent experiment! I have spent a few decades in and out of Thailand, am married to a lovely Thai lady and we have kids. We own a home out near Saraphi Chiang Mai (SE) . I've found it definitely helps to speak Thai when negotiating prices. Be polite, smile even joke some if you can. Thai's will appreciate it even if you are just learning. It shows respect. Here's a tip for first timers, don't just take any "old" taxi truck aka rote dang, aka songtau. the old beat up ones can be a nightmare. You jump in, it's hot outside and in. (most don't have fans) then as you start to go, it fills with fumes and diesel smoke. Pass the ones that don't look cared for.
This only proves that not all people take advantage of other people just because of their race. I love how the drivers explained that both foreign and Thai is charge this price. Godbless them and I hope they are safe.
mate. well done. i love respectful you are in handling this whole experiment. explaining to people how this is not something you should push too hard for. Unlike some youtubers out there.
If the price difference between Thais and foreigners is stated on the entrance sign, it means that all you have to do is as stated on the sign, even if you show your Thai driver's license or long-term visa. It could be useful in cases where the price is negotiable, such as Tuk Tuk and minibus.
I'm Malaysian (who look like a Southern Thai) and I speak central Thai. I never paid written Thai prices unless they needed me to show a บัตรประชาชน
I went to the songkla aquarium and was charged the farang price, but when I pulled out my Thai drivers license and spoke in Thai, they willingly brought the price down to the locals rate. Here in the south it's very rare to come across overcharging of farang.
You make listening to thai language so much fun, its just your enthusiasm
Another awesome video!
This was an unexpected result, but I'm glad to see things worked out this way.
Loved the experiment Paddy 👏 I speak basic Thai and found it a pretty similar experience. My mate from Chiang Mai was surprised to see I didn’t get charged a massively different price. Like you said, some of the drivers mentioned how hard it had been through covid so we’re just happy to see customers coming back.
I live in Chiang Mai and my Thai wife does the negotiating. But you're right the last couple of years have been tough. I don't mind paying a bit extra.
But don't get me started on the 10x pricing on some national parks.
Finally someone is talking about this. Thank you. It was interesting to see the minor price differences and glad they were minor
Really interesting experiment!
I'm also amazed that transportation costs are so different across Thailand.
I'd be curious to see the experiment with a Thai person to find out if Thai people and foreigners really pay the same price.
I love it when data isn’t what I expected! Well done.
I lived in Thailand for 10 years (age 22-32.5; I am 36 now) I do believe (from my experience(s)) that, if you can speak Thai, it is a great thing but it is as equally important to know where the hell you are and the best routes. For example, you may be able to speak some Thai or at an intermediate level but if you do not direct the driver at all times (overlook) then, the driver tends to naturally (not always but often times) take the longest route to ensure the highest meter reading.
I say #1.) learn your Thai but at the same pace, learn your area(s) including free-ways, high-way tolls and other transport options such as Sky-Train and #2.) smile and be friendly to your driver.
I'm now back in San Francisco, glad I spent ALL of my 20s in Thailand, I lived in each corner of the country in addition to extensive travel in this quadrant of the world; do it while you are young folks!
Krub 555 ;)
Hope it was misspelled. My “friendly” nit pick is “Khob Khun” 😝. But yes, I heard American folks keep saying “Khap Khun”.
Similarly, Chiang Mai is not Chang Mai. The “Chiang” is like how you say “Liam”. So it goes like this … Leeee-am and Cheee-ang.
Pleasantly surprised to see the results
Nice one Paddy.
Love a good social experiment. น่าสนใจมากนะ👍🏿
Goodness!!! good job, good trip, good luck. 🙏🙏🙏
Going to thailand beggining of november. Looking forward to it. My wife is Thai and I finally started to learn language a bit. Also our kids will see the other part of the family.
great video, i remember in 2020 december during the virus i used the same transport in Bangkok, was 10 baht, some did for 8 baht. In Chiang Mai 2022 those prices are still very very good
I used to live in Chiangmai as a university student at Chiangmai university. Now, I still don’t know the standard fare of Red car but it’s true that people who can speak the Northern Thai language are able to pay a cheaper price.
@@Ned88Man please don't promote this sentiment. Thailand is a (relatively) peaceful country and we don't need anyone to encourage any sense of separatism. It is what it is. Even "most" foreigners can live in Thailand with a strong sense of belonging to the country. Chinese who were born in Thailand also consider themselves Thai, without any rejection from the native Thais. Also, Farang who were born in Thailand and/or speak Thai like a native would also be accepted as a Thai.
