Could it happen in Pattaya?

http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Roving-metered-taxis-hit-Phukets-streets-September/33643#ad-image-0

i hope so

Lets hope so.

I have often been riding metered Taxi's in Bangkok and they are mostly okay, well off-course you ask before you enter, meter okay? Yes or I find another one.

It will be a hard nut to crack.

Keep talking like that and you'll get Jingthing all excited.

Why do these taxis have meters at all when they are never used? When they were first introduced in Pattaya we were given the impression that they would run just as they do in Bangkok however this is far from the case. They are parked outside places such as The Avenue shopping center and the drivers seem content just sitting there like vultures waiting for a poor tourist to approach them and agree to pay an exorbitant amount to travel down to Jomtien or some local attraction. Twice recently I have had occasion to visit The Centara Mirage Hotel and was amazed at the number of them parked opposite the hotel waiting for victims. If they are in fact just expensive cars for hire why are they permitted to mascaraed as metered taxis?

Song taew go almost everywhere anyway

Who said 'metered taxis?'

I assume meters in Pattaya's Meter Taxis are sealed units with full audit facilities.

Simple answer is to inspect Pattaya's Meter Taxi's and compare the meters running total with the vehicles mileage, if the fall below a certain percentage cancel their taxi licence.

I assume meters in Pattaya's Meter Taxis are sealed units with full audit facilities.

Simple answer is to inspect Pattaya's Meter Taxi's and compare the meters running total with the vehicles mileage, if the fall below a certain percentage cancel their taxi licence.

You'd have to cancel all the licences then because all of those meters have probably never been used,

If there ever was a time to try to break the taxi-songthaew racket in Pattaya, now is the time. The military managed to stop all protesting across Thailand and put the fear of God in all men. Getting taxis to use their meters should be a formality,

I really think this could happen if they decide to do it now, before the next elections.

The Junta is already cracking nuts in the Motorbike Taxi Mafia, so I assume Pattaya's baht Bus Mafia must be high on the list for action, just a tougher nut to crack.

But the meter taxi's should be an easy one to crack,