Phuket hotels veto taxi stands on their land

[craigt3365]

As always there's a big mafia agenda behind any taxi problem. Mafia operate by monopolising the market so that rich tourists are forced to pay 3 or 5 times what they should which the mafia pockets. The taxi drivers, for their part, get to sit around all day doing very little, then earn 400 baht for 30 minutes work.

Efficiency and organisation are the enemy of these mafia, they thrive on numbers, the more members they have 'sitting around' the more power to boycott etc. So, their model is to have two taxis parked outside every hotel all day waiting, rather than a few taxis on call, always busy.

Hotels breaking this monopoly by using private services or their own cars is unacceptable to the mafia. I feel sorry for Phuket hotels, this must be a real headache to them.

I posted this in another thread a few days ago. I was at a party and 4-5 of us were talking about events of the day. The topic of the taxi stands being torn down came up. Every one of us said the #1 reason we don't visit Phuket anymore is due to the taxi scams. One told me how he was seriously threatened when he refused a ride with the thug parked outside the hotel and started walking down the road to look for another ride. I was threatened for parking my car in one of "their" spots near the beach a few years ago. Wifey tried to tell him it would only be for 10 minutes....we just wanted to look at the beach...and there were plenty of spots available. He told her it was OK, if we didn't mind a flat tire when we came back. It was a public parking spot I guess they had claimed for their own.

[NamKangMan]

As always there's a big mafia agenda behind any taxi problem. Mafia operate by monopolising the market so that rich tourists are forced to pay 3 or 5 times what they should which the mafia pockets. The taxi drivers, for their part, get to sit around all day doing very little, then earn 400 baht for 30 minutes work.

Efficiency and organisation are the enemy of these mafia, they thrive on numbers, the more members they have 'sitting around' the more power to boycott etc. So, their model is to have two taxis parked outside every hotel all day waiting, rather than a few taxis on call, always busy.

Hotels breaking this monopoly by using private services or their own cars is unacceptable to the mafia. I feel sorry for Phuket hotels, this must be a real headache to them.

"I feel sorry for Phuket hotels, this must be a real headache to them." - we will never truly know the economic damage to Phuket's tourism industry the lack of proper public transport has caused here, but I think it's huge.

A look at what is now the current demographic of tourist coming to Phuket tends to show a big loss of the western market. I'm sure the lack of this essential service played a part in that market segment loss.

Statistc data shows the amount of road death here is out of line with the rest of Thailand, which, in my opinion, is directly related to the lack of affordable public transport here.

As everyone needs access to a vehicle on Phuket, parking, traffic, air and noise pollution issues are also related to the lack of transport here.

Then you have the poor attitude by taxi and tuk-tuk drivers and their blatant rip off prices, not to mention their aggressiveness and assaults upon tourists, their dangerous manner of driving, and the fact the tuk-tuks are uncomforable to ride in.

It starts the moment a tourist walks out the exit door of the airport, and doesn't end until they reach the departure door of the airport, at the end of their holiday.

I have no doubt that the lack of public transport here has had an effect on the decision of many tourists whether to return to Phuket, or go elsewhere.

So, I think the lack of transport here is more than a "headache" to hotels and businesses - it's costing them, financially.

Edited June 18, 2014 by NamKangMan

[apalink_thailand]

I see no mention of the pricing schemes. Presumably the same old taxi mafia want to stay on hotel grounds and charge the same 400% inflated rates? Anyhow, most of that money gets kicked upstairs to some official so to have this government official making these demands is even more suspect.

[apalink_thailand]

Many larger hotels have a light that is on the entrance to their facility that let's taxis know a car is needed if it is lit. If the taxi drivers were smart, they'd negotiate with these places to provide the private car services at reasonable rates rather than trying to strong arm them into using their overpriced services.

Ah - but there is your mistake Craig. The taxi driver are NOT SMART, they are just GREEDY. Maxium money extracted for the minium effort. And STRONG ARM is their preferred method.

Keep in mind that the taxi drivers still have to kickback the lions share up to the police or other officials. I am not defending the taxi drivers but at the end of the day, they are not getting rich from these schemes, the officials are.

[apalink_thailand]

Why do these guy still think Phuket owes them a living?

They can cruise around, hoping to be flagged down, or until a call comes through the call centre, and the closest taxi to the customer gets the job. Just like most places in the world.