Your statement is akin to promoting Scotland and Wales independence from the UK. If you're Scot or Welsh, I can understand your rationale underneath it.
@@siameseworld I am not promoting any "sentiment" I am just telling history and I am not sure why wanting a separate Scottish identity, nationality is a problem, I mean, they had a referendum for this a few years ago and people chose to stay, so it is what it is......of course Chiang Mai is part of modern Thailand, but there has been a long drawn out effort on the part of the Thai government to to their best to downplay any regional differences, even going as far as to call the different Tai languages "dialects"....Chiang Mai isn't going to succeed and nor should it...but nothing I have said is false...
@@Ned88Man the formation of the UK vs Siam/Thailand was similar, yet still different in many ways. Until these days, the 4 nations within the UK still remain and maintain their identity, but ironically their historic identity like Celtic languages are gradually being replaced by English. The formation of Siam/Thailand wasn’t as bloody and bitter as the UK or even Italy. People of all ethnic and religious backgrounds can live happily and in harmony in Thailand. And yes, there’s a separatist minority but I’m talking about the scale of being united in comparison to those in Europe.
Your remarks on government on downplay etc, that’s the political front but nothing to do with what the majority of Thai people want. I put an emphasis on “majority”. The propaganda of Kingdom of Lana was recently promoted by the ousted PM Thaksin and his supporters. Again, if you’re one of his supporters I would understand your argument.
@@siameseworld Erm isn’t this such a reach? Tourists are ripped off a bit everywhere esp when there is no fixed price (Even if I’m Thai, I don’t like shopping in the street market because of this). Bangkokians in general are asked to pay more during their holidays in the North or in the South. My Southerner friends when they first came to rent a room in Bangkok with thick accent were ripped off too just because the landlords/merchants realized they didn’t know the standard price for things. I don’t believe people are thinking about country separatism; they just grab the opportunity to earn as much money as possible.
@@piriyaj1347 you were missing half a story of this thread. The reference to separatism was about something else which is now removed.
การเรียนรู้ภาษาไทย ก็เป็นข้อดีในการอยู่เมืองไทย จริงๆแล้วคนไทยมีน้ำใจและความขบขันมาก เป็นมิตรภาพที่ดีครับ
That's actually a really interesting video. I had never really thought about that before. I hate having to pay the tourist fee and sometimes choose not to go to the place because of it.
I wonder if you would get a difference response in local fresh food markets because they can choose their prices unlike transportation services which might have a bit more structure to them.
Interesting video!
I.think it was a good experiment and made for a good video.
This experiment should be done on the same driver 😂. BTW Thai drivers speak good English though.
Of course, Chiang Mai is more like an international city than it is a Thai one..
Some do, some don't. They do all understand our foreigner pronunciation of Thai addresses. I always have rhe map or a translation ready my phone, just in case. I do hope Thai classes start up again soon. It feels much more polite to at least say simple sentences in the native language. In Mexico, I sometimes had a fun taxi ride with me practicing my Spanish while the driver practiced English in response.
I tend to get offered discounts at the Night Bazaar e.g buying t shirts if I speak Thai, and certainly for northern Thai.
Here in Belgium someone made a show about going to capital cities in other countries to fall for the biggest traps for tourists (mostly wrong taxi price and women taking you to a bar and Charging a small fortune for their 'company').
He searched the official taxi Prices and if it was a lot more than official he went in discussion, paid official price and left.
I'm currently on holiday in Phuket... It's really been an eye opener for me how much I take for granted at home. We hired a taxi van to be driven around for 6 hours. Got a price of 1800b, finished early and gave the driver a total of 2000b.
The way I see it, we got driven to 4 major landmarks and tourist spots and he waited for us at each one, recommended where to go and was ready to go to the next spot whenever we are. Even with the extra tip, it was cheaper than a hotel package tour - and we could detour at will... All for the sake of $85AUD - less than a dinner out back in Australia.
You can see from the closed resorts, closed shops and just looking around, COVID has made people have a really hard time.
What things cost here is almost insignificant compared to back home - so I don't mind showing some extra kindness to make someone's day better.
We did the same thing but my gf's a thai and she negotiated the price. The driver wanted just 1000b. In total we were 7 hours on the road driving us to Central Mall/Aquarium, Premium Outlet and finally driving us to a bbq place.
The entire time he waited for us in the van nearby. We even tried to invite him to eat something at the bbq place but he refused.
