Many Foreigners in Phuket Allegedly Renting Cars for Doing Illegal Taxi Services

[webfact]

 

By Goongnang Suksawat

 

Phuket – Phuket officials are investigating after they have received many complaints that many foreigners are renting cars for doing illegal taxi services.

A team of officials from the Phuket Land Transport Office (Phuket PLTO) and the Phuket Provincial Employment Office this afternoon (February 8th) set up a checkpoint at the Si Kor Intersection in Kathu which many vehicles were heading up to the Patong Hill.

 

The Phuket PLTO Chief Mr. Atcha Buajan told the Phuket Express that they have received many complaints that many foreigners in Phuket are renting cars and are being illegal taxi drivers.

 

Full story: https://thephuketexpress.com/2023/02/08/many-foreigners-in-phuket-allegedly-renting-cars-for-doing-illegal-taxi-services/

 

-- © Copyright The Phuket Express 2023-02-09

 

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[d4dang]

crafty foreigners depriving local taxi drivers of scam opportunities....probably overstaying too

[CANSIAM]

I would imagine these folks are not in the 'high quality tourist group' label.........

[Srikcir]

This accusation sounds like a scam against foreigners.

[Olmate]

Whats Russian for grab? 

[spidermike007]

Oh please. Such nonsense. Just rabid, fear mongering, uninformed xenophobia. How could someone pay daily rental rates and still generate a profit, and as a taxi driver? This is one of the dumbest accusations of the year. 

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

1 minute ago, spidermike007 said:

Oh please. Such nonsense. Just rabid, fear mongering, uninformed xenophobia. How could someone pay daily rental rates and still generate a profit, and as a taxi driver? This is one of the dumbest accusations of the year. 

This right here. Everyone I've talked to says a rental is around 9-10k baht a month.

 

So I thought I was getting a deal financing our new car at 7800 a month. But then I gotta buy insurance, so then it's back up to the 9-10k, heh. But at least it's a new car.

 

300 baht a day? Then there's your gas. Nah, not much of a business opportunity.

[Olmate]

7 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Oh please. Such nonsense. Just rabid, fear mongering, uninformed xenophobia. How could someone pay daily rental rates and still generate a profit, and as a taxi driver? This is one of the dumbest accusations of the year. 

One airport trip, theres your rent paid

[HappyExpat57]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

many complaints that many foreigners

Yeah . . . no.

[jerrymahoney]

Maybe the Russians want to have a driver who speaks Russian, and the Chinese want a driver who speaks Chinese, etc.

 

And saving a few baht is not part of the equation.

 

[ikke1959]

Overpriced "official" taxis are complaining??? Maybe time to change their own behavior... and the so called foreign taxis, are maybe familymembers who take their friends of visiting family to their home or drive around for sightseeing....and than they are no taxis....

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The Phuket PLTO Chief Mr. Atcha Buajan told the Phuket Express that they have received many complaints that many foreigners in Phuket are renting cars and are being illegal taxi drivers.

Perish the thought that Phuket foreigners are doing Thai mafia work.

[hotchilli]

55 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

This accusation sounds like a scam against foreigners.

Maybe Russians trying to earn some keep.

[bob smith]

Phuket?

 

Think i'll pass.. ????

[lanng khao]

58 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Whats Russian for grab? 

Grabski..

[sqwakvfr]

I think if my next Grab driver was Vitaly from Moscow or Xi from Shanghai this would be breaking news.  I think this goes back to the default position of some in LOS: Blame a foreigner or foreigners. 

[edogthong]

The Thai's government greatest fear is that a foreigner would work in their country. They're so scared of it that they make up stories about it. Compare that to the immigration situation we have in Europe....

[sammieuk1]

Off to A+E to get my laughing emoji removed again ????

[Olmate]

39 minutes ago, bob smith said:

Phuket?

 

Think i'll pass.. ????

No freebies for you.! 

[pollyog]

Oh great.  How long before expat residents like myself collecting family or friends from the airport will get stopped and accused of working as an illegal taxi driver?  Will they believe the tourist who insists that they are not paying for the ride?   This could turn out to be a headache for those of us who are quite legally depriving the Phuket taxi mafia of a fare!

[AhFarangJa]

41 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

Off to A+E to get my laughing emoji removed again ????

The laughing emoji appears to have been censored off the choices........

I have started a thread to ask why.....

Edited February 9, 2023 by AhFarangJa

[ChrisY1]

Pure spin put up by the Phuket taxi mafia and those profiting from their scamming ways.

Disgraceful behavior from a disgraceful, but fully supported by the authorities, bunch of tourist scammers!

[kcpattaya]

2 hours ago, Srikcir said:

sounds like a scam against foreigners.

Do you have any idea what's the meaning of a SCAM?

Asking for a friend.

[thailand49]

Maybe they forgot to use calculator? ????

[Homburg]

2 hours ago, Olmate said:

Whats Russian for grab? 

Invade.

Edited February 9, 2023 by Homburg
Incorrect term used.

[jesimps]

I should imagine that these foreigners are fellow Asians ie Myanmarese, Cambodian or Loatian. A westerner would find it difficult to pull it off.

[Gottfrid]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Oh please. Such nonsense. Just rabid, fear mongering, uninformed xenophobia. How could someone pay daily rental rates and still generate a profit, and as a taxi driver? This is one of the dumbest accusations of the year. 

No, it´s not! A car, you can rent from 9 000 - 12 000 baht per month. That would only be 300 - 400 per day. As a taxi driver you can easily make trips for 1 500 per day. Let´s say that 900 goes away including rent and gasoline. I would assume it is most India and other Asian nationalities that are doing this. They will be quite satisfied to have 600 baht or more per day.

[brianthainess]

1 hour ago, AhFarangJa said:

1 hour ago, sammieuk1 said:

Off to A+E to get my laughing emoji removed again ????

The laughing emoji appears to have been censored off the choices........

I have started a thread to ask why.....

Edited 53 minutes ago by AhFarangJa

Also all other emojis apart from the 'default'  ones 

[brianthainess]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Phuket – Phuket officials are investigating after they have received many complaints that many foreigners are renting cars for doing illegal taxi services

And yet it appears they caught NO ONE. 

[Lemsta69]

2 hours ago, edogthong said:

Compare that to the immigration situation we have in Europe....

Thank Buddha that Thailand isn't going down the European route. They're right to be 'scared' of foreigners and they should do everything they can to not become a basket case like the rest of the Western world.