Former illegal taxi drivers pressure AOT chief over Phuket Airport counter
Phuket Gazette


Ittipol Mekmanee (right) of Mook Andaman Business & Travel Co-operative explains to AOT Chairman Sita Divari (center) the need for his drivers to serve Phuket Airport. Airport Director Prathuang Sornkham (left) looks on. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- About 50 taxi drivers who previously operated illegal “black plate” taxis arrived at Phuket International Airport on Monday to request permission to open a counter inside the terminal.

The drivers, all members of the newly-formed Mook Andaman Business & Travel Co-operative Ltd, asked to open a counter inside the main terminal while Airports of Thailand (AOT) chiefs decide on the terms of the concession the new co-operative will be offered.

“We have about 250 members who all want to work legally under the conditions laid out by AOT,” Mook Andaman Secretary Ittipol Mekmanee told the Phuket Gazette.

“The companies that have concessions to operate taxis at the airport are trying to block us from providing our service. The police and airport security will not allow us to pick up passengers at the airport,” Mr Ittipol added.

Phuket Airport Director Prathuang Sornkham explained that Mook Andaman has applied for a concession to operate taxis at the airport.

“The application is still being considered by the AOT board in Bangkok,” he said.

Mr Prathuang reminded the drivers that AOT has already allowed 50 Mook Andaman cars to serve the airport under the two companies that already have concessions: 25 cars are now with Phuket Mai Khao Company and another 25 cars are now with Phuket Car Service (story here).

“The concession contracts for both companies will end on June 30. The AOT board is reviewing the terms of the concessions, including the concession to be offered to Mook Andaman, and will be finished as soon as possible,” Mr Prathuang explained.

“The concession fee is about one million baht per month,” he added.

The request of the 50 drivers came as AOT Chairman Sita Divari arrived in Phuket for the Airports Council International Asia-Pacific regional assembly, which began on Monday and is scheduled to conclude tomorrow.

In response to the drivers’ request, Mr Sita said, “I want to see fair treatment for all companies that serve AOT, but I also need to ensure fair service is provided to customers, that the volume of cars provided is suitable for the number of passengers, and that a reasonable income is provided to AOT.”

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/Former-illegal-taxi-drivers-pressure-AOT-chief-over-Phuket-Airport-counter-20875.html


-- Phuket Gazette 2013-04-24

Amazing Thailand - it gets better & better this story

Perhaps the renewal of the concession would be a good opportunity to insist on operators using meters?

Stuff the avaricious buggas.
Let them suffer for all the overcharging in the past.
Yeah, use of meters should be mandatory.

Hilarious these guys are pressed now they can't rip off unsuspecting tourists. Cry me a river about time someone regulates the Phuket taxi service. The crazy prices these taxis want to charge is one of the reasons I avoid Phuket like the plague.

Complete douche bags. They had their chance to run a legal operation and chose to do it illegally and rip off all the incoming tourists and THAIS. Now they want to try to suck on the teat of someone who has the balls to stick up to them. Fah Q

Hold on... One million baht per month for 50 cars concession? That's about 700 baht per day per car only in fees to AOT. Who's ripping off who, I wonder... How many airport runs would one car be able to make in one day? 3, 4 max. Do the maths yourselves guys.

Hold on... One million baht per month for 50 cars concession? That's about 700 baht per day per car only in fees to AOT. Who's ripping off who, I wonder... How many airport runs would one car be able to make in one day? 3, 4 max. Do the maths yourselves guys.

Yes, that figure caught my eye. I'm assuming there is some error in that report.

Hold on... One million baht per month for 50 cars concession? That's about 700 baht per day per car only in fees to AOT. Who's ripping off who, I wonder... How many airport runs would one car be able to make in one day? 3, 4 max. Do the maths yourselves guys.

Yes, that figure caught my eye. I'm assuming there is some error in that report.

I assume the concession fee is not just for the 50 cars under Mook Andaman but rather for the 500 (estimate) cars which ply their trade through the original concession, of which there are apparently currently two.

In addition, when in Phuket, have I not noticed a differential between the prices for going to and coming from the airport, akin to the Bt50 surcharge from Swampy ? If so, then surely this is to offset the concession fee given that the prices are high enough in any case.

A deeper investigation may be able to shed light on things from the driver's perspective. I theorise that they are quite possibly required to hire their cars from some "organisation" at a much greater charge than they would be able to obtain even individually if they were to purchase or lease their own Toyota Camry, nevermind the huge discounts which would be available for a collective bargaining arrangement.

