As a foreigner in Thailand, I hate taxis and tuk tuk. Although I understand the taxi drivers have to, by law, use the meter to charge, they just like to negotiate with tourists. It will be easy to say that if they don't use the meter, just leave the car, and find another taxi. What often happened was, I gave them the map, they studied and figured out how to get to my destination, and then shamelessly, raised their index finger and said 100 baths. Some would even ask for 200 bahts! That is when I really wanted to slap their faces and bite their fingers. A complete waste of my time.
As for tuk tuk, negotiation on the fare is necessary, which I hate. I also hate the noise and pollution. The engine is just way too loud and can be heard from miles away at night. Can they do something to make the engine more environment friendly? And going through busy traffic in Bangkok, the dirty air flies through the lungs at 5 times the walking speed. With the cover on top, you also don't get to see any street views. Bad choice of transportation.
I also have the same frustration when negotiating bus fares in Pattaya and Chiang Mai.
Not all the drivers are bad. I need to be fair. MM and I went out to MCA one night. Nothing happened there, we were tired, and taxi was the only way out. So we hopped on a taxi, and surprisingly, the driver used meter right away. When we got to the hotel, the fare was 61 bahts. He asked, politely, if I had one baht so he did not need to give me too many changes. Most drivers, I believe, will take my 70 bahts and keep the change, without asking me.
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