Granted we gave him a good tip after the whole day though.
I like to reward the honest ones who don't try to overcharge. I've been many times, and my wife is Thai, so I know about how much things should cost. If they charge a reasonable price, I usually give them a substantial amount more. They are also much more appreciative of the extra money, judging by their reactions usually.
I do agree with what you said though, everything is so cheap, even when we get "overcharged" it's not really much compared to western counties, and I still feel like I get a good deal.
Hopefully you can see my comment , Thank you for your channel make me proud about my Country .
I used to work with American company and base in Bangkok and I have to use a lot of English for my job.
I try very hard to convince my colleagues to improvement for English especially talking and communicating with other ppl around the world but not easy thoughts.
Most of the time once we talk wrong pronounce, grammar and sentence will be LOL by other ppl but I never give up until I can speak better English .
I do send your CZcams to many ppl to be inspired them and never give up to talk English and make my colleague from other country understand more Thai ppl .
They will not laugh at them when they talk like alien word.
Appreciated your hard work to make this happen .
Same thing happened when i lived in bangkok as a kid. Both my parents are Chinese and we live there cuz my dad got transferred for work few years before i was born. At the time he's probably lived there 10 years and speak very good Thai. He's also darker skin and can pass as a Thai. There's a group of Thai people who live in Thailand with Chinese ancestors so he probably passed as that. He always got the cheaper price like when we go to places like Safari World. And we got the farang price even tho my mom and I can both converse in Thai (i dont speak thai to my parents).
You can get local prices in safari world with a work permit. You just have to let them know.
Try the same in Bangkok in an area like lower Sukhumvit or Silom. My hypothesis is, that the occurance of dual pricing / scamming is connected to whether it's a tourist area or not. That's where you'll see 50% or even bigger price drops when speaking Thai. In the areas where's low or no tourism, I barely experience dual pricing. Also taxi drivers put on the meter, without even trying to negotiate fixed prices. But just my 2 cents...
Yeah I am not sure it is the Camera, Chiang Mai or the backpacker style but my experience was different. When I started in Thailand (business trip) I was charged 500 minimum often more (not once but for weeks every working day). Later when I started to come again and again and naturally made some friends (and later met my wife) suddenly same trip was usually 120 :D. Problem was also later when I knew the price because if I told them to use meter or give me real price they would just drive away (unless somebody Thai was with me). Thing to note is this was going on in front of quite high end hotel in Krung Thep so location might play a role as well. That being said I LOVE THAILAND!!!
I’d love to see this experiment in places like PhaNgan and Pattaya.
As mentioned here already, many tourists choose to pay a higher amount and justify it to themselves that they are still paying less than if they were at home. These types of tourists ruin it for the rest of us.
Taxis can be an issue worldwide, I've had them turn the meter off at night in my home town and try to charge me over the odds on a regular journey I do...
Very interesting dude.
amazing , loving your vids bro
I think the price difference is more so for admission/entrance fees where its written out like Safari World for instance.
Hi Paddy big fan of your channel live in Thailand, would be interesting if you did the same experiment in Phuket with the taxi mafia there or in a place were there are duel pricing on the door.
You should try the exact same trips in Tuk tuk's....it will double or triple!!!
Nice video.
I live in CM but out of the city in Doi Saket. Locally here I feel I pay Thai price for everything. Sometimes in the city I am not so sure, but all good anyway :)
Good point. Foreigners who've spent only a little time in Thailand don't often know the difference between tuk tuks, songthaews, etc. Paddy probably does but knew his audience I suppose.
Good vid Paddy, but I knew it wasn’t going to be successful in the Thai vs farang price with the songtaew’s in Chiang Mai. It really just depends on each driver to be honest, some are fair others are just greedy.
Taxi’s in Sydney are starting to get dodgy, even though I grew up here. I have had two recently who didn’t want to use the metre and another hit the higher surcharge when I got in. All during the day, mid week.
Nice seeing you in my second home. Safe travels.
I have always found taxis to be dodgy in every country. Never all drivers of course. But even in countries with no reputation for scams there are dodgy taxi drivers. I worked hospitality for 20 years in Sydney and some of the prices foreigners told me they paid for taxis from the airport were shocking.
You don't have to pay anything other than what is on the meter. If the driver "forgets" or refuses to turn it on, then simply walk away.
I remember taking a taxi in new Zealand after being in SE Asia for months. Was about ready to cry by the time the meter stopped and had to get my cash out! Hadn't been ripped off, just about ten times the price of a Thai taxi.
