Cheat sheet ignited a heated debate on the nation’s social media platforms after they suggested the capital’s taxi drivers to avoid speaking to passengers in the Isaan dialect so as to level up the service commonplace of Thai taxis.
Bangkok is considered to have probably the most taxis in Thailand due to the bustling demand for their services making drivers from a quantity of of the kingdom’s areas flock to the capital metropolis to earn extra money.
It isn’t uncommon for taxi drivers to slip into their native dialect when communicating with Thai passengers, notably when they discover that their passengers are from their house provinces. While some drivers make use of the standard Thai language, traces of their regional accents often persist.
The concern of dialect utilization had never assumed centre stage till the Thai Taxi Association posted an official recommendation on its official Facebook page stating…
“Announcement. Please use the “Thai language (standard Thai language)” when interacting with passengers. Avoid utilizing the Isaan dialect with passengers. This step will improve the professional image and repair standard of Thai taxi drivers.”
Netizens expressed their opinions on the announcement with most insisting that using the usual Thai language does not play a big role in professionalism or excessive service standards.
Some netizens from the northeastern provinces found the recommendation to be racist and expressed their anger within the feedback part.
“I am Isaan people. What’s the problem?”
“Only Isaan accent? What in regards to the southern accent?”
“Are you telling me that Isaan language is inferior to the usual one?”
“I use taxis virtually daily. I don’t care about your dialect. What I want you to do is cease complaining about random stuff whereas driving.”
“I recommend the page administrator to cease eating Isaan meals. Can you do that?”
“Level up the service standard? Maybe you want to start along with your mindset and perspective.”
One netizen claimed that the administrator is also a taxi driver. He has been working several Facebook pages to give recommendations to other drivers. The netizen additionally acknowledged that a group of taxi drivers once bodily assaulted the administrator because of his provocative statements.
The news company, PPTV HD, reported yesterday that the team had made efforts to contact the Facebook administrator to discuss the rationale behind the advice but obtained no response.
This incident isn’t the first time that the Thai Taxi Association’s Facebook page has come underneath fireplace from netizens. Recently, the Facebook page confronted criticism for advising passengers to not request telephone chargers, not to ask for pit stops, to recollect to tip drivers, and to opt for Grab providers during peak hours or when faced with driver refusals
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