Over 1,000 Unlicensed Taxis, Guides Arrested At Suvarnabhumi

[waza]

On top of the fine they should be banned from the airport without a flight ticket

[luangtom]

Have the powers-that-be made any mention of "cleaning-up" inside the airport? King Power comes to mind....what with all of the media coverage of those reputable folks. Anything happening with inside folks, other than touts?

[DonGato]

Why the crocks are doing this?... who are the victims?... wouldn't be a really good measure to instruct the tourists about this crocks and how to not get involved with them?

If visitors get well advised, this guys will eventually run low in business...

... you know... don't kill the dog (another one will come)... just put the garbage high enough...

[Frezie]

Come on, Thailand, all this corruption is hurting the country more than you can imagine. And its like a slap in the face to those who their work diligently and honestly.

How important do you thing tourism is? If memory serves, it's 6% of the GNP. So many of the farangs are cheap skates, losers and perverts who cannot afford Hawaii or Portugal. They end up costing a lot in police investigations, too.

The Thais market to Asian tourists who cause way less trouble.

Give me a good reason, based on the fat, dirty old men that have flooded Thailand for decades, that Thais should admire, no revere, farangs!?

[if they had a barfing emoticom]

Don't have the stats to argue with your figure but I'd always understood that tourism was their 2nd largest export until 2 or 3 years ago after rice

[DonGato]

1000 baht for ripping off tourists and further damaging the tourist industry. 2000 baht for stubbing a cigarette out in the gutter - TIT!!

Right on the money!!!

[foxxx]

arrests... or catch and release?

catch them, give them the fine, take them down to pay, then let them go again. no real holding.

if there was a month's jail time involved and a 10k fine, it's hardly worth it for the drivers doing all the hard work, the mafia bosses will start running low on staff - and income.

[Acharn]

To understand these statistics. the key question that needs to be asked is how many of the illegal taxis and guides arrested were soliciting ARRIVING customers. From what I could see, all the authorities did was target the unregistered limousines and cars from hotels and other drivers from Pattaya and Bangkok who were DROPPING OFF passengers ie easy targets and a fairly honest bunch.

Of course, the real thugs targetting the ARRIVING passengers are not touched. An arriving passenger is a golden goose - who wants a departing customer who has already discovered the pricing and currency in Thailand? You need to get them "fresh" to really rip them off.

The crackdown is a joke - everyone in the airport is in on the scam. Similarly, have you ever tried to find the "cheap" river taxi on the Chao Praya river in Bangkok? Every single person you ask, be they an official selling the ferry tickets, to the flower sellers , to the police, will guide you to the long-tails waiting to give you a private tour of the river at an inflated price (to pay off everyone in the chain).

Come on, Thailand, all this corruption is hurting the country more than you can imagine. And its like a slap in the face to those who their work diligently and honestly.

I don't use the airport myself, so I don't have any direct experience, but from the newspaper articles and comments on usenet news I read when the airport first opened, I gather that the "illegal" taxi and limousine drivers are competing with "legal" overpriced services which are registered with AoT (i.e., they pay kickbacks to AoT executives). As for tour guides, that's a whole different scam I have no experience with.

[eastbaybob]

1000 baht fine. Yet they can keep a tourist locked up in a hotel for a week, so that they can do their daily ATM withdrawal in attempts to get several thousand pounds together, before they are released. Maybe several problems could be solved if the police, or whoever, fined the alleged shoplifters 1000 baht whilst holding the illegal touts and taxi drivers in a hotel while they scrapped together thousands of pounds to get free.

[givenall]

a thousand? who know that were that many crooks and cheats in the country?

dont worry, thi is

Don’t worry, this is Thailand, these are just a token arrest, they will be back in a week or so. it will be the same all over again. To fix the problem need to fix the Police and it is impossible. It is ok this country has been like this for years and not the only country over in Asia.

I always say buyers beware and do your homework before going anywhere. Understand the problems and keep eyes open at all the time

[Foggy Bottom]

The crackdown is all well and

[foxxx]

how much does an AOT taxi cost from the airport to pattaya?

[thailand4tour]

Quantity is not important cos they just get arrested, paid the fine and back to their operations again. Last year, when I boarded a taxi from taxi stand, driver refused to go by meter and demanded his fees and speed off. I just opened the car door while he was going fast and shouted at him to stop. Immediately, he agreed to turn on the meter. Later reported him to the airport authority with his face and particulars captured on my digital camera. Many taxi refused to go by meter when picked up farlang (foreigners) in Bangkok.

