Phuket Airport Authorities Approve All 'new' Taxis

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Phuket Airport authorities approve all 'new' taxis

Phuket Gazette

HAPPY TOGETHER: Phuket Airport Director Pratuang Sornkham (left) joins local taxi operators in holding up the new agreement. Photo: Atchaa Khamlo

PHUKET: -- Despite a senior executive of Airports of Thailand (AOT) just last month announcing a freeze in the number taxi vehicles serving Phuket Airport, local officials yesterday approved every single request made by local taxi operators to boost their airport fleets.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed by all main parties involved (see below), Phuket Mai Khao Company and Phuket Car Service (PCS) Co-operative will each take into their fold 25 vehicles and drivers from the so-called Mook Andaman (“Andaman Pearl”) taxi driver co-operative.

Mook Andaman currently – and openly – provides taxi services at the airport despite not having a signed concession with AOT to do so.

Its fleet of 136 vehicles maintains a taxi rank on the street in front of the airport, which serves passengers exiting the terminal when there are not enough Phuket Mai Khao or PCS vehicles to cater to demand.

Also approved was the request filed in June by the Phuket Taxi Meter (PTM) Service Co Ltd to have 30 more taxis join its airport fleet. PTM currently has 80 metered taxis serving the airport.

Phuket Mai Khao will have 40 cars added to its fleet, while PCS will have 65 vehicles (35 metered taxis, 25 limousines and five vans) added to its ranks.

All “new” taxis will begin legally providing taxi services from the airport, after they have been registered as commercial passenger vehicles by the Phuket Land Transportation Office.

That process is expected to be complete “by January”, the Phuket Gazette was told.

Also as part of the agreement, metered taxi drivers will no longer levy a “surcharge” for picking up passengers at the airport.

They must now charge 100 baht for the first kilometer and 50 baht thereafter.

Under the terms of the agreement, any taxi drivers who refuse to serve passengers or who do not use the taxi meter to calculate fares would be subject to immediate police action.

The MoU also clearly stipulated that any future increases in the number of taxi vehicles serving the airport or any increases in the fares charged by taxi operators must be approved by the Phuket Provincial Transportation Committee that just approved this most recent increase.

In turn, representatives of the taxi operators party to the MoU promised “not to damage Phuket’s tourism image”.

Any drivers found to have breached the terms of the agreement face possible action by the PLTO, including cancellation of the vehicle’s commercial registration.

Phuket Airport apparently reserved the right to withdraw from the agreement without any recourse for taxi drivers if the MoU is not upheld.

The boost in the number of taxi vehicles serving Phuket Airport approved yesterday flies in the face of AOT Deputy Director Wing Commander Pratheep Wichittho announcing during a public visit to Phuket’s key tourism portal on October 19 that a freeze in the number of taxis serving Phuket Airport was in place until at least June.

However, the MoU signed yesterday stipulated that the agreement would remain in effect only until the AOT policy research project announced by Wing Cdr Pratheep had been completed.

The signatories to the MoU were:

- Phuket Vice Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada

- Phuket Land Transportation Office (PLTO) chief Teerayut Prasertpol

- Phuket Airport Director Pratuang Sornkham

- Tah Chat Chai Police Superintendent Weerawat Jantarawijit

- Phuket Car Service (PCS) Cooperative representative Tara Kruepanit

- Phuket Mai Khao Company representative Somboon Champatong

- Phuket Taxi Meter (PTM) representative Sutin Champathong

- Mook Andaman co-operative president Songtham Mekmanee.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...axis-19504.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-11-20

[LivinginKata]

For sure they would agree to all those extra taxis = more fees paid to the Airport authority.

Now lets talk about where the rest of us can park our car when we go to the airport ..... waiting .... waiting ....

[laurentbkk]

Lets hope it is for the sake of phuket airport , there was such a big mafia taxi there ....but I doubt bad practices stop.

[LivinginKata]

Lets hope it is for the sake of phuket airport , there was such a big mafia taxi there ....but I doubt bad practices stop.

You really believe that will stop the 'bad practices' .... I don't think so. Now they all have to hustle the new tourists to cover the additional costs/competition.

[apalink_thailand]

"They must now charge 100 baht for the first kilometer and 50 baht thereafter.

Seriously?

[apalink_thailand]

They must now charge 100 baht for the first kilometer and 50 baht thereafter.

A 41km trip, based on these fairs will cost you 2,100 baht with the meter. I think I preferred the old rates. What a f***ing scam.

[TheWalkingMan]

These people are too greedy.

[LivinginKata]

"They must now charge 100 baht for the first kilometer and 50 baht thereafter.

Seriously?

That Gazette quote cannot be correct .... needs checking I think

[Soupdragon]

"They must now charge 100 baht for the first kilometer and 50 baht thereafter.

Seriously?

That Gazette quote cannot be correct .... needs checking I think

Better check they haven't decided that is per person whilst you're there.

Seriously is there another place on earth where the taxi drivers dictate policy to the, and I use the term loosely, authorities.

[ChoakMyDee]

Those prices are insane. I would rather walk to the street and flag a motorcycle taxi than pay those crooks 1 baht of my hard-earned money. I'm planning to visit Phuket for a week soon...I gotta find a way to avoid the taxi mafia.

[apalink_thailand]

Rent a car. Its cheaper in the long run.

[apalink_thailand]

If the report is accurate then these crooks are cleaning up. By using some simple calculation, a one-way trip in an NGV powered taxi cab from the airport to one of the popular beach areas is around 40km. NGV cars operate at about a cost of 1-2 Bht/km making the fuel cost around 80 baht (max). Taxi fair, if calculated by the figures in the report are 100 baht to start the engine (1st km) and 1,950 Baht for the trip (39km x 50 Baht/km) totaling 2,050 and a gross profit of 1,970 PER TRIP (96% gross profit %). I think I need to buy some taxis and go to Pattaya to become a millionaire.

[LivinginKata]

If the report is accurate then these crooks are cleaning up. By using some simple calculation, a one-way trip in an NGV powered taxi cab from the airport to one of the popular beach areas is around 40km. NGV cars operate at about a cost of 1-2 Bht/km making the fuel cost around 80 baht (max). Taxi fair, if calculated by the figures in the report are 100 baht to start the engine (1st km) and 1,950 Baht for the trip (39km x 50 Baht/km) totaling 2,050 and a gross profit of 1,970 PER TRIP (96% gross profit %). I think I need to buy some taxis and go to Pattaya to become a millionaire.

You are forgetting that the taxi has the cost of running back to the airport empty

But I still think that 50 baht is a typo. Should be more like 10 baht. Can't find any other newspaper reports to check.

[LivinginKata]

I just checked the PG article.

It's been changed to just "They must now charge 100 baht for the first kilometer." No mention of the 50 baht.

http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2012/Phuket-Airport-authorities-approve-all-new-taxis-19504.html

[Shot]

No more “surcharge”, but 100 baht for the first kilometer. BRILLIANT. I’ll bet these guys are masters at the shell game………..not.

BTW, if the Airport Director is on the left, who’s the guy in the Chesty Puller outfit?

[LivinginKata]

No more “surcharge”, but 100 baht for the first kilometer. BRILLIANT. I’ll bet these guys are masters at the shell game………..not.

That's Ok - saves you having to go to the taxi booth to pay the 100 baht up front. But you are correct, they are trying to say "hey no surcharge" then get you to pay for the airport fee in the first Km. Oh well TIT