Recent protests by the city’s cabbies have once again put taxis, drivers and their rates at the top of conversations. We love to hate our cabbies: the ones that don’t use a meter, don’t go to the suburbs, stink, grumble or worse. But what about the guys behind the wheel? What are their lives like? Read on to find out.

Sawai Lakwangmol

Sawai, 53, arrived in Bangkok from Roi-Et nearly 30 years ago. He started off working as a waiter and construction worker. But wanting more independence and higher pay, he decided to get into taxi driving.
What is your daily routine?
I start at 6am from my home in Rangsit, Klong 4, drive until 8 or 9pm and then go home. My income is sufficient. The good thing I don’t have to rent a car, because I’m paying for it in installments of B18,000 a month. So if I can earn about B1,400-1,500 each day, I’m good. I keep B600 to pay for the car and B200-B230 for gas. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to make that much every day.
What are some of the daily difficulties you face?
It used to be good in the old days when we didn’t have meters and were hired by the ride. The meter is only better if you can get lots of customers. But these days, the number of taxis has grown a lot. That makes it hard to find customers. Sometimes a group of taxis will bar us from taking customers from some places like department stores or hotels.
How bad is the gas price hike?
Not that bad. The price only went up 50 satang. We also get help from the government with an energy discount card that gets us a saving of about two baht per liter. But, if the price keeps going up, like to B14-16, it will become a problem.
What would improve your working conditions?
Social welfare like employees do. We have nothing to guarantee our health. If we get sick or have an accident, we will not have any income.
What annoys you about passengers?
The craziest ones are mostly those who don’t pay the fare. I just recently lost a B730 ride after a passenger tricked me by saying he would go to see his sister and return, but then he bailed.
What is the best thing about your job?
It’s really the freedom. I can start and stop work whenever I want. My only boss is my wife.
Do you find stuff in the back of your cab?
I’ve found at least six mobile phones and I have sent them all back. One phone owner even gave me B200 as a reward for driving back, but some paid me just for the fare. We have to think that it doesn’t belong to us. If I left something behind, I’d also want it back.

Arun Mattaya

Arun, 47, loved being a motorcycle taxi rider for more than 10 years. But when the economy crashed in 1997, there were no clients left for him to ply his trade. After a break of two years, Arun returned to Bangkok and decided to throw away his helmet and sit behind a steering wheel instead.
Why drive a cab?
Fuel became so expensive. Taxis run on gas and are much cheaper to run. And back then, the number of taxis was much lower than today, so we could make good money.
What are some of the everyday difficulties you face?
It’s hard to find passengers these days. One time, I had just B20 in my pocket. I had to sleep all day until I could go out and get a fare just to buy something to eat.
What is your daily routine?
I start my day at 6am and go to bed at 3am in the morning. I know it’s a long day of driving, but I have to pay rent on the car, which is B900 for the day. Overall I can keep about B300 a day. The business is good for the first half of the month. After the 15th, it really drops because people’s wages are running out.
What about passengers?
The worst is people who leave without paying. There was this one case where they told me to drive from Roi-Et to Rayong. But when I arrived in Nakhon Ratchsima, they told me to pull over on the highway and ran off into a sugarcane field.
And the the gas price hike?
I don’t feel any effect because it’s just a hike of 50 satang. But I don’t know what it will be like if the price gets as high as B14.
Do you ever stop for gas when you’ve got a client?
It depends on the situation. If I can’t make it to the destination, I will say at the start that I have to stop at the gas station to fuel up. It can also happen that you get stuck in traffic too long and start to run out of fuel. When I pull over at the gas station, I always stop the meter so the fare will not run during the time we are in the station. If your driver doesn’t do that, tell them to stop the meter.
What would make your life better?
It would be good if we could limit the number of taxis in town. There are too many. But, I know it’s unlikely they’ll do that. Too many people would be unemployed.
What would you do if you weren’t a cabby?
I don’t want to do anything else. I will drive until I can’t drive.