[Acharn]

Have the powers-that-be made any mention of "cleaning-up" inside the airport? King Power comes to mind....what with all of the media coverage of those reputable folks. Anything happening with inside folks, other than touts?

King Power supports (i.e., pays) Newin, who supports Suthep, so they're safe.

[12DrinkMore]

The AoT needed more cooperation from airport staff at the operating level. But many were found to lack morale and appeared uninterested in the problem because it was supposed to be the responsibility of the special security team, he said.

So is that an employee problem or an employer, in this case AoT, problem?

Looks like a typical ineffective management "pass the blame down"; "the employees aren't doing their job".

[eastlight]

yea, I'm one of those suckers taken advantage of there at both Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang... I chalk it up to ignorance! Scre me once, shame on you. Screw me twice, shame on me!

Are we all not missing the point here? With all this crap aimed at ripping off all and sundry, the message is is that security at the airport is non existent - if the rip off artists can't be kept out just how can the terrorist with his van load of explosives be persuaded that this is not an easy target.

If I was an airline operator I would be extremely concerned regarding the manangement of the airport.

[somo]

I wonder where the million plus Baht from the fines is?

If this was a real attempt to clear things up perhaps it could be used to finance some further measures.

Can always live in hope:)

[Jazzmaster]

Wow....at least its a start...so much graft, bribery and corruption in this country but happy to see some control attempted and exhibited...if only it could have been targeted at the yellow shirted domestic terrorists at the airport last year....ok ok ok...babysteps !!!

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

Progressive fines would make sense, 1,000 first offense, 10,000 second offense 100,000 third offense, then jail +100,000.

That would thin them out.

[rockyysdt]

Except for once that I went to the airport and the taxi, having dropped me off at the departure platform and after being paid, sped off with my briefcase and my camerabag in his trunk. The next day I got my briefcase back but my camerabag (new camera NIKON D80 and all accessories): "he never saw something like this..."

Police at Suvarnabhumi even refused to register my claim although it was with a smile as for saying "som nam naa"! Maybe

Bad luck dude.

If I have anything in the trunk or backseat, I never get out of the cab until the driver gets out first.

Yours is a good example of a problem which might occur when using cabs.

What I'd like to know is, "

[rockyysdt]

Except for once that I went to the airport and the taxi, having dropped me off at the departure platform and after being paid, sped off with my briefcase and my camerabag in his trunk. The next day I got my briefcase back but my camerabag (new camera NIKON D80 and all accessories): "he never saw something like this..."

Police at Suvarnabhumi even refused to register my claim although it was with a smile as for saying "som nam naa"! Maybe

Bad luck dude.

If I have anything in the trunk or backseat, I never get out of the cab until the driver gets out first.

Yours is a good example of a problem which might occur when using cabs.

What I'd like to know is, what is the big scam or rip off when using illegal taxis at the airport?

I can think of no insurance should you be involved in an accident, but can anyone illustrate examples of scam or rip off?

If it's failing to use the meter & fixing a price, then all cab drivers, legal or otherwise pull this one.

Also they hit you with freeway toll fees on top of the fare unless you discuss and agree on this before commencing your ride.

Edited September 9, 2009 by rockyysdt

[eggomaniac]

Either in TV or Thorn Tree, in 2003, I read the advice to avoid the touts and guides, which was the same/same problem back then, by crossing the foot bridge and get a regular taxi outside the airport.

At DM, one could 'escape' to the street and flag a cab, catch a 40 bhat bus, or hop the train. They sure plugged that 'leak' at the new airport, by a 2 kilometer perimeter.

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One way to avoid the touts is have HER family there, like a small army. I don't know what they say to them in Thai, but it sure looks funny the way they skulk off.

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[Spalpeen]

"But many (airport staff) were found to lack morale and appeared uninterested in the problem because it was supposed to be the responsibility of the special security team."

One sentence that sums up a lot of what is wrong with Thailand.

[laocowboy2]

Come on, Thailand, all this corruption is hurting the country more than you can imagine. And its like a slap in the face to those who their work diligently and honestly.

How important do you thing tourism is? If memory serves, it's 6% of the GNP. So many of the farangs are cheap skates, losers and perverts who cannot afford Hawaii or Portugal. They end up costing a lot in police investigations, too.