@@nightsau exactly. Still annoying regardless
Been here all year and 99% of the time i get quoted local price 👍
Good experiment. Do you think changing the variables a bit and having a Thai local with you (along with asking the same driver--maybe waiting 10 minutes in between requests) would have changed the outcome any? Great social experiment done tastefully.
I live in Chiang Mai and my wife is Thai. Usually after I'm done speaking to a taxi or a lote dang the driver will just start talking to my wife. My guess this would be the same in your said experiment
This really interesting, I love you try to say northern dialect, it lovely.
Really good experiment. I get that alot of these people need to make money and that a few baht difference for foreigners isn't that bad. However I dislike it when the price for foreigners is significantly more expensive. Had a tuktuk driver tell me 500 baht for a trip once and then I spoke thai and he said 50baht would do it.
great video paddy! If you had brought a Thai with you, the price might have actually been even cheaper🤔
Most rod daengs have it written in English and thai on the side “30 baht/person”. You can see it in this video on the rod daeng you take from the university
His Thai accent is REALLY GOOD, for me, i’m a native thai that lives in Bangkok and the thing I see is that foreigners thai accent is not really like thai ones but his is like a native speaker ! well done!
@@YBehri you managed to write an entire comment whilst saying nothing lol
@@YBehri ironic
I’m Thai and have lived in the United States sense I was four years old. I speak Thai with a bit of a American accent. I did the same test as you but dressing like a tourist and dressing like a local. For me there was a difference in price.
I love this experiment cuz I’m kind of understand you. I study at Chiang Mai rn and I can’t speak northern language so sometimes I get charge as well. Anyway, I really want to see you so much but I don’t know you were in Chiang Mai😢
Mate glad to see your videos from Australia 🇦🇺
I used to live in CM for a couple of years and the songthaew price used to be 30thb per trip
เยี่ยมเลยครับ
Was there a couple months ago we rented a car for $80NZ a day, it was pretty easy to drive around there. We used the red car service to up to a temple cost us 20baht
So cute! When you speak Northern Thai 🤣🤣
I think so. ❤
It's a good video and experiment. One thing I want to point out that people might forget about is the salary differences between Thai locals and foreigners. In that, the Thai may be charged a reasonable rate that relates to median income, etc, etc whereas a foreigner might be charged higher (as they may have the money or higher than normal salary).
Of course this is case by case, but what a foreigner might see as cheap, a local might see as expensive (personally though, this is where handy apps like Grab come in handy).
Would they charge hi so Thai's extra though? That's what I wonder.
Doesn't bother me that much w/dual pricing, but if I lived there permanently as a farang it does add up, gets a bit annoying depending esp medical stuff...Depends on your budget/income, but an average songthaew ride in north Thailand is cheap already. And interesting, know your Thai dialect I guess...As a foreigner, so much about Thailand doesn't always make sense to western sensibilities. Gotta roll/accept cultural differences. Great to see you/channel back in the kingdom. I love Thailand!
Best Answer so far from a Western Person , Thomas can you help me with something?
อย่างชอบผม คนเชียงใหม่เหมือนกัน เจ้า ขอบคุณสำหรับคลิปดีๆ นะครับ
Good content.. hope someday to have you as volunteer teacher for our Teach Thai Student program in Esaan
Ohh !! My.!!they charged you for more language tutorials 😅😅😂😂xx
This was very interesting. I had also expected the prices to be different. That's mostly due to a Thai sitcom i used to watch. There was a Thai guy pretending to be a foreigner to flirt with a girl, but then when they got into a tuktuk and the owner asked for the payment in English, the Thai guy got very offended and started yelling at him for overcharging with expensive foreigners' prices. It was quite the hilarious scene. So, even in Thai media, there is this image of different charges for foreigners and natives.
Personally, I wouldn't even be mad to be charged a little bit more, because prices in Thailand are very cheap compared to pretty much all farang countries, so us farangs are already getting so much service and so many goods for such low prices, it's still a nice deal (and let's not forget farang tourists like me also earn more in our countries than most people who live in Thailand). Plus, we get to support local businesses and workers directly, especially in jobs that are quite demanding, so i feel it's alright and don't mind it. I would find it frustrating if I were living and working in Thailand and I still got charged foreigners' prices, of course.
pisses me off when they do it cause I live here, not on vacation, I don't care if some american makes more, I'm not in america, I live here, I refuse to pay extra for stuff like this.
