BANGKOK, Thailand – A TikTok user “jha_eves,” identified as the owner of a skincare brand, posted a nearly 3-minute video revealing the shocking behavior of a taxi driver in the Ekkamai area on August 23. Ms. Jha had hailed a taxi for a short trip but was charged a flat rate of 400 baht. When she questioned why the meter wasn’t used, the driver shouted at her, saying, “There’s no meter here.”
In the video, she expressed her frustration and called for serious action from the authorities, saying, “The entire nation knows, but the higher-ups never seem to be aware. If this continues, it’s the citizens who suffer.”
The incident happened when she was visiting Ekkamai after several years. She noticed a significant decrease in the number of Thai people in the area, with only about 20% being Thai and the rest being foreigners. She hailed a taxi to go out for a meal, a journey that took no more than 10 minutes, but the driver demanded 400 baht.
When she questioned the high fare and asked why the meter wasn’t being used, the driver loudly yelled, in front of a large crowd, that there were no meters in Ekkamai.
As a Thai citizen, she was disheartened by the treatment, especially since both she and the driver were Thai, and this was happening on Thai soil. She asked, “Has the law in Thailand changed? Are taxis no longer required to use meters? Is it now standard to charge 400 baht for short trips in Ekkamai?”
She urged authorities to investigate and address this issue. Many netizens resonated with her frustration, with the video gaining over 2.4 million views and numerous comments criticizing the authorities for allowing such behavior to persist.
