Phuket Taxi Mafia Confronts Tourists Over App-Based Ride

[sambum]

3 hours ago, CM Dad said:

I visited Phuket once thirty-four years ago.  It was beautiful!  I rented a vehicle and drove myself and two friends all around the island.  We had wonderful food and enjoyed watching the sunset on a beautiful beach.  The trip was nice, but I have never had the desire to visit again.  Once was enough.

 

"The trip was nice, but I have never had the desire to visit again.  Once was enough."

 

I feel exactly the same after a 3 day trip to Pattaya many years ago!

[loong]

Strange that the subject of this report is to do with Taxis, yet there are very few posts that talk about taxis!
I would like to know what a 4 wheeled taxi collecting passengers has to do with a motorbike taxi driver. Hardly stealing his passengers is it?

[sambum]

3 hours ago, Aussie999 said:

Due to the poor tranport options, and not promoted by TAT, tourists tend to miss out on nice places, eg Hua Hin,  Chumphon, Surat Thani

 

I wouldn't class the town of Surat Thani as a tourist option, but Koh Samui and  Ko Pha Ngan are both in the Province of Surat Thani, and well worth a visit, but Koh Tao is not on my bucket list, "I'm afraid"!   

[quake]

5 hours ago, NickyLouie said:

Phuket = worst place in TH

 

WTF.

We have had the crown in pattaya for 50 years.

 it was never Phuket's. 

 

[rckmc]

Land of dumb looking smirks these days.

[Tiger1980]

1 hour ago, kuzmabruk said:

We keep the prices high so the poor farangs have to stay in Pattaya and Issan.  555

It would seem that you have a business in Phuket and that is the reason you are defending its reputation, unfortunately more and more of your potential customers 

are looking elsewhere to spend their time and money.

[BarraMarra]

One Poster who says we knock Phuket and better to stay away, well all i can say is a lot that have travelled to Phuket including me will never return like most. Your not made to feel welcome so you don't return. Complain about the service you paid for and expect to be forced to Grovel infront of the Cameras.

[VBF]

4 hours ago, CM Dad said:

I visited Phuket once thirty-four years ago.  It was beautiful!  I rented a vehicle and drove myself and two friends all around the island.  We had wonderful food and enjoyed watching the sunset on a beautiful beach.  The trip was nice, but I have never had the desire to visit again.  Once was enough.

I used to go to Phuket - went for 24 years from 1989. The Phuket you remember (which was lovely) is NOT the Phuket of today.

I went on a 2 week side trip in 2020 and will never set foot there again.

Sad but true.

[Shocked farang]

9 hours ago, Denim said:

Scumbag.

 

Why people still go to that place beats me.

Phuket does have many nice, good value resorts, hotels, bungalows. Phuket town can be a very interesting experience, there are many nice, clean, crystal clear beaches as well. Unfortunately there are also many crooks targeting tourists. I am usually an independent visitor, so I dodge pretty well the dark side of Phuket, for some newcomers it's a error and learn experience, I guess. 

[Shocked farang]

4 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

A five year prison sentence might send a statement to these vermin. The issue is that the taxi mafias have always been more powerful than the police and the army. They seem untouchable. Perhaps it is time for the people to take control and show the authorities what discipline, punishment and control look like. 

I'm sorry to inform you that the taxi mafias most probably pay "tea money" to the police. So basically they work together. In Thailand, many times when there's a dispute between a foreigner and a local business, if the police is called, they are already sided with the business, that's where their "tea money" comes from. 

[Artisi]

6 hours ago, NickyLouie said:

Phuket = worst place in TH

My choice for the worst is Pattaya, the sewage outlet of Thailand. 

[Cereal]

I like Phuket. I've been many times. I'll go again. If experienced right, it is very family friendly. 

[Reddavy]

7 hours ago, KireB said:

Pretty obvious you have no clue what you are talking about. 

Obvious you don’t. 🔔🔚

[Homburg]

That motorcycle taxi driver is surely showcasing so much that is memorable about Phuket.  Is he set to receive an award from TAT?

[Reddavy]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

 

On 1 November, a video circulated on the Facebook page “Phuket Crime” showing two foreign tourists facing harassment from a local motorcycle taxi driver in Patong, Phuket.

