Do taxis drivers earn enough per drive?

i think you might be overthinking the platform angle a bit. a lot of the older drivers i've talked to around on nut just hate using the apps in general, they'd rather pick up street fares and deal with cash. they feel like the meter is fair enough if you're going somewhere reasonable, but they'll get grumpy if you ask for a short hop like from asok to phrom phong because they know they'll sit in traffic for 15 minutes and make like 60 baht

the grumpiness might also be a post-covid thing where a ton of drivers retired or left the city during the lockdowns and the ones who stayed are just tired and over it. i've noticed the newer drivers tend to be younger and more chill, but they're harder to find. try standing outside a big mall like centralworld around 6pm and just waving at the ones dropping people off, those drivers are usually in a better mood because they just made a decent trip

and yeah fuel costs are up but the real kicker is the traffic on sukhumvit road during rush hour now, it's genuinely worse than 2022. some drivers will straight up refuse to go past asok after 5pm no matter what you offer

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honestly it's not really about the fare rates being too low, it's more that the drivers are getting squeezed by the platforms. Line Man and Grab take a pretty big cut, like 20-30% sometimes, so what you pay isn't what they actually get. a lot of drivers will just reject short trips or ones that go into heavy traffic because the time spent isn't worth it after the platform fee

also the grumpiness might just be a Bangkok thing now. traffic has gotten noticeably worse since 2022, especially around Sukhumvit and Sathorn. spending an hour to move 2km in the heat will make anyone irritable, especially when they know they're barely breaking even on that trip

if you want a better experience try flagging down a regular taxi on the street instead of using an app. you'll pay roughly the same but the driver keeps the full fare, and in my experience they're way more chill when they don't feel like the app is ripping them off

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Could also be the sheer volume of traffic now. Drivers who used to do 10-12 trips a day might only manage 7-8 because the roads are gridlocked, so they're stressed about making their daily target. The meter fare hasn't moved much, but their earning window has shrunk. Try using the app to book a "GrabTaxi" instead of the regular option, it's a different pool of drivers who tend to be less rushed.

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Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but I've always found their som tam a bit tame on the pla ra. If you want the real funky version, try the shophouse spots along Soi Udomsuk 26, near the night market end. They pound it fresh with fermented fish that'll clear your sinuses, and it's like 60 baht. Different style from the On Nut places, more Lao-leaning.

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for som tam specifically i'd say the Isaan spots in Chatuchak are underrated, weekdays only though since the weekend crowd ruins the vibe. there's a stall near gate 2 that does tam pa with fermented bamboo shoots, super sour and funky, not something you see much in On Nut. if you're already heading north for Or Tor Kor anyway its worth the detour.

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honestly the som tam at Krua Dok Mai Kao is good but what got me hooked is their nam prik pla raa dip with the raw veggies, that funk hits way harder than the papaya does. think most people sleep on it cuz they just order the som tam and gai yang. also pro tip, go before noon on weekdays, after that teh pla ra gets milder cuz they batch it for the lunch rush

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