Phuket Airport gives meter taxis unfettered access

[webfact]

Phuket Airport gives meter taxis unfettered access
Saran Mitrarat


The first 10 taxis line up at the airport after today's official opening of the new system.

PHUKET: -- Ninety three drivers of meter taxis – two thirds of the 139 meter taxis in Phuket – registered this morning (September 1) to serve passengers at Phuket International Airport on the first day of the airport’s “freedom meter taxi service”.

“We have unlocked the old system whereby only one meter taxi company was allowed a concession to serve the airport. Now, any meter taxi can register and pick up passengers here,” said the Director of Phuket International Airport, Pratuang Sornkham.

The system is a replica of the one used at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang Airports: tell the taxi desk staff where you want to go and receive a voucher.

The taxi desk at Phuiket Airport is right outside the domestic arrivals hall.

“There are four parts to the voucher,” Mr Pratuang explained. “One is for the taxi driver and one is for the desk staff. The other two are for the passenger. They have complete information: The taxi licence plate number, the driver’s phone number and your departure time [from the airport].

“Passengers should please keep the voucher [until they are safely at their destination with all their belongings]. If you leave something in the taxi by mistake, please call: 076 351 518, or the taxi hotline at 1584. For complaints, call 1584 or complain directly at the NCPO [National Council for Peace and Order] booth at the airport,” he added.

Action on taxi complaints will be taken within seven days.

The new system will benefit not only passengers but also the taxi drivers, Mr Pratuang said. “After the taxi has dropped a guest from the airport to their hotel, they are free to pick up anyone else anywhere else on the island, and take them to the airport,” he added.

“If any taxi driver is threatened by the driver of another taxi, they can file a complaint directly at the NCPO booth at the airport. The same applies for any passenger threatened by a taxi driver.”

Passengers boarding a taxi at the airport will have to pay a B100 surcharge. At the moment this goes into the lucky driver’s pocket but in the future, once a private company has been found to run the system, the money will go to that company. At present it is run, free, by the military.

Current fares are: B50 for the first two kilometers; then the fare per kilometer is B7 up to 21km, and B6 a kilometer after that.

Fares can be expected to go up. “A higher tariff is now being considering by the NCPO. A decision is and expected to be announce by the end of this month,” Phuket Land Transportation Office (PLTO) Chief Teerayut Prasertphol told The Phuket News.

If agreed by the NCPO, that fare will be B50 baht for first 2km, then B12/km up to 15km and B10/km after that.

Approximately meter taxi fares from the airport (excluding the B100 surcharge)are: Phuket City, B400; Chalong, B470; Patong, B500; Karon, B600; Laguna, B300; Cape Panwa, B520; Rawai, B620.

More meter taxis will soon swell the ranks, said Mr Teerayut. “Since August 1, when we opened registration for meter taxis, I have approved a further 280 cars. They are now waiting for yellow licence plates, which will be issued at a rate of about 40-50 cars a day.” That will bring the number of meter taxis on the island up to 419.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-airport-gives-meter-taxis-unfettered-access-48508.php


-- Phuket News 2014-09-02


PHUKET NEWS TV: New Taxi Regime

Can you believe it? The Phuket International Airport has a new taxi system - with meters, uniforms and waiting for you right out the front. And it's here to stay.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-news-tv-new-taxi-regime-48513.php


-- Phuket News 2014-09-02

[sscsamui]

That is good that there will be Taxi with meters at the airpot But 100 Baht surcharge Is High... 50 is more realistic....

Still Hoping the NCOP will come to Samui and rid it of the Taxi Mafia... It is Bad here on Samui.... Help

[FireMedic]

So why on God's green Earth would the rates be going up? I thought the first step was to get the taxi's established, then go to the country standard meter rate like in BKK. It seems like a victory, but if the prices are going up even more, then it will be considered a failure. The whole point was to bring it down to a normal rate....not a "tariffed" rate.

[bubblegum]

Still about the same as it was, for me merely 60 bath cheaper to Rawai. Oh well that's a beer !

[timewilltell]

Prices still way too high and not much different to before. There is no excuse for a 600 baht fare to Patong and absolutely no excuse for increasing the fares at all.

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[eezergood]

This will end leading to bargaining again........

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

so have they made the 1584 complaint line in English now? Last year when I tried to lodge a complaint by calling 1584 they would not take a call in English and told me to call the tourist police who then told me they could not take a taxi complaint and that I should call 1584 and so on and so on. Very frustrating.

[rickirs]

Instead of bringing in a private company that will keep taxi fares higher to manage the system, why not use existing airport authority personnel? The taxi que system is not rocket science requiring any expertise. And since public services are more prone to transparency and accountability, there should be less opportunity for corruption than with a private company being involved.

[jpeg]

So it's only taxis to and from the airport then. Not the promised 'island wide' service with call centre.

BTW I took a usual taxi meter back from the airport (still had to pay 1000 standard rate from Sai Yuan TO the airport), and was charged the usual 800+ baht. Nothing's changed except more taxi meters at a possibly higher price (who would've thunk? ) servicing the airport only.

[madmitch]

I really don't believe the comments on here still complaining that the prices are too high.

Yes, they may be more expensive than Bangkok but, let's be honest, Bangkok meter taxi rates are much too cheap.

18 US dollars from the airport to Patong is not expensive by any stretch of the imagination.

The drivers have had to pay for their cars, petrol or gas, painting, taxi licence fees, meters and no doubt much more.

