A taxi driver in Bangkok was caught carrying out dishonest acts; this time, he tried to swindle a South Korean visitor by billing the foreigner 700 baht for a 30-minute trip. Thankfully, the South Korean passenger recognized the taxi driver’s tricks and gave him only 300 baht. This infuriated the cab driver, who then lost it and began screaming obscenities at the tourist.
The moment when a Thai cab driver and a South Korean tourist got into an argument in front of a hotel on Bangkok’s Charoen Krung Road was captured on viral video.
The foreigner was yelled at by the Thai taxi driver in the video. “Due to the afternoon traffic, I have to charge you 500 baht. Give me 300 baht, please. Please give me 300 Thai Baht. You are a scumbag! Even in my car, you drank two bottles of water. 40 Thai Baht.
The cabbie was belligerent and yelled several derogatory comments in Thai. The hotel staff arrived to break up the altercation. They requested the cab driver get out while urging the foreigner to check into the hotel.
According to the video’s caption, the incident happened yesterday, June 7, around 4:11 p.m. The cab had the license plate number 1-504 and was a green and yellow vehicle. The driver’s identity remained a secret.
The excursion reportedly began at Wat Phra Kaew, better known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and finished at a hotel on Charoen Krung Road. According to the One 31 news agency, it was roughly 7 kilometers away. Instead of charging the tourist the predicted 200–250 baht, the taxi driver charged them 700 baht instead of using the meter system.
Many Thai internet users criticized the taxi driver’s actions, saying they were harming Thai tourism’s positive reputation. Some people think the driver intentionally intended to incite the South Korean to fight him.
Later, the taxi driver discussed the situation with One 31. He stated that he did not ask the visitor for 700 baht and only got 300 baht. He said that because of the traffic and the fact that he failed to turn on the meter system, the trip to the destination took him between 30 and 40 minutes. As a result, he had to charge a higher cost.
The cabbie admitted his mistake and expressed regret. He didn’t plan to do anything, but he was upset because there weren’t many passengers that day. The driver disclosed that the Department of Land Transport had contacted him over the problem and would penalize him with a fee. He was asked to report to the police tomorrow at 9am.