This is not only common in Thailand. This is the case in many countries with low wages charging tourist more. For example this is the case in Brazil also and my friend who is from Brazil told me they even try to charge her more because she has lived in Europe for 15 years.
It doesn't make it "okay" though, so you proven point is useless
how did they know she lived in Europe?
The service fee is 30 baht next to the car. It's during the world gas range. It's not high. You come to Bangkok, Phuket. The car service fee is hundreds or more. If you call grab and taxi in Chiang Mai, you have to pay more.
Yeah it happened to me, being from Nz it seemed rude to haggle. But half way through my trip I started to haggle a bit for transportation. Even though I was most likely still overpaying I felt like the drivers respected me more for trying. The only time it stung was agreeing on a fixed price of 120 baht to the airport and not counting the change realizing after they left I'd paid 140 baht. Bit cheeky, but I don't mind the double pricing in general for tourists, a lot of tourists walk around Thailand like they own the place.
Fair play to you mate. Could see how awkward that was for you and me even watching. Suprised how it generally wasn't so different and like you said times are tough. Hopefully ypu don't have to make that vid again though haha 🙏
Impressive language skills man.
at 5:41 sounds like saying thanks in Vietnamese 😁
Dual pricing happens every where in touristy places, that’s why cab hailing app works so well here😂 even local also get bored of hackling for price.
60 baht is expensive for Taxi in Chang Mai! I almost cried. In Phuket nothing less than 100 baht anywhere, foreigner or Thai, but that is a different story 😅. Great video.
If you're a foreigner and want the cheapest taxi rides, just get a thai friend to stop the taxi and say the destination and price to the driver, then you get in and go lol. Example of this is when im leaving my GF's condo to go back to mine, the motorbike stand outside her condo gate will try to charge me 50 baht every single time, but they only charge her 20 baht when she goes from her condo to mine. So i just started letting her call over the motorbike taxi, say the destination and say 20 baht, they say ok thinking she's getting on, then i get on instead.
From my experience on this between thai speaking foreigners and non thai speaking foreigners, is that for the most part you may get a slight discount sometimes (not always) for speaking thai vs not speaking thai, but it's not going to get you the same price thai people pay. The advantage of speaking thai is that if you live here long enough you will eventually run in to taxi drivers who try to scam you, and the ability to speak thai will greatly help in those situations.
Not only language you should know, but also Thai number as well. When you go to somewhere like island (There will be entrance fee) or using ferry service. They will cheat you by using arabic number and Thai number for local. Also, this may appear at restaurant or food stall as well.
I got charged 40 baht from Wulai Rd to Tarpae Gate, 40 baht from Tarpae Gate down to the nightmarkets, 100 baht to the airport. This was a few weeks ago. Your hypothesis is correct. I’m normally pretty successful with taxi drivers in Bangkok.
All the prices were standard. 30 baht is set by the provincial authorities but most people, Thai or foreigner pay 40 baht from substantially outside the old city into the old city.
Red tuc tuc buses in patong anywhere around the 1 way system whether it be the full loop or 500 yard. 200 baht
I’m Thai and when I take a ride that are agreement based (eg. Tuk-Tuk, “Win” motorbikes) I asked them first and if the price is agreeable I took the ride. No after ride counter offer, if the rider insists I keep my ground, pay them the initially agreeable amount then walked away.
It’s not just in Thailand but anywhere in the world really.
I like the 20 Baht fee in Pattaya what brings you the whole route Beach Road/Second Road. Like a hop-on bus.
I lived in Thailand for close to a decade and left 1 1/2 years ago. I speak Thai fluently and used to work as an interpreter. While I was there the double pricing used to grind my gears BUT to my surprise I found out after a while that when people know you especially if you go to the markets you sometime actually pay less than Thais ( for real ). The only thing that even to this day annoys me is the 10x prices in the National parks and sometime I really wish we had that in Europe for a month at our museums... Oh you are Thai and want to get in?.well for locals its 20 Euros so for you its 200 :) ... just to make a point haha. At the end of the day 40 or 50 baht... try hopping on a cab on taxi in Europe and pay 50 Euros.
To be fair local thais pay for their taxes. Foreigners coming for a visit do not. So dual pricing is totally understandable. There's no way for them to know if u have been working and living in Thailand either.
@@shork14 its the other way around. If you live there as a foreigner you most definitely pay more taxes than most Thais if you have a work permit as you would be on a higher salary.
