Phuket airport taxi fare probe goes nowhere

[chalawaan]

6 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

As far as I can ascertain, for 2021 the numbers are :-

 

10.7 million is the Thai population of Bangkok

438,000      is the Thai population of Phuket

<60,000      is the Thai population of Koh Samui

 

Of course taxi fares are more expensive on the islands.

The potential customer bases are much smaller.

It is not not realistic to compare Bangkok with the smaller cities.

 

Taxi fares in Bangkok would not be as cheap if there were less than half a million people there.

What a rubbish argument.

1. The locals never pay these prices.

2. The tourists more than make up for the population argument you advance.

3. Why should honest business people suffer with closures, even as you defend habitual criminal cartels on the basis of hard times?

Reprehensible.

[jvs]

4 hours ago, HAPPYNUFF said:

A million baht concession  to  ply your taxi around Phuket airport..  Me thinks   your mad ex was telling just a little porky pie, hoping you would  help  pay the  bill.    Ive noticed Thais always exaggerate  the cost of anything they either buy or sell.    An example,  a woman near us was bragging how her farang boyfriend paid 1 million baht for land for her.   My wifes Uncle  owned and sold that land to  her,, cost 450,000.        Another   claimed her boyfriend bought her a "chopper" style  motor bike for  680,000 baht.     Actual sale price was 300,000 baht, as it  was  clapped out... Me, Im rather shy, and  tell the Im an extremely wealthy farang,, but a very mean one.

Yes maybe both farangs paid that much!Think about it.

[bangon04]

Phuket airport taxi fare probe goes nowhere

 

but was charged 1500 THB for the privilege....

[Seismic]

8 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

More like 50 km and no fare allowed on way back.

Seriously!, follow the 4030 onto the 4031 and the distance is 30 km. nowhere near 50!

[BostonRob2]

10 hours ago, Whale said:

My house to Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok is 32 km ..... 220 baht plus 50 baht surcharge..

 

 

There's no surcharge going to the airport. Someone is, er....taking you for a ride. 

[martin81]

7 hours ago, Khun Yogi said:

Its about 80 km from Pattaya to the airport. B 1000 is pretty normal. Most taxis use LPG which is a lot cheaper than petrol. Going to the airport is no problem, its the getting a taxi at the airport to your destination where the problems start. Touts, Taxi companies etc etc rule the roost. Expats know how to avoid this, tourists don't.

Actually there is around 115 km of road driving from Pattaya to Suwannaphum airport. I have driven it many times in rental cars.

In taxi I usually pay 1100 baht from private company in Pattaya.

[JCP108]

Just let people ride the public bus that goes from the airport all the way down the west coast of the island. You pay a pro-rated rate depending on how far you ride it and even if you go all the way down to (or up from) Raway, the fair is only around 200B.

[LivinginKata]

9 minutes ago, JCP108 said:

Just let people ride the public bus that goes from the airport all the way down the west coast of the island. You pay a pro-rated rate depending on how far you ride it and even if you go all the way down to (or up from) Raway, the fair is only around 200B.

Not operating during these covid days

[JCP108]

2 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

Not operating during these covid days

Makes sense to have stopped it when tourism on the island tanked. Would have been a smart thing to restart it once they expected those hoardes of travelers to the sandbox. 

[MrJ2U]

Whenever I arrive at The airport I have an SUV booked so I don't need to hassle with these jerks.  I can come and go anytime and explore the sights.  

 

For a few baht more than dealing with taxis, Tuk Tuks, etc its the way to go!

 

 

 

[DrDave]

12 hours ago, hotchilli said:

"Probe goes nowhere"

It should go right to the very top... tell the governor, sort it out or you're out.

Any governor in the past that promised to take on the taxi mafia was promptly dispatched to another province.

[Albert Zweistein]

13 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

As far as I can ascertain, for 2021 the numbers are :-

 

10.7 million is the Thai population of Bangkok

438,000      is the Thai population of Phuket

<60,000      is the Thai population of Koh Samui

 

Of course taxi fares are more expensive on the islands.

The potential customer bases are much smaller.

It is not not realistic to compare Bangkok with the smaller cities.

 

Taxi fares in Bangkok would not be as cheap if there were less than half a million people there.

And maybe less taxi's ?

[Stargeezr]

That is why Phuket as been called Mafia Island for year.  It will not change, because the system will not ever change.

  Even the PM joked about it.  That should tell all of you something.

Geezer

[pomchop]

9 minutes ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

That is why Phuket as been called Mafia Island for year.  It will not change, because the system will not ever change.

  Even the PM joked about it.  That should tell all of you something.

Geezer

I used to go to phuket often but lost interest due to constant gouging.  Short time tourist either don't know or don't care when they get gouged so it will go on and on and on.

[denis7154]

Can anybody tell me what are the prices of the taxi for a ride to your hotel, under the current phuket sandbox??

 

Anyone ve been on the phuket sandbox and knows anything about it?

[4MyEgo]

Whenever I used to go to Phuket, I would hire a car or have a car service with driver to take me to my hotel for the same price a taxi fare would cost, i.e. after a taxi driver tried to charge me more than the 800 baht fare.

 

These clowns won't learn, perhaps make it mandatory that all tourists buy a ticket from stalls at the airport and along the island, set up by the government before entering a taxi, flat rate for Phuket or to the airport, say 800 baht, driver can collect money at any stall similar to lottery tickets, there can be a scale of fares and the tourist can be charged appropriately as per the scale with price shown on ticket which is handed to the driver, too easy, really.  

[RickSee]

3 hours ago, denis7154 said:

Can anybody tell me what are the prices of the taxi for a ride to your hotel, under the current phuket sandbox??

 

Anyone ve been on the phuket sandbox and knows anything about it?

Am looking at the Thai Embassy in France website and see the following (translated from French):

 

"The journey between Phuket Airport and the SHA + Hotel should be made using the hotel shuttle only.".

[DrDave]

On 7/9/2021 at 1:55 AM, Tropicalevo said:

As far as I can ascertain, for 2021 the numbers are :-

 

10.7 million is the Thai population of Bangkok

438,000      is the Thai population of Phuket

<60,000      is the Thai population of Koh Samui

 

Of course taxi fares are more expensive on the islands.

The potential customer bases are much smaller.

It is not not realistic to compare Bangkok with the smaller cities.

 

Taxi fares in Bangkok would not be as cheap if there were less than half a million people there.

Wrong.  The problem is that there are too many taxis and tuk tuks in Phuket. 

 

The number of taxis has been unregulated throughout the years, resulting in the operators forming a politically powerful association (mafia) that sets unrealistically high fares to ensure that all snouts in the trough can make the most amount of money by doing the least amount of work.  Pre-Covid, tuk tuks would be lined up on Patong's streets for hours at a time with the drivers snoozing in the back. With the mafia's fares, they only needed one or two  customers all day in order to make as much as someone working all day at a real job.

While these vermin have taken a serious hit during the pandemic, I'm confident they'll be back to their usual tricks in full force over the coming months.