Best advice I can give to this new Phuket promotional 'Summer season' website referred to in another thread is let us know when the Tuk Tuk sc.m have been sorted out. That is the first thing which comes to my mind when I think of Phuket and is probably the same for many others. I read on the net about the bus service which was introduced in the past to bypass the extortionate tuk tuk fares but on the first day the driver was beaten up!

My understanding is that this was a private enterprise but I suggest the LOCAL AUTHORITY introduce a bus service linking the beaches along the coast at a reasonable price (say B20-50 per journey). A few buses could run along the coast all day long. I have this vision of all these happy holidaymakers hopping on and off (like you may see along a coast in Europe) and not have to deal with the sc.m.

This would be the best publicity Phuket could give itself, be it high, low, middle, sunny, rainy or summer season!

I am probably going to be opening a hospitality business in Patong this year and this is my number 1 concern as the image it is giving out is the most detrimental issue to Phuket in my view.

I wish you all the luck, matey.

More variety, something different, I hope.

I believe there was once a local Thai gentleman who tried to operate a private Songtawo running between Paton and Karon. The Tuktuk drivers pulled him from his truk and beat him. and there has never been 'Public bus' service since.

"Wasteland for Sale"

Yeah good luck. "Local Authority" to big and powerful. I fear Phuket is circling the drain. Hope not.

I believe there was once a local Thai gentleman who tried to operate a private Songtawo running between Paton and Karon. The Tuktuk drivers pulled him from his truk and beat him. and there has never been 'Public bus' service since.

Did you not read the OP's first paragraph?

In his "maiden" speech, our nice new guv'nor made no mention whatsoever of any public transport issues. He's either ill-informed, doesn't care or - most likely - is part of the problem.

But he IS going to do something with the road from the airport to Patong so the tourists - both of 'em - can get a wonderful impression of Phuket and then, when they get to Patong, realise it was all a joke.

Best advice I can give to this new Phuket promotional 'Summer season' website referred to in another thread is let us know when the Tuk Tuk sc.m have been sorted out. That is the first thing which comes to my mind when I think of Phuket and is probably the same for many others. I read on the net about the bus service which was introduced in the past to bypass the extortionate tuk tuk fares but on the first day the driver was beaten up!

My understanding is that this was a private enterprise but I suggest the LOCAL AUTHORITY introduce a bus service linking the beaches along the coast at a reasonable price (say B20-50 per journey). A few buses could run along the coast all day long. I have this vision of all these happy holidaymakers hopping on and off (like you may see along a coast in Europe) and not have to deal with the sc.m.

This would be the best publicity Phuket could give itself, be it high, low, middle, sunny, rainy or summer season!

I am probably going to be opening a hospitality business in Patong this year and this is my number 1 concern as the image it is giving out is the most detrimental issue to Phuket in my view.

Perhaps you should stay here a bit longer before opening up another hospitality business in Patong if your number concern is public transport. Wait and here more stories about the horror of public transport. Nothing will ever be done.

As ozymandious said the driver got beat up. I know of one tour company that was picking up customers at hotels to go to their facility and also started getting harrased by the drivers as the tuk tuk drivers wanted the toursit to pay to get to the tour. THey had to start picking up the tourist in unmarked vehicles.

I always finding it interesting that so many farangs here appear to be shocked at the tuk-tuk mafia. I have spent time in thirty countries besides 48 out of 50 U.S. states. I have never been anywhere that didn't have some kind of "mafia", "organized crime", "government corruption" etc. Maybe they weren't as blatant about it, but this goes on everywhere, and nowhere is it really controlled by the police.

I understand that it's a lot more ego-gratifying to complain about the "inferior corrupt Thais", but I promise anyone who thinks that way that their country has a much more powerful criminal organization that does much worse things than beat people up.

The best way to deal with this kind of thing if it threatens the success of your business is to stop getting upset and pay them off. The amount of money they want is miniscule and getting on their good side is a lot better than trying to fight them.

When we started a business involving boats, we were approached by the pier mafia to "contribute" to the maintenance of the little wooden pier that the longtails used. We gave them THB 5,000 and after that never had any problems with boats, fuel prices, the big pier, officials, or even hiring longtails. Another businessman got all indignant and refused to pay. Amazingly, his boat burned to the waterline and he went out business.

Sometimes it is better to be realistic than to stand (and fail) on principles that achieve nothing.

Hi

Have a look

http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/index.asp?id=7291

Hi

Have a look

http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/index.asp?id=7291

Not one word about sea state and rips ...

Hi

Have a look

http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/index.asp?id=7291

Not one word about sea state and rips ...

True.

I wonder how many Japs and Koreans get swallowed by the sea this low season?