Phuket Honorary Consuls Grill Local Transport Chief Over New Taxi Fares

[webfact]

Phuket honorary consuls grill local transport chief over new taxi fares

Phuket Gazette

LIKE A TIGER: Phuket Land Transportation Office chief Teerayut Prasertpol defends the progress made in at least establishing a set of standard fares to be charged by taxis across Phuket. Photo: Atchaa Khamlo

Anurak Tansiriroj, honorary consul for Finland, joins officers in inspecting one of the new taxis, complete with green license plates and the complaints hotline yellow sticker. Photo: Atchaa Khamlo

PHUKET: -- In their first “regular” quarterly meeting with Phuket government officers since February, Phuket Honorary Consuls today delivered a barrage of questions over the new standard taxi fares “agreed to” on September 12.

Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, recently returned from a cultural tourism roadshow in Nepal, asked for input from honorary consuls about the new standard fares.

Phuket Land Transportation Office (PLTO) chief Teerayut Prasertpol got it in spades.

Piyanoot Hongsyok, honorary consul for Estonia, asked why no action was being taken to allow taxis to pick up passengers from the same area where they drop a passenger off.

“This could help reduce the standard taxi fares,” she pointed out.

Mr Teerayut replied, “Allowing this would cause problems. This was already standard practice long before the regulations were brought into force. We cannot change it suddenly.”

British honorary consul Martin Carpenter asked why different fares for the same journey in opposite directions were allowed.

Taxis picking up passengers from Phuket Airport and dropping them off in Rawai, for example, were charging less than taxi drivers in Rawai delivering passengers to the airport.

To this, Mr Teerayut explained that taxi drivers serving the airport had access to many more passengers than taxis posted at other ranks across the island.

“In the high season one driver serving the airport can get up to six trips a day. That means earning between 2,000 and 3,000 baht a day.

“Taxi drivers in Karon, in comparison, will get no more than two trips a day, meaning they will not make more than 2,000 baht a day in the high season,” he said.

Seven Smulders, honorary consul for the Netherlands, questioned the standard of vehicles to be used as taxis.

“The engine size cannot be less than 1,500cc and the vehicles will need to pass an inspection twice a year. The cars must be comfortable for passengers,” Mr Teerayut said.

Mr Smulders also asked what was being done to bring tuk-tuk and motorbike taxi drivers into the same level of regulation.

“Taxis first, then we will focus our attention on the tuk-tuk and motorbike taxi drivers,” Mr Teerayut said.

However, Mr Teerayut did point out that bidding will reopen this month for any interested parties willing to gamble on running any one of three bus concessions being offered by the PLTO to operate services between Phuket Airport and Rawai; Phuket Airport and Kata-Karon; and Phuket Airport and Kamala.

In accordance with government tender regulations, the PLTO will receive bids for 45 days.

However, it was only last year that Mr Teerayut admitted that no people or companies have ever applied to take on operating bus services along these routes for fear of reprisal by local transport organizations.

In other matters, Larry Cunningham, honorary consul fro Australia, thanked all the officials involved in the arrest and subsequent trial of the Michelle Smith killers.

He also expressed thanks to sexual assault special investigator Capt Nucharee Longkaew for her assistance in the Stevie Bamford case.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ares-17943.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-09-18

[steelepulse]

Weak answers by the Transport chief. Does he really believe that any of us believe him? Why not bring the taxi and tuk tuk association presidents and leaders in to answer these foreign consuls? Any reason the honourable and upstanding mayor Pian and his son won't address this issue instead of avoiding the issue and diverting as to how the new GPS systems will make everyone safer? Rhetorical question I know, but this is such a farce.

[8OA8]

honorary consul for Estonia, asked why no action was being taken to allow taxis to pick up passengers from the same area where they drop a passenger off.

“This could help reduce the standard taxi fares,” she pointed out.

Mr Teerayut replied, “Allowing this would cause problems. This was already standard practice long before the regulations were brought into force. We cannot change it suddenly.”

If they allowed the taxi to also take a passenger on the return route there would only be 50% of the fuel used for moving passengers to and from the Airport. Surely this is in the interests of the environment and (by default) the government, assuming the fuel subsidy is still in place!

[andre47]

It's just a big mafia...Stay away from taxis there if you can! There so many nice places in Thailand. Why people make holiday at Phuket? Everything is overpriced there.

[yougivemebaby]

What a joke. Standard fares? Why not follow the law instead? #middle finger

[waza]

So no tick of approval from the honorary Consuls to the Phuket taxi mafia's regulated standardised extortion.

