Koh Samui Minibuses Stop Service In Protest

[george]

Minibuses stop service in protest

Plan to register more taxis being opposed

KOH SAMUI: Drivers of 200 passenger minibuses yesterday stopped their service in protest against a plan by the provincial authorities to register more taxis on Koh Samui.

Drivers of 50 existing metered taxis joined the protest.

The drivers gathered in front of a pier in tambon Ang Thong in Koh Samui district.

Some minibuses were parked in the gathering area to put pressure on provincial authorities to review the decision.

Sunthorn Phupaibun, chairman of the cooperative of minibus operators on Koh Samui, said 214 minibuses and metered taxis already operated on the island.

Allowing more taxis would cause traffic problems and affect the livelihood of existing drivers.

Drivers of metered taxis had been asked to pay 200,000 baht to register their vehicles.

The protesters lodged a complaint with Koh Samui district chief Somkiat Sangkhao demanding the Surat Thani governor and the chief of the provincial transportation office review the decision.

Panu Voramit, chief of the tourism coordination centre on Koh Samui, said registration of metered taxis would give tourists more choice of transportation service.

However, registration of an unlimited number of taxis would cause traffic congestion on the island. The protests would not hurt tourism as only a small number of tourists were on the island, he said.

--The Post 2003-12-02

[sbk]

just as an FYI, never heard of a metered taxi in Samui actually turning the meter on. Minimum charge is 300 baht. Would more taxis help Samui tourism? Probably not, enforcing taxi/songthaew prices would. Traffic congestion can be quite horrendous on Samui, esp. during big Thai holidays like Songkran. Add a few hundred more taxis to the brew and you got bumper to bumper on Samui's ring road!

[Aitit]

sbk- you are quite true, NO metered taxi on Samui that I've haerd of is ever using that meter!

The last what Samui's tourism need is more taxi's, the bumper to bumper situation aint far.I'm already terrified that the coming high-season will bring us (hopefully) loads of toutists- my office is at the ring-road! Horrible traffic,even in low-season.

Better roads would be a point to start, but hard to achieve as 50% of the capital that BKK-Gov is providing for that, finds it's way into private pockets.

And yes, what if the existing taxi's would be less cheating?

A real improve for tourism!

Btw: The taxi's are still blocking the Amphoe-road, so that all the through traffic has to cross over the Amphoe-parking!