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Empathy for baht bus
dirvers
Dear Editor,
It disappoints me when I read letters in Pattaya Mail
complaining about baht bus drivers. I have stayed in Pattaya for the last
six years and if I do not want to walk I ride on baht buses. For almost a
year my leg was in a plaster cast from the foot to the top of my thigh and
without the kindness of baht bus drivers I would not have been able to go
anywhere. The drivers would if necessary ask other passengers to leave the
front seat so I could get in and they would wait as long as necessary for
me. I paid the going fare for a baht bus. They were and still are polite
but it does not surprise me that they are nasty with people who try to
treat them as inferior beings. Does it not occur to the people who think
the baht bus drivers are cheats, or worse, that the feeling is mutual? The
farang ‘Sickened’ and his superior snobbish Thai fianc้e should
stay in Bangkok if they do not wish to lose face by coming into contact
with normal Thai people who are trying to make ends meet by driving baht
buses. They could then go any distance they wish for 31/2 baht on a BMTA
bus, provided it was not painted white, purple or air-conditioned. They
would probably have to risk life and limb dodging moving traffic to get on
the bus third lane out, stand up for an hour or so and get off with filthy
cloths.
In all the time I have been here, the fare has been
five baht, but not for any distance. So here are some guidelines on fares.
If one goes from Wat Chaimongkon market to the traffic lights on Pattaya
Central Road the fare is five baht. If the ride is continued to the
roundabout at Pattaya North Road the fare is ten baht and it goes to
fifteen baht if one continues to Naklua. Other journeys of similar
distance carry similar fares. However, these fares only apply when one
stops a moving bus and gets straight in the back. By the way, no baht bus
driver will ever give change to a farang, Thais yes, but farangs no, so
collect five and ten baht coins for baht bus fares.
If one starts to ask about routes the driver will start
to negotiate a taxi fare. The way to find out which way the bus is going
is to hold out ones arm clearly showing the direction you want to go and
if he or she (there are a few lady drivers) stops, the bus is going in the
direction you want. Get in the back and go. If the bus does not stop, it
does not mean that it is not going in the direction you want to go. The
driver could have his own agenda. For instance, it could be Loy Krathong
and he thinks it is only fair that he gets a taxi fare for working when
his potential passengers are having a great time on the town. One time
when I was in a taxi and ten drunken Russians on New Years Eve wanted to
go to Ambassador City the answer was ‘not at any price’.
When my leg was freshly broken and my crutches were
giving me hell, I had to go by taxi to my favourite Go-Go bar on Beach
Road. The fare was 40 baht. It still is if I now do not want to walk for
15 minutes from the bar to my home, as forty baht is the minimum taxi
fare. However, I pay only fifty baht from Wat Chaimongkon for a taxi to
the bus station at the Sukhumvit end of Pattaya North Road, the fare
agreed before I get in the taxi.
Most baht bus drivers rent their buses by the day. I
think the rental is 300 baht and I believe they work for as long as it
takes to make enough money to keep their families. There is no salary and
if there are few passengers there is no food. If ‘Sickened’ had to
work in similar circumstances he definitely wouldn’t be laughing, nor
preaching Thai culture, Thai values and Thai honesty as these for any
workman are secondary to the job being done. What he would be doing is
hoping that people would treat him fairly and politely. He would be hoping
that he could go home with enough money for housekeeping and not be so
upset with farangs with bad attitudes that he couldn’t enjoy being with
his family.
Yours sincerely,
Ivan Town
Get a life out
there
Editor;
I just cant believe it. Another baht bus letter. There
must be somebody out there with a life...
Having arrived in Pattaya just 3 months ago, I now find
myself an expert in the Baht Bus business. Mainly thanks to your wonderful
and informative newspaper. But, enough is enough!
But hold on to your helmets (that should be strapped
on) and watch out for those mangy stray dogs. I have the solution, in fact
a number of them.
1) Don’t take the bloody bus if you don’t want to
pay the thieving sods price. To hell with principles.
2) If your willing to pay 5 baht for bus fare, then
surely walk the distance. It’s healthier, stress free and creates no
problem to either driver or passenger. And after all, if the fare is only
5 baht, the distance cant be all that far.
3) Negotiate the fare before climbing on.
That’s one thing about Pattaya I have found since my
arrival, very few talk about the weather, its Baht Bus, Baht Bus and maybe
if your lucky a little more on the Baht Bus. Before we know it there is
going to be a Baht Bus Complaints Department (or is that all handled
through the Pattaya Mail?). Let’s go crazy and create a Baht Bus
Commission of Enquiry. This will spend a lot of the tax payer’s money,
create hundreds of jobs, and really fill the newspapers with the ongoing
feud. This will really scare the hell out of visiting tourists.