Edited September 18, 2012 by waza

[belg]

take the maffia and their prices and make it a law, so everybody can continue their scams at the official maffia prices

metered taxi's, it is done in the rest of thailand, but on pirate island, it is a tradition to ripp off people

[yourauntbob]

Someday I hope they learn to stop biting the hand that feeds them. Minimum wage is 300 baht per day and they are worried that a taxi drive might "only" make 2000?

[LivinginKata]

Someday I hope they learn to stop biting the hand that feeds them. Minimum wage is 300 baht per day and they are worried that a taxi drive might "only" make 2000?

Ah ... but you don't take into account that a big percentage of the 2,000 baht goes to those 'influential' people.

[steelepulse]

>>“In the high season one driver serving the airport can get up to six trips a day. That means earning between 2,000 and 3,000 baht a day.

My math must be a bit faulty. If I take 3000 baht from the airport and divide by 8 trips, that comes to around 375 baht which is reasonable. What's the published fare again? There must be an x factor I'm not taking into consideration...........Ah yes, it's those pesky association dues that line the "influential" peoples pockets that needs to be spread around.

Edited September 18, 2012 by steelepulse

[stevenl]

>>“In the high season one driver serving the airport can get up to six trips a day. That means earning between 2,000 and 3,000 baht a day.

My math must be a bit faulty. If I take 8 trips from the airport and divide by 3000 baht, that comes to around 375 baht which is reasonable. What's the published fare again? There must be an x factor I'm not taking into consideration...........Ah yes, it's those pesky association dues that line the "influential" peoples pockets that needs to be spread around.

Well, since the quote said 'six' and you're calculating '8' it is not your math that is faulty but your reading. 3000 divided by 6 = 500, which is more than the present meter taxi price.

[steelepulse]

>>“In the high season one driver serving the airport can get up to six trips a day. That means earning between 2,000 and 3,000 baht a day.

My math must be a bit faulty. If I take 8 trips from the airport and divide by 3000 baht, that comes to around 375 baht which is reasonable. What's the published fare again? There must be an x factor I'm not taking into consideration...........Ah yes, it's those pesky association dues that line the "influential" peoples pockets that needs to be spread around.

Well, since the quote said 'six' and you're calculating '8' it is not your math that is faulty but your reading. 3000 divided by 6 = 500, which is more than the present meter taxi price.

You're right with 6 trips and 2000-3000 baht, so if we take the average that is 425 baht. Anyone getting quoted that and paying that? I haven't heard anyone paying that from a quote and not off a meter. Do you have anything actually to contribute to the thread?

Edited September 18, 2012 by steelepulse

[stevenl]

>>“In the high season one driver serving the airport can get up to six trips a day. That means earning between 2,000 and 3,000 baht a day.

My math must be a bit faulty. If I take 8 trips from the airport and divide by 3000 baht, that comes to around 375 baht which is reasonable. What's the published fare again? There must be an x factor I'm not taking into consideration...........Ah yes, it's those pesky association dues that line the "influential" peoples pockets that needs to be spread around.

Well, since the quote said 'six' and you're calculating '8' it is not your math that is faulty but your reading. 3000 divided by 6 = 500, which is more than the present meter taxi price.

Or I could say yours is faulty with 6 trips and 2000 baht. Pay attention Jr.

You're the one who came up with 8 and 3,000 Baht. Just following your own calculation and quotations.

[GeorgeO]

It's just a big mafia...Stay away from taxis there if you can! There so many nice places in Thailand. Why people make holiday at Phuket? Everything is overpriced there.

Agreed, there are far better places to go, and you'll be charged 30% or less for the same length of journey in most of these places, as well as for most other things you want to buy or use...!

Edited September 18, 2012 by GeorgeO

[clockman]

Boycott Phuket! plenty more places to see in the world!

[kingbilly]

"Like a tiger" ha ha ha ha ha ha..............................meeeow!

[Stanley Jerd]

It's just a big mafia...Stay away from taxis there if you can! There so many nice places in Thailand. Why people make holiday at Phuket? Everything is overpriced there.

Agreed, there are far better places to go, and you'll be charged 30% or less for the same length of journey in most of these places, as well as for most other things you want to buy or use...!

Where?

[NomadJoe]

Someday I hope they learn to stop biting the hand that feeds them. Minimum wage is 300 baht per day and they are worried that a taxi drive might "only" make 2000?

Ah ... but you don't take into account that a big percentage of the 2,000 baht goes to those 'influential' people.

That is the key really. It's the huge profits and huge backhanders that allows this nonsense to continue unabated. 800B for a trip that costs 190B in a Bangkok taxi meter? I pay less for a taxi back home.

[jocko]

The only people who worry about Phuket and it's reputation for rip off's is the ex pats the Thai mafia dont give a monkeys it's all about the money. Nothing will ever change here untill there is no mugs left on the street

Sad but keep smiling.