The Thai taxi driver who was called out for attempting to overcharge Facebook English-teaching personality Danny Mac in a popular video said that his life was ruined by the farang’s rant clip when he was summoned by officials yesterday.
The taxi driver, identified as Thongkam Srakaew, 50, was fined THB1,000 for being rude to the expat, who accused the driver of calling him “farang kheenok,” an offensive term used to refer to a trashy foreigner.
In the video, which has received nearly two million views, Mac said that he caught Thongkam’s taxi from Suvarnabhumi Airport to his condo on Wednesday, but the driver attempted to overcharge him with a flat rate of THB500.
READ: Farang Facebook star’s rant about rude taxi driver reaches a million views
Mac got the cabbie to turn on the meter, but upon arrival, the driver refused to give the foreigner his change and called him “farang ngee ngao” which means a “demanding foreigner” — this part was caught on video.
Yesterday, Thongkam burst out in tears after learning he had been banned from picking up passengers at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
He said to reporters, “Throughout my career as a taxi driver, my record is flawless. I’ve only got people praising me. I do volunteer work to help society, but after this incident, I feel disheartened. The rent for my taxi costs a lot. I have a wife…and a kid whom I’ve sent to college by driving a taxi. I love my job, but this is so disheartening.”
Thongkam defended himself, saying that the foreigner was the person who asked him in the beginning if he charged a flat rate or used the meter, and when the farang wanted him to use the meter, Thongkam agreed, according to Work Point.
Contrary to Mac’s account, Thongkam claimed he only asked for THB100 for the expressway fees but Mac handed him THB200 himself. Meanwhile, Mac said the driver asked for THB300, but he only gave the driver THB200 because the fees should not have exceeded that amount — which makes much more sense.
Thongkam said calling Mac “ngee ngao” was a slip.
“I was stressed out that he would not pay THB50 airport surcharge. So it slipped out. After that, I continued to drive other passengers without any issue. I thought this was over until I learned about the clip.”
He burst out in tears, saying, “I guess it’s my fault. It’s always the taxi driver’s fault! Aren’t we taxi drivers people too?”
The commenters, however, don’t fall for the cabbie’s cry. Many said that Thai taxi drivers need to be honest, use the meter, and improve service. Besides, it’s the passengers’ rights to tip for the service or not.
“You did this to yourself. If you were really a good person, your life would not have been ruined by your selfishness. Take this as an expensive life lesson. Never take advantage of anyone — Thai or foreign,” said a top Facebook comment.
“It’s always the taxi driver’s fault? How could you say that? Why don’t you improve your service then? Taxi drivers reject passengers. They don’t pick up passengers when it’s raining. They evict passengers from the car. Sometimes they give no change. They’re always angry when driving,” said another comment.