 

The video, captured by the app-based taxi’s in-car camera, quickly ignited public outrage online. In the footage, the tourists, legally traveling in an app-registered taxi to Phuket Airport, encounter a local motorcycle taxi driver wearing a blue vest who blocks them from closing the car door and demands they exit the vehicle.

 

The incident occurred on Thaweewong Road in Patong. The driver of the app-based taxi tried explaining that the tourists had booked the ride through an official app.

 

However, the motorcycle driver insisted on checking the tourist’s phone for confirmation before forcefully asking them to leave the taxi, even after verifying the ride.

 

 

Another clip, recorded by the taxi driver, captures an exchange between the female taxi driver and the local motorcycle driver.

 

The latter, appearing agitated, confronts her, saying, “Don’t talk to me disrespectfully.” She responds by explaining that she was merely responding to the app's notification, reported Daily News.

 

The video has since attracted a flood of comments, criticising the behaviour of local "taxi mafias." Many call on Phuket authorities to revoke traditional taxi queues to restore the island's image, especially as digital apps continue to offer tourists a safer and more affordable option. 

 

All pictures courtesy: Daily News TH

 

-- 2024-11-02

 

 

Just get out give him a 🥊 then onward 🤷🏼

[Mark Hopkins]

A big part of the problem with Phuket I believe (and it goes for Pattaya as well) is that foreigners prevail, and in many areas well outnumber the indigenous population.  This makes it a target for all kinds a lafferious traders and would be conmen (con-person sorry).  I couldn't recommend either place to someone visiting the Kingdom.  The culture, goodwill and Thai philosophy in these areas has become so diluted as to be almost non-existent. What to take away from all this?  Why come to Thailand to stay in either of these two places!

[Pompeygeezer]

5 hours ago, Johno57 said:

Tourist thailand at its finest..over priced, drunks & conmen everywhere, people fighting & prostitutes arguing over money,   tourists think this is thailand ? Just another Bali clone full of corruption..

Surprised you didn't chuck in the cliche "It isn't real Thailand" as well😴

[Pompeygeezer]

What i don't understand is why is he so angry?   He didn't miss out on a fare because no-one is going to go to the airport on a motorbike for god sakes!     and even if you did want to,  they wouldn't take you anyway.  

[gravity101]

2 hours ago, loong said:

Strange that the subject of this report is to do with Taxis, yet there are very few posts that talk about taxis!
I would like to know what a 4 wheeled taxi collecting passengers has to do with a motorbike taxi driver. Hardly stealing his passengers is it?

Weird on both counts isn't it. TV readers love to pounce on a location they don't live in, particularly Phuket. As for why the motor-sai guy did what he did, who knows, I'd guess he probably asked the customers if they needed a taxi and they said no then they got in this car instead....lost face.

[terryofcrete]

6 hours ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Because the good outweighs the bad. Do the math. Any more questions? You're welcome. (I've been going there 10 years and counting)

Are you a Russian?

[Pompeygeezer]

10 hours ago, Denim said:

Scumbag.

 

Why people still go to that place beats me.

Why some people don't like that place beats me.  

[gravity101]

2 hours ago, sambum said:

"I'm afraid"!

I see what you did there.

[James9999]

I wonder why they bothered to engage in an argument. Drive off, drag him along for a bit then he falls flat on his face. So easy.

[Middle Aged Grouch]

No mercy for the official taxi or motorcycle cheats who are on the prowl to cheat foreign customers. Government is at fault for not properly punishing those who cheat. So in the meantime, we all use the apps. Up to anybody to be a fool and pay the special falang price.

[PingRoundTheWorld]

Having lived in Patong for over a year, I have never been back. **** that place. The taxi mafia vermin have a lot to do with it, but the whole place stinks from the top down - they care only about money and give zero fs about customer welfare. Taxis are 10x times overpriced, nightlife is overpriced, bottles expire after 3 days. They simply don't care about you, period.

[RT555]

I would rather walk 10 miles... than pay the taxi mafia...

[Mitkof Island]

One of the numerous reasons I will never set foot in Phuket ever. Samui, etc all about the same. I just avoid the foreigner hot spots.

[kiwikeith]

8 hours ago, Slocum said:

There is law, but no order in this country...bottom line is the administration to take the Rap.....just useless people running the joint..Simple....They have no shame in what's happening...

One word solves this argument, Corruption 

[itsari]

The town encourages all that want easy cash.

Sorry to say

[Gobbler]

Demanding they exit the car, is kidnapping. 

 

They should be charged.