“We set the fare based on the distance. If a passenger wants to go
somewhere far away, we also have to drive back a long distance after we
drop them off. We have to charge more than for places that are nearby.”

Yeah, 300 baht to go 100 meters down the street. Gotta drive back so far. They ought to bring the army in, and basically order them to destroy the entire fleet of fuk tuks that belong to any mafia whose drivers mess with the buses. The claim that "they are taking away our jobs" doesn't work because those guys don't really work, they just hang out on the sidewalk, sleep, and try to extort money from passersby.

Someone needs to show courage, and leadership and it probably should come from the federal level. Perhaps they need to have armed escorts protecting the buses. If the tuk tuk or taxi drivers create problems they should be instructed to destroy their precious taxis. Oblitererate those vehicles. Maybe that would get the message across?

The Governor and Vice Governors as well as the Police Commanders are all appointed by Bangkok, they aren't locally elected, yet nothing every changes...

...and some people question why there is often a degree of " negativity " displayed on Thai Visa ! ?

surely, this is positively good fun ?

Why not threaten the taxi and T-T drivers with introduction of compulsory (no exception) meters ? And rates set by local government.

Let them choose between fair competition or fair fares.

Why not threaten the taxi and T-T drivers with introduction of compulsory (no exception) meters ? And rates set by local government.

Let them choose between fair competition or fair fares.

Because they wouldn't turn them on. Just the the Meter Airport taxis have meters, but won't use them.

Maybe they can convert the busses into hot dog stands, or is there a hot dog mafia in Phuket?

I was thinking party buses or mobile bars, like the converted VW buses you see elsewhere in Thailand. Much like the Chiva Bus you find in Colombia...

They obviously will never be used to actually carry passengers from the airport to their resorts.

Why not threaten the taxi and T-T drivers with introduction of compulsory (no exception) meters ? And rates set by local government.

Let them choose between fair competition or fair fares.

Because they wouldn't turn them on. Just the the Meter Airport taxis have meters, but won't use them.

The latest gadget, the Meter also controls the vehicle's power. No meter, no go ? but this idea still looking for a manufacturer

This is a chance to improve the reputation of tuk tuk and taxi drivers in Phuket. Instead of threaten the bus drivers with violence they should look to lower their prices to acceptable levels which would offer tourists a practical alternative.

All of this brow-haha makes me wonder why anybody would want to live in or on Phuket? Taxi mafia, tuk-tuk mafia, beach mafia, bent cops, bent government officials, inflated land prices, what does it take for the light to shine on the ex-pats who have spent and are still spending a fortune to live there? I've worked there in construction and friends of mine have bought long leases, all of us left because the place resembles nowhere in Thailand. Leave the place to gullible tourists and the bent officials...come north young man and breathe fresh air...you don't know what you're missing!

This is no surprise. What does surprise me is that buses have been bought/acquired already.

are you kidding? the more they spend the more they can put in their pockets.

what's amazing to me is that they fear the tuk tuk and taxi drivers. what a bunch of children, both of them.

I guess the tuk tuk and taxi drivers know if they do something nothing will happen to them, so I guess it

would make sense to fear someone that knows there will be no consequence.

Limit each area to 6 tuktuks.- that's Kata, Karon and Patong so about 18 ought to do it. Crush the rest. Problem solved.

There. I fixed it.

Throw them into the sea. New reef, new tourist attraction.

I left Phuket because of the taxi mafia. Hua Hin doesn't have one. You can go almost anywhere in town on the bahtmobile for 10B.

Un <deleted> believable! where else in the world would this sort of behaviour be acceptable? Run the buses and get the police to uphold the law!

Oh sorry, did you day Phuket? Sorry my mistake!

If there were half the number of total tuk tuks on the island, the remaining number would double (at least, even charging less per ride!) their earnings. If that rumor were to spread, pitting the greedy basterds against each other, maybe they'd turn on each other and finish themselves off with in-fighting.

Okay, wishful thinking...

Sell the buses to the BIB and let their bosses deal with the scum/scam bosses who own the taxis and TukTuks.

Same same as the jetskis..

Why not threaten the taxi and T-T drivers with introduction of compulsory (no exception) meters ? And rates set by local government.

Let them choose between fair competition or fair fares.

Because they wouldn't turn them on. Just the the Meter Airport taxis have meters, but won't use them.

The latest gadget, the Meter also controls the vehicle's power. No meter, no go ? but this idea still looking for a manufacturer

Hmm.. why not to create an official Taxi application for smart phones.

