Tourist Police vow crackdown on taxi drivers’ scams

By The Nation

 

File photo

 

Tourist Police acting deputy commissioner Pol Maj-General Surachet Hakpal on Wednesday vowed to step up its crackdown on taxi drivers who take advantage of foreign tourists.

Surachet said the Tourist Police has been instructed by the Prime Minister, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, to cooperate with the Land Transport Department on the issue.

 

Surachet said the prime minister wanted to get rid of unruly taxi drivers because their behaviour damages the kingdom’s image in the eyes of foreign tourists.

 

“It’s an urgent agenda item to get rid of taxi drivers breaking the law and taking advantage of tourists,” Surachet said.

 

He said the authorities received about 1,000 complaints from tourists about taxis each month. Many drivers were accused of refusing to use the meter, and some tourists complained that they were charged Bt800 for just a 300-metre ride.

 

“The prime minister has given an instruction that the issue related to taxis is an urgent agenda item that the government must solve,” Surachetsaid.

 

“Taxis are parts of the country's image. When taxi drivers do bad things, it affects the country’s image, because foreign tourists will post on online communities how they have been taken advantage of.”

 

He said the Tourist Police will set up road checkpoints in Pratunam area and at Central World where there are a lot of foreign tourists.

 

There will also be checkpoints at Central Pinklao, the Southern Bus Terminal and Suvarnabhumi Airport.

 

Surachet said that over the past seven to eight months, police have reduced the problem of taxis refusing to take passengers in Pratunam area by issuing fines of Bt2,000 and suspending taxi licences for three months. About 1,000 taxi drivers have been fined at Pratunam while 30 to 40 drives have had their licences suspended. Ten were banned from driving taxis for good, he added.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30332229

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-11-22

The road checkpoints may reveal a lot of drivers with 35 baht on the meter!

Long overdue, but given the extent of the problem, difficult to see how they will make it work. I can see this being another "crackdown" that will last about a week and then be dropped as simply being too difficult.

10 minutes ago, webfact said:

He said the authorities received about 1,000 complaints from tourists about taxis each month. Many drivers were accused of refusing to use the meter, and some tourists complained that they were charged Bt800 for just a 300-metre ride.

 

Only 1000 complaints ?....  no one answers the complaint lines, there is a DLT App called [DLT CheckIn] which did not work properly an no longer works at all with a message 'can't connect to the server'

 

IF the authorities are serious about these issues they would make the system of 'complaint' and bringing to their attention the poor practices of Taxi drivers much much easier.

 

The DLT App never worked, we were unable to download a photo into the app and unable to take a photo of an offending taxi from within the App. 

 

This is all Media Lip service - those in positions of decision making power don't really care at all as this does not impact them in the slightest. There has been a complaint from someone higher up after a poor media report.... the 'crack down' has been announced - Job Done !!!... 

 

.... Wash repeat and do the same for any of Thailands numerous other issues which could be readily resolved with a small dose of 'give a flook' and a dollop of 'get off my arse'.... 

 

 

Tourist police vow crackdown on taxi driver scams.

Somebodies having a laugh.

I wonder who will crack down on Police scams. Not that nice Mr Prayuth, that's for sure.

 

Despite all his huff and puff about corruption.

I read the words "police", "vow" and "crackdown" and I am just moving on...

I first came to Thailand in 2001 and was warned several times to be careful of taxi scams.

Not much changes in 16 years does it?

20 minutes ago, missoura said:

one of volvo's better cars

Yikes. Another crackdown!

Now this one is extremely easy to remedy:

Simply issue, along with the  arrivalcards, a written statement in Thai and English warning visitors that all taxi's MUST use the meter, on pains of an obligatory fine of 2000 Baht, and an (English speaking) police number to call upon refusal. For his or her efforts the tourist involved can then keep 500 baht of the fine.

 

It's a win-win solution for everyone involved - except untrustworthy taxi drivers, of course.

I just love the smell of 'crackdown' in the morning..

i'm sure that in a couple of years time of even longer,

we still be hearing about crackdowns, life would very

boring without reading about them....

How can Prayut complain about fake news when he puts out this nonsense? Taxis will not be put under control no matter how long the junta stays. How can they take on the taxi mafia when they can't even take on the lottery mafia?

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Who's in charge?

The number of organisations sorting out the taxis have left behind many promises now, and few results.

How is this any business of the Tourist Police?  The taxis are a problem for all and the problem could be addressed by plain clothes police (of any or all relevant departments) standing by the side of the road.  When rejected they take down the car number and phone ahead to a colleague who can stop the car. Fine given, or worse if a previous offender.  Can also check if driver is correct for the car and has clean licence.

Someone is making enough money they can persuade the authorites not to do their jobs.

Surprise surprise.

The soi 11 drivers are laughing and doing business as usual after not making the list.

yewbetcha

Every Crackdown cracks me up

Bullshit detector gone off the screen

Edited November 22, 20178 yr by Dave67

Impossible to get a taxi at normal fare in Pratunam (not at least outside Baiyoke Sky hotel), in Lower sukhumvit inside the sois (namely soi 11), in Chinatown (namely in Charoen Krung road and Yawarat Road).  The problem is worst after 4 pm.

Only once in my life would I like to see the authorities discard that insane, flogged-to-death "damaging the country's image" reason for springing into action and instead announce that they will crack down on criminals BECAUSE IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

 

Only once! ... and I shall die a happy man.

 

And let's be frank about it, an announcement like that would indeed do wonders for the country's image. 

Edited November 22, 20178 yr by Misterwhisper

Crackdown on this, crackdown on that, honestly how do they keep up, I know I can't!!?

Crackdown on taxi's?  Crackdown on police scams like part-time helmet laws.   5555  ...  1000 complaints?  nice round figure.  Who thought that one up?  

4 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Long overdue, but given the extent of the problem, difficult to see how they will make it work. I can see this being another "crackdown" that will last about a week and then be dropped as simply being too difficult.

 

This isn't the first crackdown and not even the first under the Junta. Previous one lasted a few weeks with some drivers being photo'd outside MBK getting fined. 

 

If a governing military Junta, who uses soldiers as well as police to enforce laws, can't get the taxi drivers to obey the law by always picking up fairs and always using the meters it says a lot.

 

Law enforcement - you're having a laugh!

Quote

some tourists complained that they were charged Bt800 for just a 300-metre ride.

In Bangkok they call that a ripoff, in Phuket we call it 50% discount on the standard fare.

Thai taxi scam is now as good as the accident status. Should be in the top 3 global position. I am confident they have achieved it by now. 

3 hours ago, MrJohnson said:

Yikes. Another crackdown!

Next they will be having a crackdown on a crackdown , I raise you two crackdowns on top of your crackdown . 

Search Pattaya Taxi on FB.

Same old, same old... vow... crackdown... same same... yawn...

"Deja Poo"  SOS (Same old S@#t).