Phuket Taxi Rolls Out Special Holiday Treat

[george]

Phuket taxi rolls out special holiday treat

PHUKET: -- As we close out a year in which widespread public complaints against Phuket taxi and tuk-tuk services have dominated local news and made headlines around the world, our editors have this afternoon received a letter which caught our attention.

It comes from a long term foreign resident well and favorably known to the Phuket Gazette. We publish it below as a public service:

"Dear Editor:

On Monday, 27 December, I was taking my girlfriend to Phuket International Airport from Naiharn when my car had a puncture and we were running out of time to catch her flight. I decided to get her a taxi in Chalong.

She asked the driver to please hurry as otherwise she would miss her flight. He demanded 800 baht (US$ 26.00; € 20.00) for the trip.

On the way he drove very slowly and my girlfriend once again asked him to please hurry, whereupon he demanded a further 200 baht to comply with her request.

He then observed that she could afford it as she was with a farang [foreigner]. She protested, saying that she was a salaried person, and she asked why her relationship with a foreigner would have anything to do with the fare.

She ended up forced to pay the additional amount demanded. And she made the flight, but only because its departure had been delayed.

With the total cost of the trip at 1,000 baht (US$ 33.00; € 25.00), I believe the event was a case of extortion.

Sincerely,

Richard Lusted

CEO, Siam Real Estate"

-- Phuket Gazette 2010-12-31

[princejohnjay]

ha ha...you gotta love Thailand...

[saintofsilence]

When will Thailand realise that only getting bad reports like this and rarely any positive tourism reports from visitors that this is what gives Thailand a bad name.

They need to start prosecuting people like this.

Look at the jet ski guy in phuket that pulled a gun on renters.

,he is still renting jet ski's ,in most other countries this would be stopped from operating.

Look at the jet ski scam in pattaya on you tube those guys are still at it daily , they should not be working there any more .

The law in Thailand is not being used to control crime the same as it is in many western countries and that needs addressing first .

Tourism will get better results from positive experiences if incidents like the above are knocked in the head.

Edited December 31, 2010 by saintofsilence

[ginjag]

When will Thailand realise that only getting bad reports like this and rarely any positive tourism reports from visitors that this is what gives Thailand a bad name.

They need to start prosecuting people like this.

Look at the jet ski guy in phuket that pulled a gun on renters.

,he is still renting jet ski's ,in most other countries this would be stopped from operating.

Look at the jet ski scam in pattaya on you tube those guys are still at it daily , they should not be working there any more .

The law in Thailand is not being used to control crime the same as it is in many western countries and that needs addressing first .

Tourism will get better results from positive experiences if incidents like the above are knocked in the head.

Yes an everyday experience for most, really sick thinking by these so called owners/drivers we seem to be the only ones shouting i,m afraid. The general public dare not say anything, others may have their own transport so why should they get involved, The law evidently seem to be in co-erts with them. Unless big fish stand up and crack the whip (top police chiefs) nothing will be done, and the more we shout the more they charge. the only way to put an end to it is they destroy themselves to the extent that no more customers will arrive. But they always will. Some Thais dont realise how lucky they are to carry-on this way and they show no feeling at all---GREED. GREED

[mickyboy]

ha ha...you gotta love Thailand...

well im going the other way we got a tuk tuk from phuket town to the airport as we missed the bus i asked the driver to speed up at which he could not have gone any faster in fact was like a roller coaster quite frightening but we got there just he wanted 400 bhat i gave him 500 and he wanted to give me my change but said no and we ran to the check in just in time so they are not all bad just most of them

[ScubaBuddha]

For those who claim that all you need to do is not use the tuk tuk/taxi to avoid problems:

I avoid the public transport in Phuket as best I can, but today I made a last minute decision to get myself and the gf home from Krabi on our own rather than catch an early morning free ride.

In Krabi it was a 60bt p/p 30 minute seangtow ride from Ao Nang to Krabi Town bus station. There were two options for the 3 hour bus ride to Phuket. 150bt p/p or 290bt p/p. 150bt bus was full so took the 290 baht bus which was conveniently just about to leave. I couldn't remember if the beach baht buses ran to the bus station on Phangna Rd so upon arriving in Phuket, we asked at the information desk how to get to the baht bus line to Kata. They told us that motorcycle taxi was the only way even though there were tuk tuks parked out front. (And now looking at the pink bus line it looks like ti also does theat route) We had some luggage so a thought a motosai was not an option anyway. So I reluctantly visited the tuk tuk stand only to be told they would flat out not take us the the baht bus stop at the market, no reason given, and would only take us all the way to Kata for 500 baht. (Thus explaining why the beach bus lines don't go to the bus station) That's obviously not going to happen. So now we were down to the motosai taxi. A female motosai driver said she could take us to the bus stop at the market and would find a second driver for us as well. After two other drivers turned us down, she told us to both get on her bike. Suspension bottomed out the entire way. 5 minutes and 50Bt p/p later we're at the market. Then 30 minute ride to Kata 30B p/p.

And probably even more surprising and disgusting is that fact that our private van driver going to Krabi at one point canceled on us out of fear of retribution the local tuk tuk mafia.

Basicly, no problems with the trip until the tuk tuk "co-op" was involved.