Cabbie Fined 1,000 Baht for ‘Malfunctioning’ Meter

Taxis wait at Suvarnabhumi Airport in an undated file photo. Photo: Matichon

BANGKOK — A taxi driver was punished today for using a broken meter that charged passengers by the second, officials said.

Thawatchai Pansu was ordered to pay a 1,000 baht fine after the agency received complaints via social media, the Department of Land Transport announced Monday, including a video showing his meter racing ahead every second.

“I just realized that meters these days go up every one second. Fine, if you want to cheat me like this, just take my damn money,” Facebook user Jam Atilal wrote in a caption for the video posted Friday.

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Answering a friend’s question in the comments section, Jam said she ended up paying almost 400 baht for the ride, an unusually expensive fare for taxis in Bangkok. 

In a statement this afternoon, the Department of Land Transport said officials inspected Thawatchai’s car and found the meter was broken and not deliberately rigged. 

Apart from the fine of 1,000 baht, Thawatchai was ordered to have his car inspected by the department before returning to the road. 

Any taxi driver caught rigging the meter risks losing their license, the department warned.

Related stories:

Airport Taxi Busted for ‘Turbo’ Meter

 

Teeranai Charuvastra can be reached at [email protected] and @Teeranai_C.

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