The Thais market to Asian tourists who cause way less trouble.

Give me a good reason, based on the fat, dirty old men that have flooded Thailand for decades, that Thais should admire, no revere, farangs!?

[if they had a barfing emoticom]

Don't have the stats to argue with your figure but I'd always understood that tourism was their 2nd largest export until 2 or 3 years ago after rice

While not a crucial contributor to GDP in itself, tourism is a very important source of relatively decently paying jobs, especially in areas with little or no significant industry or office jobs. The tourism stats also do not really capture all the spend (how much spent at Robinsons comes from tourists - who keeps score? etc). While formal unemployment is not seen as a major problem in Thailand (at least by the authorities), I believe that underemployment is a lot more widespread than is realised.

[selftaopath]

The holding cell at Ratchathewa police station must be bursting at the seams.

Not necessarily. Does 1000 arrests mean 1000 individuals? Perhaps they have just been arresting the same 30 people every day for the last month - its much easier and more profitable that way :-)

Anyway - at least for the moment it is having an effect. I came through on Monday and the only hassle I got was from the AOT Limo counter who are still hijacking dazed tourists just past customs.

How many times have Politicians etc made statement that were not factual? How many times have any "crackdowns" been enforced? I hear/read this but honestly I wonder if it's just not more "spin." Many realize the more often a lie is stated the more seemingly real it becomes. Let's see the consequences of said actions please.

[cocopops]

Are illegal taxi drivers a problem for anybody other than the guys collecting license fees? I follow that there have been a few robberies (or worse!), but are they statistically much more significant in unlicensed rather than licensed taxis?

I don't give a stuff if the taxi is licensed or not, so long as he doesn't piss off with the bags...

[rajuismythainame]

taxi meter pre paid who charge 50 bhatt extra also jump meter

i have taken so many time taxi meter from city to aiport for that i have always pay

45 bhatt + 25 bhatt= 70 bhat for toll way and 280 - 320 for taxi faer while coming from city to airport

but if u take taxi metere from pre-paid airport level 3 /4 whear they charge 50 bhat extra

they jump the meter and i have taken 02 time for going same place / same distance in morning time no traffic i have pay 500 bhatt

and 525 bhatt..

they taxi driver play a very good game at bangkok airport...

from next time i take taxi from travel agency they charge 900 bhatt with tool and parking but its not a yellow plate

if i go on yellow plate may b they chage more then 900 bhatt...

[selftaopath]

What exactly does arresting these punks mean?

Does it mean they have thrown their rear-ends in jail, and their bosses get to bail them out which they no doubt will. Bear in mind, these people whom they arressed no doubt have bosses with big connections. Obviously there is a lot of money being made from ripping off and extorting tourists which would justify their bosses bailing them out.

They need to interargate the poop of of these people and find the bosses; put these guys away. If the police say there are 1000's of these people they definetly have their work cut out for them.

What does an arrest of thai people mean without any teeth in it. My guess is these punks will be out on the street within 24 to 48 hours ripping of tourists in the city this time. So in order to make it count, put them in jail with absolutely NO BAIL. And they can arrest and throw the people that come down with the bail money as well until they find the source.

Perhaps a good way to catch these people also is for the Police to use bait. Hire people (farrangs) who are also very fluent in Thai start walking out of the airports with empty suitcases. When they are approached by these professional rip-off artists and extortionists, nail them right there and then.

Perhaps many of us are not thinking rationally. We might assume the rich and powerful care about Thailand. It seems that the primary interest in police/politicians etc are self serving. Their energy is in getting more and more money. hel_l maybe they are all Toxic wanna beeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssss.

[Brewsta]

Whilst Suvarnanbhumi is the worst and most blatant in terms of airport scams Soekarno-Hatta is not entirely problem free either.

And for discourteous airport security people New Zealand has got to take the award for being the worst. So bad that I think that they recruited their staff from the Gestapo and SS

for insolence and incompetence - try the 'new' Manchester airport...... couldn't wait to fly out of the place in late June.

rgdz,

Brewsta

[hanssna]

1000 arrests ? wow, there's probably no taxi's left on the airport then..

[basjke]

I see the majority on this forum applauds the crack down on "illegal" taxidrivers.I assume they have no objection at all that next time they will have to pay 3500 baht instead of 1000 baht to get from the airport to pattaya.