When an customer steps in to the car, he/she will enter the taxi identification number to the application or better yet, this information is delivered with an NFC tag on the taxi. Application then will calculate the distance and wait time, based on GPS location data.

After the trip, the application shows the fare, which need to be paid. Application also send the fare to the Thailand TAX department, which can calculate the amount of taxes the driver has to pay.

There would also be an 'rate my taxi' option to give feedback who are good drivers and who should go to an customer service training.

Possible complaints would also be possible to send by the application to the relevant officials.

First Off...

If I was a tourist coming to Thailand with my Family. Upon arriving I heard that there was the possibility of the TUK-TUK I was planning to rent so our children could enjoy, being Involved in a Battle over Busses. I would never get within 100 yards of one, not only in Phuket but all of Thailand! Same for Taxi's!

Now on the other hand...

If the same senario... Arriving at Airport I was informed that I had 3 Options to get to my Destination...

1. Taxi

2. Historic TUK-TUK's

3. New Bus Service

Having 3 choices...

1. I would take Taxi if I was in Hurry or on Business as it is Know worldwide... Everyone have Taxi's.

2. TUK-TUK.. If I was with family! No question this would be first Choice... To get them excited about the Local Culture and Sights, the kids would love it! Also good for Romantic Interlude....

3. If weather was bad or I had alot of Baggage or was going home. Or just needed to relax. Then the Bus Trick would work.

But if Drivers think that Violence is going to get them more Customers.. They, the operators of these TUK-TUK's and Taxi's... Need to go back to School!

I think its time for the people in power to know they are losing big face .

The 'phrai' are making them look weak and stupid.

Its time they showed everybody that they are forward looking people , and have the power

to do what they said they would do.

The government can make this work.

Any protester blocking a road should be warned that he will have his taxi license revoked and his tuk tuk/taxi confiscated .

If he wont listen , its time to take him off the road.

Then the honest drivers will get more work.

Who runs this island , the 'phrai' or the 'jao meuung' ?

They cannot stop progress.Bangkok has a very good public transport service but in the rest of Thailand it is terrible.If everyone had the same attitude these Tuk-Tuck drivers have we would be still living in caves and beating our wives over the head with clubs.

Bye the way,it is about time Chiang Mai had some kind of transport service and not only to the airport. Give the Tuck-Tuck jobs as bus drivers and staff at the depots.

The only thing I do not like about the Bangkok sky train is it makes the streets darker down below.

But .. unfortunately the violence pays off here in Thailand. If it didn't they would not be engaging in it all the time. It's endemic at every level of society starting from domestic violence and ending at political coups. This is a jungle. The hub of jungle!

Thailand runs on mob rule and fear, fear to speak out or say anything against the thugs right from the top down combined with the pathetic lack of law enforcement all help to make it "paradise"

In any "normal " country taxis would lower their fares to compete but as i often see here they are lazy greedy.selfish and violent.

What a sloppy, lawless mess. It's been sad to watch Phuket's decline from being a once-possible yachting mecca to a crime-infested, overdeveloped, unregulated cesspool a la Singapore in the mid-1800's.

Why does the Thai government allow the mafia to control Phuket!

Because that's how ALL of Thailand is run!

Someone should make a movie about the tuk tuk mafia. That krabi bad man video was noticed quick enough. Get Richard Barrow and a few others to spread it around and im sure the government will do something.

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Why not threaten the taxi and T-T drivers with introduction of compulsory (no exception) meters ? And rates set by local government.

Let them choose between fair competition or fair fares.

Because they wouldn't turn them on. Just the the Meter Airport taxis have meters, but won't use them.

They did the same years ago in samui. The taxi thugs agreed for one day. Then they refused. The government surrendered.

If mob rule ........

Welcome to Democracy.

Ain't this just dandy.. The Phuket govt. afraid of the taxi and tuk-tuk mafia. Man, they need a set of balls. Isn't it the BIB's job to serve and protect? I know, quit laughing, but really.

Remember Phuket 15 yrs ago

look at it now

then try imagine what it will become in 15 yrs time.

Sell the buses to the BIB and let their bosses deal with the scum/scam bosses who own the taxis and TukTuks.

Same same as the jetskis..

I'm pretty sure they own the tuk tuk's already mate, not easy to sell to your self with a profit

time to move forward phuket's gov.say,its time to go back to the day's of riding shotgun,if tourists safety are your main concern.

No problem from my end. The effin taxi mafia in both Phuket and Pattaya will NEVER see any of my tourist Dollars (Baht).