Originally Posted by
transpac
My guess is that a metered taxi is much safer, as measured by death/injury per Km, than a UBER here. This is pure opinion, but is based on ~ 10 years of driving here (personal car) and seeing that anyone can buy a license (assuming they even have one). Taxi drivers have a vested interest in protecting their lives/taxi, while just about any Somchai can get behind the wheel of a car here.
When you factor in a knowledge of the roads - always amazes me how savvy you have to be to get around the Bangkok area ( a huge area) - traffic, routes, a taxi is probably safer and more reliable. Yes, they come with a few drawbacks, the main one seems to be dodgy fares, which is easily overcome by using GrabTaxi and paying 25 baht extra. Factor in the "legality" issue of UBER here and a taxi might win out 95% of the time?
An experienced, known good/reliable UBER driver, running a decent vehicle with a legitimate green plates and a valid driver's license would probably trump any taxi?
Every Uber I've taken in Thailand (half dozen in Bangkok, over 20 in Chiang Mai) has had a driver who drives at least as conservatively and safely - most more so - than any taxi driver that I can recall. An Uber driver (presuming he owns the car) has just as much "vested interest" in avoiding an accident as a taxi driver does.
It's pretty funny that you'd offer your "pure opinion" on the safety of Uber drivers based upon your own personal driving record....unless you're an Uber driver, that is.