Planned taxi service faces protest

PHUKET: -- More than 100 airport limousine drivers staged a noisy rally in front of the provincial hall to protest the planned opening of a metered taxi service at Phuket airport.

Chauffeurs of 135 airport limousines from Phuket's car service co-operative parked their vehicles at the Sanam Chai field, opposite the provincial hall, and marched to the hall yesterday morning carrying placards opposing the policy to allow metered taxis to serve passengers at Phuket airport and have their own service counter there.

The group later sent 10 representatives to negotiate with Governor Udomsak Asawarangkul, Phuket police chief Pol Maj-Gen Suvit O-thong and officials at the governor's office by expressing their dissatisfaction and threatening to suspend their limousine services until their demands were met.

They claimed that the airport limousines were being run under a 1.2-million-baht monthly concession and that permission for the 41 metered taxis to operate at the airport would provide them with unfair competition.

The governor, meanwhile, has insisted that his decision to allow the new service was based purely on the province's occupational liberalisation policy.

When the talks with the protesters ended in failure and the governor tried to leave in his car, the protesters surrounded his vehicle and demanded that he give in to their demand.

However, the protesters dispersed at 1.30pm after the governor agreed to delay the opening of the metered taxi service and set another meeting with the airport limousine operators on Aug 5 at the Phuket community centre.

--Bangkok Post 2005-07-30

They claimed that the airport limousines were being run under a 1.2-million-baht monthly concession

surely the word " concession " should read BRIBE..why else would the

limousines be afraid of competition ????