Taxi tensions in Phuket: Drivers demand ride-hailing rights

[webfact]

Tensions are boiling over in Phuket as local green plate taxi drivers, reliant on app-based bookings to stay afloat, face hefty 2,000-baht fines for doing just that.

 

Drivers rallied at Saphan Hin’s central stage last Tuesday, November 5, calling on officials to overhaul outdated regulations that penalise them for using ride-hailing apps – a vital income stream since the pandemic decimated traditional tourism.

 

“We’re just trying to earn a living,” said Prasert Khemmanuwong, a representative for the drivers, describing the fines as “distressing.”

 

Phuket’s green plate taxis, typically dedicated to business and tourist transport, embraced ride-hailing apps during Covid-19 to reach scarce customers, a practice that became essential for many drivers. But recent crackdowns have left them in a bind: drivers caught using the apps now face fines, pushing many to gather and demand a temporary halt on fines while new laws are discussed.

“We are calling for legal amendments that will let us work through apps as before, or at least a temporary halt on fines while we await these changes,” Prasert said, stressing the importance of adapting the law to support drivers’ livelihoods.

 

The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO), however, has shown little sympathy. Chief Atcha Buachan noted that current regulations prohibit green plate taxis from using ride-hailing apps, advising drivers to re-register under Type 18 for legal app-based work. Despite drivers’ pleas, the PLTO has so far ignored their gathering at Saphan Hin.

 

According to the latest PLTO update, platforms such as Grab, Hello Phuket, and AirAsia Super App are authorised in Thailand, though some like Maxim remain uncertified for legal use.

 

As frustrations grow, green plate drivers are appealing to provincial officials to provide a workable, legal pathway for app-based work – or risk further discontent among Phuket’s beleaguered taxi drivers, reported Phuket News.

 

Photo courtesy of Phuket News

 

by Puntid Tantivangphaisal
Photo courtesy of Phuket News

 

Source: The Thaiger 

-- 2024-11-12

 

 

[stevenl]

Why can't they register as drivers for the apps?

[renaissanc]

The solution is simple. Let them be contacted by an app. The officials seem to be stuck in the 20th century. 

[john donson]

any news from the free busses that would make taxi maffia burn them?

[ujayujay]

“We’re just trying to earn a living,” said the burglar, the blackmailer, the bank robber in Thailand