They need to be told that their days of self entitlement have come to an end, and they need to work for a living, like everyone else, and not just sit and wait around all day just to rip off one tourist for a short journey and a day's salary.

Taxis cruising around hoping to be flagged down is a large part of bangkoks traffic problems, there are just too many of them.

At the moment, pretty much every individual on Phuket needs access to a vehicle, or they are at the mercy of the transport cartels here. So, what do most do here, hire a motorbike, many times with tragic consequences.

Four people in one taxi is better than four people on four motorbikes.

I think Phuket is different to Bangkok. Proper public transport on Phuket would actually decrease traffic, noise and air polltion, accidents, injuries and death here.

I rent a car from the airport the minute I get there. You can also book them well in advance and its not too expensive. Certainly if you have a group of 4-5 people and plan to drive around a bit, its cheaper than using the taxi thugs.

[MK1]

Why do these guy still think Phuket owes them a living?

They can cruise around, hoping to be flagged down, or until a call comes through the call centre, and the closest taxi to the customer gets the job. Just like most places in the world.

They need to be told that their days of self entitlement have come to an end, and they need to work for a living, like everyone else, and not just sit and wait around all day just to rip off one tourist for a short journey and a day's salary.

Taxis cruising around hoping to be flagged down is a large part of bangkoks traffic problems, there are just too many of them.

At the moment, pretty much every individual on Phuket needs access to a vehicle, or they are at the mercy of the transport cartels here. So, what do most do here, hire a motorbike, many times with tragic consequences.

Four people in one taxi is better than four people on four motorbikes.

I think Phuket is different to Bangkok. Proper public transport on Phuket would actually decrease traffic, noise and air polltion, accidents, injuries and death here.

I rent a car from the airport the minute I get there. You can also book them well in advance and its not too expensive. Certainly if you have a group of 4-5 people and plan to drive around a bit, its cheaper than using the taxi thugs.

Rent-a-car is the logical and realistic solution to the problem. More Hotels should also make available this service to their patrons as opposed to rent a motorbike

[hawker9000]

I rent a car from the airport the minute I get there. You can also book them well in advance and its not too expensive. Certainly if you have a group of 4-5 people and plan to drive around a bit, its cheaper than using the taxi thugs.

Rent-a-car is the logical and realistic solution to the problem. More Hotels should also make available this service to their patrons as opposed to rent a motorbike

But then there are the risks of driving in Phuket as well as the stranglehold the taxi mafia has on parking. These forums are replete with driver/taxi mafia encounters, not to mention the possible consequences for foreigners of being involved in accidents with the locals. And is the rental car segment in Phuket immune from the same kinds of scams associated with renting motorbikes & jet skis?

I think I'll pass on the rental car solution, at least in Phuket, thanks. (Matter-of-fact, I'll pass on Phuket, period...)

[NamKangMan]

@ MK1

Parking is the problem with renting a car. The taxis and tuk-tuks take all the prime parking spots, and if you find one, expect damage to the vehicle upon your return.

If there was proper public transport here, there would be no need for tourists to hire any vehicle, at all.

Take Pattaya for example. 100 baht gets you 10 rides. Everyday, that's out to lunch, then to the beach, then to shopping,then back to your hotel, then out for dinner, then to a show, then to the bar, then to a nightclub and then back to your hotel - and, you can drink as much as you like and have no licence and legal issues.

Try having a day like that on Phuket and see how much it costs you in transport.

Edited June 18, 2014 by NamKangMan

[craigt3365]

@ MK1

Parking is the problem with renting a car. The taxis and tuk-tuks take all the prime parking spots, and if you find one, expect damage to the vehicle upon your return.

If there was proper public transport here, there would be no need for tourists to hire any vehicle, at all.

Take Pattaya for example. 100 baht gets you 10 rides. Everyday, that's out to lunch, then to the beach, then to shopping,then back to your hotel, then out for dinner, then to a show, then to the bar, then to a nightclub and then back to your hotel - and, you can drink as much as you like and have no licence and legal issues.

Try having a day like that on Phuket and see how much it costs you in transport.

Pattaya is great for that if you never leave Beach Road/2nd Road. If you want to go elsewhere, in a private vehicle, it's painful. To go some 8-10km will cost you 300B or more depending on the driver...and time of night. And you're still in the back of an open pickup sucking in fumes and dirt.

The mafia is keeping the metered taxis out of Pattaya. They are desperately needed.