Scam on top of scam with graft on top appears to be the permanent order of the day.

Hold on... One million baht per month for 50 cars concession? That's about 700 baht per day per car only in fees to AOT. Who's ripping off who, I wonder... How many airport runs would one car be able to make in one day? 3, 4 max. Do the maths yourselves guys.

Yes, that figure caught my eye. I'm assuming there is some error in that report.

Thats not how I read it, the concession is 1 million baht, the 50 cars are from "Mook Andaman" but allowed to work for two other companies with a concession. So it would be allot more then 50 cars for the million concession.

Perhaps the renewal of the concession would be a good opportunity to insist on operators using meters?

I think it would be better if the blackmailing rectums were thrown in gaol.

These a'holes have been holding travelers to ransom for years.

It is simple, they are pure scum.

Personally I am surprised the Phuket authorities have not yet allowed the taxi mafia to pick up the passengers inside the airplane. Afterall they have complied with every single demand from the taxi mafia so far.

"but I also need to ensure fair service is provided to customers"

I urge anyone to mention just one thing that Phuket officials have ever done to ensure fairness to (taxi) customers?

“We have about 250 members who all want to work legally under the conditions laid out by AOT"

By legally,does he mean using a meter?

Why should there be a concession fee at all? Free trade and use of a meter would keep everyone onside for the sake of the tourists. Demands of fees by AOT is simply a rip off at the highest level, but then again, stupid is as stupid does and who gives a toss about the tourists?

Perhaps the renewal of the concession would be a good opportunity to insist on operators using meters?

Not an option. This would make them even more illegal.

Looks like there’s not much of a choice here. Get rid of the Taxi, TukTuk, Jet Ski and other mafias with power demanding attitude, or hand over the island’s administration entirely to them, lock the place up and throw away the key.

“The concession contracts for both companies will end on June 30. The concession fee is about one million baht per month,” he added.

So 2 consessions at one million baht per month.

UPDATE:

Illegal taxi drivers ramp up protest at Phuket Airport
Phuket Gazette


Drivers from the Mook Andaman taxi cooperative are waiting impatiently this morning for word from the AOT about their pending rights to pick up passengers at the airport. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- Taxi drivers from the Mook Andaman taxi cooperative have stepped up their protest at Phuket International Airport, demanding to be granted the right to pick up passengers there immediately.

The push comes after two of their drivers were stopped and stripped of their driver’s licenses by airport staff after they were found not to have the required passenger pick-up voucher.

The voucher is a standard feature at major airports in Thailand, introduced so taxi counter staff have a record of which taxi drivers served which passengers at what time, and at which destination the passengers were to be dropped off.

Patcharapol Yimyam, one of the drivers who was stopped, said, “While I was taking a passenger out of the airport, staff there used a car to obstruct me and asked for my passenger pick-up voucher.

“I didn’t have that voucher, so the staff stopped me and seized my driver’s license. I want to know why they stopped me. I want to see fair treatment of our group.”

Songtham Mekmanee, president of the Mook Andaman co-operative, said, “We are protesting because we want the AOT [Airports of Thailand] to answer our request to have a counter inside the airport terminal.”

Ittipol Mektanee, the co-op’s secretary, said the drivers had been waiting since last August for the AOT to respond to the request.

“We have been denied the right to work by the AOT staff and by the companies who got concessions in the airport. We want the AOT to clarify what our working rights are,” Mr Ittipol said.

The protest follows a meeting on Monday between the drivers and AOT Chairman Sita Divari at which the drivers requested permission to open a counter inside the terminal building while the AOT decides on the terms of their concession (story here).

Phuket Airport Director Prathuang Sornkham told the drivers that the AOT review would “be finished as soon as possible.”

Director Prathuang had also pointed out that the Mook Andaman co-op comprised taxi drivers who illegally served the airport, but now wanted the right to a government concession to operate at the facility.

As a temporary measure, the AOT in November allowed 50 Mook Andaman cars to operate under the privileges granted to the two legitimate concession holders (story here).

The protest also comes while the heads of major airports throughout the region are in Phuket for the 'Airports Council International Asia-Pacific assembly', which began on Monday and concluded yesterday.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/Illegal-taxi-drivers-ramp-up-protest-at-Phuket-Airport-20884.html


-- Phuket Gazette 2013-04-26

Errrr and the previous post about the new boat service ...................

>>We want the AOT to clarify what our working rights are,” Mr Ittipol said.

How about "none" as in, you have no rights. BTW, get a real job that requires a bit of work, effort and thought as opposed to laying around all day waiting for one overpriced fare.