Uber solves surge problem
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Metered taxis are often in the news for overcharging tourists, harassing them, driving devil-may-care, etc. This gives Thailand a bad name and chases away the goose that lays golden eggs, since tourists account for 10 per cent of our GDP.
Tourists should do like I do and use Uber rather than metered taxis. During non-surge times, Uber costs the same as metered taxis, yet I’ve found them to be uniformly much more polite (because they want you to rate them highly). They drive more safely because it’s their own car they’re driving. Since rides are tracked by GPS, there’s no incentive to overcharge. Cars are fully equipped with seat belts and buckles, unlike metered taxis.
If you’re in a surge-pricing period, you’ll be clearly notified in the app. I wait a few minutes and try again. The government should promote competitors for Uber, like Lyft, but until then, it’s Uber for me.
Burin Kantabutra