Sombat Wanghom

Sombat, 43, owned a transport business delivering goods for 7-Eleven, when he decided to ask for a bank loan to buy a taxi. When it was approved, he decided to leave the business to his wife and started driving.
What is your routine?
I don’t really get up early and drive all day like other drivers. I used to drive and take random customers, but now I will go out only when I get called. They will hire me to drive for them for about B500 to B800 each time. My clients are from old contacts that I used to drive from hotels or the airport. I can do this because I don’t have to pay rent. It’s my own car. All I have to do is pay installments of B17,000 a month. I’m nearly finished now. I sometimes take random customers, if I want to, after dropping off call-in clients.
What’s the worst a passenger’s done to you?
I once experienced an attempted-robbery at knifepoint, but I fought back. Luckily, they were just teenagers who wanted money for drugs—not professional thieves—so I could handle them.
What about the price hike?
It’s not a big problem for me now because it’s a really little hike. I’m not worried. And we can’t run away from the truth. The price has to rise no matter what.
What is the best thing about your job?
It’s fun! It’s like I can travel, too. If I didn’t have my taxi, I wouldn’t have been able to travel all over Thailand like I do today.
Do taxis sometimes take the long route to make more money?
The fact is, the driver has to ask the passenger every time which route they want to go. And normally, cabbies always want to send passengers off as fast as possible because they can earn more money from picking up more new passengers.

Yossapat Pholprash

Eight years ago, Chief Petty Officer 1st Class of Thai Navy Yossapat Pholprash, 44, decided to moonlight as a taxi driver to make ends meet. But it actually got him further into debt and, finally, his wife left him. But he insists his life is much better now because of his taxi job.
What is your routine?
I go to work at the navy base from 8.30am to 4pm, and then I will start driving from 5pm until midnight. It’s my own car, I pay installments of about B21,000 a month. I have to let other drivers rent it so I can meet the repayments. Other drivers will use it from 5am till 5pm. I charge B400 to rent it a day.
What’s the worst thing a passenger has ever done?
Well, mostly it’s those who run away without paying.
When it comes to better conditions for drivers, what would you like?
I want good car insurance for taxis. You know, insurance companies are really taking advantage of us. They’re reluctant to sell us first class car insurance if we are taxis. One even asked my friend to pay extra after an accident even though he already has first class insurance. I also want the government to create social welfare for drivers. I don’t have this problem because I am still in the Navy, but those who only drive a taxi, they really need it.
What is the best thing about your job?
It’s a really good income. I can have a car and use it to make money for me, too.
Why won’t some cabs turn on their meters?
They’re cheats! I never do that. You have a meter, so, use it. But if you agree with them on a set price at the start of a charter trip, that’s different. You have to pay what was agreed.

Pongsak Hongthong

When his export clothing business went downhill, Pongsak Hongthong, 61, asked friends what to do next. One of his former employees drove a taxi and suggested he give it a try. Pongsak closed his factory, got a cab and never looked back.
What happened with your business?
I used to have large orders from the Middle East like Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Yemen. But when their economies turned bad, I realized I had to shut it down instead of running up more debt.
What are your working hours?
My shift runs from 2pm to 2am. I rent this car for 24 hours and share it with my buddy, who drives the car after me. I rent it for B600 per day. Business is always good at the beginning of the month, when I can make B400-B500 each day. But the second half of the month, I can only make about B100-B300. It’s because people are saving their money until the next pay day.
Any crazies?
I just met a guy who didn’t give me a destination. He just said “drive” but, at one point, I told him to get out because there is no point in driving around. It’s a waste of my time.
What about the gas price hike?
I normally spend B500 for gas to drive the whole shift, which is about 370-400 kilometers. I use LPG, which is more expensive, but it’s better than NGV: more stations in Bangkok and less long-term maintenance. It has fewer problems than NGV. I think it’s the government’s fault. They urged taxis to use NGV but they don’t support them. Sometimes, taxis have to queue at least half an hour to fill up or there is no NGV at the station at all.
What do cab drivers want?
I want social welfare.
What is the best thing about your job?
I’m really independent. I used to be stressed when I couldn’t send an order on time, and how it was going to cost me a fine from my clients. Now all I have to do is just drive. No pressure!
Why do taxis sometimes refuse to go somewhere?
Those cabbies are greedy. I never turn down passengers no matter how far it is. I understand that passengers want to go home. The only time that I will refuse is when I am actually driving home, so I want passengers going in my direction.