As for “Sickened” in your last letters page, wow,
he’s not coming back to Pattaya because of a 5 baht bus? All I can say
is Getta Life, mate!
Who cares about the principle of it only being 5 baht.
You either pay what they want or don’t jump on. It is as simple as that.
Or am I missing something here? After all, and lets be honest here, if you
had a bus, wouldn’t you do exactly the same?
Try getting on a mini bus in Africa. You would be lucky
to have your watch when you got off.
So come on now, even I have fell into the trap of
getting involved in this time consuming, holiday wrecking, soooooo
stressful topic - the only bad thing about doing away with all these bus
complaints - one will have to really think of something else in the
“small talk department” when having drinks or dinner. Mind you
there’s always the stray dogs or unhelmeted drivers.
I will send my solutions to these later. Till then,
Bob Lee, keeper of the 5 baht
Unfair interest
rates
Editor;
The following is a letter sent to Mr. Paul Mitchell,
Representing the World Bank in South Asia:
Dear Mr. Mitchell,
On behalf of the many thousands of ex-pats working or
retired in Thailand, I would like to bring to your attention the
deplorable way we are being treated by the Thai Banks. For the past few
months a common practice has been to pay “non-residents” an interest
rate of only 0.5% or 1% on deposit accounts. Bangkok Bank advertised these
rates on their website.
Due to currency controls it is very difficult to move
money out of the country. In any case to renew a visa, proof of a large
deposit account is required, and every day we watch our assets gradually
eroding. We are financial prisoners.
When your bank helped Thailand through its financial
crisis, I don’t think that it was expected that we ex-pats should make
up the repayments. I am sure that this is illegal. I also think a
condition of the loan was for foreigners to own property there. To my
knowledge nothing has happened yet. Thailand needs investors, but who will
invest at those rates?
We really would appreciate your views on the legality
of this action and any help you can give us to recover our losses.
Yours sincerely,
Arthur Mason
Even more on baht
buses
Editor;
If you live in Pattaya for a long time, every day you
will sit in the baht buses. Some drivers are very kind but many work like
criminals, and the management do nothing. Everybody knows you pay in
Pattaya 5 baht and to Jomtien 10 baht, but mostly they want more and are
very angry if you not give more money.
After a long time staying here, they know me and
don’t stop for me, because they know I will not give them more than 5
baht. I have many friends who have had problems - driving over their feet,
not giving money back and they never have change, so you must always pay
the exact price.
Sometimes I have problems. A baht bus will bring me to
Jomtien, but will also have 2 boys (on board) who want to go to Bira
Circuit, and at first he goes to the Bira Circuit. No problem but at the
Bira Circuit he won’t go to Jomtien, only when I pay him 50 baht and
that is mafia. Later I call the office, believe me I hear nothing again.
As a good service the Pattaya Mail made an announcement
with telephone numbers so that if you have problems you can try all the
numbers. But nobody can speak English, only Thai, so if you have problems,
you call for nothing. If you have problems make a note of his car and go
directly to the Tourist Police, that is the best way.
A. Deins
El Shaddai says a
BIG thanks for the incredible efforts
We are SO grateful!
Words seem very inadequate to express our appreciation
to everyone who worked so hard on putting together the first ever
“Canadian Jack-A-Lope Open” golf tournament. Never before has any
group so taken on the task of helping provide for the needs of our special
children’s homes with such vision, determination AND incredible results.
Our thanks to the organizers, corporate sponsors,
personal contributors and golfers. Thanks also to Bob and Big Boy for
providing a rare and much welcomed burger feast for all the El Shaddai
kids.
The reports we’ve heard from others thus far about
the Jack-A-Lope Open have put it as one of the best golf tournaments of
the year and the sound of FIRST ANNUAL has a great ring. We look forward
to working together with you toward a second event over this coming year.
El Shaddai Children’s Homes is a completely voluntary
organization and depends on the personal “word of mouth promotion”.
Your efforts have brought the needs of our children’s home to the
attention of people we would have no other way of reaching and we’re
hoping a ‘ripple effect’ will continue.
With deepest thanks,
Fred & Dianne Doell for Friends of El Shaddai
PS - If you would like more information on these unique children’s
homes please contact: Fred & Dianne Doell at 249-491 or Al & Terry
Purvis at 770-139.
Copyright 1999 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: [email protected]
Updated by Boonsiri Suansuk |
Letters published
in the Mailbag of Pattaya Mail will also be on our website. |
It is
noticed that the letters herein in no way reflect the opinions of the editor or writers
for Pattaya Mail, but are unsolicited letters from our readers, expressing their
own opinions. No anonymous letters or those without genuine addresses are printed, and,
whilst we do not object to the use of a nom de plume, preference will be given to those
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