If a taxi driver in Thailand stops the meter (the amount is still visible on the meter screen), can they resume it?
I had a case where I took a metered taxi in Bangkok with another passenger: when we stopped at the other passenger's destination to drop them, the taxi driver didn't understand that I would stay in the taxi and go somewhere else. Instead, the taxi driver said he had stopped the meter and that he couldn't resume it (i.e. that instead of resuming the trip, we'd have to start from scratch, i.e. with the 35 THB base fare preloaded or agree on a fixed fare).
The meter was looking as follows when the taxi driver said he had stopped it:
This led me to wonder the following question: If a taxi driver in Thailand stops the meter (the amount is still visible on the meter screen as shown on the picture above. I.e. the meter screen wasn't turned off), can they resume it?
Best Answer
This will likely depend on the specific regulations in force in Bangkok at the time, and possibly the model of taximeter installed1.
However, for the one model of taximeter I could find an operations guide for it was clear that the operator had an option to Pause the meter (from which he could press Pause again to resume the trip), but once Pay was selected then the only available option subsequently was Reset.
If the taxi driver believed that the trip was complete he'd probably go to Pay, and quite possibly he would have no option but to start a new trip. If he understood that the trip was to continue he'd have just left the meter running.
1 Taximeters have software tailored to the specific market they're intended for. If a specific sequence of operations isn't covered by the regulations then different models of taximeter may operate differently.
Pictures about "If a taxi driver in Thailand stops the meter (the amount is still visible on the meter screen), can they resume it?"
How does the meter on a taxi work?
How a taximeter works. Taximeters determine the distance travelled and the elapsed time of your taxi ride. The apparatus uses electric pulses to calculate the distance. A sensor attached to the car's transmission system sends pulses to the taximeter each time the taxi travels a certain distance.How do I report a taxi driver in Bangkok?
Report a Bangkok Taxi to the Land Transport Department Hotline on ph # 1584. You will need a picture of the taxi #. Bangkok city Taxi is often referred to as the \u201cMafia Taxi\u201d as they, on the whole, ignore Bangkok Taxi laws.What are taxis called in Thailand?
Tuk-tuks are one mode of public transport in Bangkok and other cities in Thailand.How many taxi drivers are there in Thailand?
As of August 2021, there were 65,958 taxi drivers in Thailand, of which, were operating the most in the upcountry. In that same period, the number of registered taxi amounted to around 85 thousand units in the country.Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Tim Samuel, Tim Samuel, Tim Samuel, Kafeel Ahmed