@@hago7568 1. the point is how would people at the location know and give u special privelege thai pricing. There are so many tourists that go to Thailand each year it's so much easier to have a firm dual pricing policy.
2. The amount of people foreigners that live and work in Thailand are miniscule compared to the actual tourists that go to Thailand.
3. Thais pay taxes from working to retiring age. The number of long term expats that stay just as long are few and far between compared to number of tourists over that same time span.
@@shork14 agreed on point 1 and 2. Point 3... not so much. Thailand has the one of the largest shadow economies in the world. according to sources you can find online 46% of thais don't pay taxes. Its the national sport to avoid that and it also makes sense since retirement payments are extremely low and children are expected to pay their parents quite a lot each month (even if their are still lightyears away from retirement age)
@@hago7568 agree I was just saying number of thai people paying taxes is much bigger than amount of expats that exist in any given year. From that perspective dual pricing doesn't bother me.
As an expat I'm not really going to dual pricing places that often because well I need to work. It happens once in a while when I'm travelling to places with entrance fees.
nevertheless entries to various parks and attractions are twice as expensive if you're a foreigner and I feel that while this was mostly becoming rarer in the years before covid, it's now getting increasingly common again.
As to songtaews and taxis, maybe
the experiment would be more telling in instances when you just want out of a place (like FROM the airport or places like land borders) as opposed to from a place in the city where you don't mind taking your time and exploring different options and the drivers know it.
also you might get bonus points for speaking Thai but you're still a foreigner
Bro…im from CM but been in Perth for 30 plus years..from my point North ppl are more down to earth compared to BKK..they out for themselves.. but like anywhere in the world there are always bad and good peeps…keep on chugging along Paddy!! On ya mateee🐨
For the 1st try : “Mahalai Chiang mai” is still considered as Farang(Foreigner), I guess. “Nar mor”(University Frontgate) or “Lang mor”(University Backgate) is a better word choice.
You should try experiment between local placenames vs. normal Thai placenames when talk to the driver next time (e.g. Kad Luang vs. Varorot Market, Arcade(อาเขต) vs. Chiangmai bus terminal)
Time to learn some Northern Thai!
Paddy, I really enjoyed this and did wonder if drivers would charge a different rate. There are still taxi drivers around BKK who will give you a price for the meter off, most often journeys to the airport. They will ask for B500 for a B240 trip. Its easy to say no or get out and take another taxi.
There are legions of taxi drivers around BKK who will do this, especially the younger ones. 240 to the airport sounds rather cheap. Maybe without express way charges.
@@formulaic78 youre right that doesnt include toll charges
My brother and I are Thai but only I speak it. We were in a market in Chiang Mai and I asked for the price in Thai then when I told my brother the price in english, the boss said to the worker “They’re foreign it’s 3000”. Then the price went from 800-300 and I asked why they changed the price and they just kept saying 3000 in thai. I just left that place like we’re literally Thai I’m just older so I remember it.
The Baht bus(blue pick up similar to this red truck) in Pattaya has the rate written in Thai painted on the vehicle door. If you ask they will tell you double what is written. I do not ask and just pay them what is written and they accept it. The Russian tourist(and others) all seem to just pay double with out asking. It is interesting to watch.
Unfortunately this happens in every country in south east Asia, in Cambodia when you go to buy something they even have two prices, the local (Khmer) price and the price for foreigners. It does suck but I understand the concept, the locals are loving on roughly $120_$200 a month, but yes if you can speak the local language it goes a long way. I used to pay $1 for a loaf of bread but when I learned basic Khmer it suddenly went down to 12 cents!
Give it a crack at a few National parks. If you’re nice and friendly with the staff and have a bit of banter with them in Thai, at least 70% of the time you can get in for the Thai price.
Agree, a few times I’ve been with my Thai wife and mother in law who’s a teacher, and she just tells them I’m a teacher at her school. I then get Thai price. Done this a few times over the last 15 years or so
@@macarthy yes and no about the license. What is the pink card?
@@macarthy work permit too
Hi paddy. New subscriber here, do you have a link for learning Thai , or somewhere you could direct me to learn Thai. Videos are awesome by the way.
Try the aquarium in Bkk. I'm Asian Canadian and spoke basic Thai and got the cheaper price. The farang price is double there. They knew I was a foreigner
Good morning. How much did you pay? Cheers from Toronto.
@@Nature_with_Peter_Kane I think 5 or 6 hundred baht
@@jasonwong64 ok thanks!