It will also take time for the roaming taxi service to take off in Phuket, and that is where we are likely to see the bigger savings with a trip from Karon to Patong being less than half the current price, for example.

It' a positive step and I for one support it and hope that it's the start of proper public transportation on this island.

[stevenl]

So it's only taxis to and from the airport then. Not the promised 'island wide' service with call centre.

BTW I took a usual taxi meter back from the airport (still had to pay 1000 standard rate from Sai Yuan TO the airport), and was charged the usual 800+ baht. Nothing's changed except more taxi meters at a possibly higher price (who would've thunk? ) servicing the airport only.

You want everything to change overnight?

[HerbalEd]

This is excellent news, at yet ... in true tv.com tradition ... almost all of the comments so far are whiners complaining. Is there anything that would actually make these people happy??

[jpeg]

So it's only taxis to and from the airport then. Not the promised 'island wide' service with call centre.

BTW I took a usual taxi meter back from the airport (still had to pay 1000 standard rate from Sai Yuan TO the airport), and was charged the usual 800+ baht. Nothing's changed except more taxi meters at a possibly higher price (who would've thunk? ) servicing the airport only.

You want everything to change overnight?

Oh christ you're spending way too much time with Alan with that hackneyed (no pun intended) comment.

No one here, including yourself, is giving any thought as to the fact that Phuket is, despite what some would have you believe, part of Thailand and the majority of Thais cannot afford exhorbitant taxi prices and no Phuket taxi driver is about to drop his current pricing. Therefore, it will never happen.

All I see on here are expat residents bleating about airport taxi pricing with no thought as to affordable public transport for everyone, and that includes tourists, expat residents and the overwhelming majority of local Thais. In fact the only Thais I see grinning and clapping like seals in the photo ops are Thai bureaucrats/dignataries. Not a cheery local in sight and there never will be

[Jimi007]

So it's only taxis to and from the airport then. Not the promised 'island wide' service with call centre.

BTW I took a usual taxi meter back from the airport (still had to pay 1000 standard rate from Sai Yuan TO the airport), and was charged the usual 800+ baht. Nothing's changed except more taxi meters at a possibly higher price (who would've thunk? ) servicing the airport only.

You want everything to change overnight?

Oh christ you're spending way too much time with Alan with that hackneyed (no pun intended) comment.

No one here, including yourself, is giving any thought as to the fact that Phuket is, despite what some would have you believe, part of Thailand and the majority of Thais cannot afford exhorbitant taxi prices and no Phuket taxi driver is about to drop his current pricing. Therefore, it will never happen.

All I see on here are expat residents bleating about airport taxi pricing with no thought as to affordable public transport for everyone, and that includes tourists, expat residents and the overwhelming majority of local Thais. In fact the only Thais I see grinning and clapping like seals in the photo ops are Thai bureaucrats/dignataries. Not a cheery local in sight and there never will be

You're right… Why bother to try to change anything around here? It was much better before the coup… Pfft.

[Lokie]

Don't know where they got the 'Average' fare to Patong from - 600B? last time I took a meter taxi (april) paid the 100 scam surcharge and watch the meter all the way, my place is just off Pisit Koranee just in patong at bootom of hill and the meter was 649B coupled with the scam charge = 749B bviously some dude is cashing in on 'Calibrated' meters then ehh?

[stevenl]

So it's only taxis to and from the airport then. Not the promised 'island wide' service with call centre.

BTW I took a usual taxi meter back from the airport (still had to pay 1000 standard rate from Sai Yuan TO the airport), and was charged the usual 800+ baht. Nothing's changed except more taxi meters at a possibly higher price (who would've thunk? ) servicing the airport only.

You want everything to change overnight?

Oh christ you're spending way too much time with Alan with that hackneyed (no pun intended) comment.

No one here, including yourself, is giving any thought as to the fact that Phuket is, despite what some would have you believe, part of Thailand and the majority of Thais cannot afford exhorbitant taxi prices and no Phuket taxi driver is about to drop his current pricing. Therefore, it will never happen.

All I see on here are expat residents bleating about airport taxi pricing with no thought as to affordable public transport for everyone, and that includes tourists, expat residents and the overwhelming majority of local Thais. In fact the only Thais I see grinning and clapping like seals in the photo ops are Thai bureaucrats/dignataries. Not a cheery local in sight and there never will be

Which has all nothing to do with my comment.

But please, keep on complaining.

[belg]

on how many levels this can go wrong ?

why the 100 b extra ripp off ?

and who will run the lucky private company and taking 100 b every time

i think very soon, the gadgets wll be selling as som tam, to speed up the meter a few notches

Edited September 3, 2014 by belg

[madmitch]

on how many levels this can go wrong ?

why the 100 b extra ripp off ?

and who will run the lucky private company and taking 100 b every time

i think very soon, the gadgets wll be selling as som tam, to speed up the meter a few notches

So, you've never paid an airport surcharge before?

It's normal in many places in the world.

[steelepulse]

Whoever gets the concession will be printing money. According to multiple news stories, the drivers currently get the extra 100 baht, but the new company that (cough cough) gets "awarded" the contract, will get to keep the 100 baht.

Does anyone know if the AOT has abolished concessions for the various taxi groups, and whether this new company handing out pieces of paper will have to pay? Seems like a big pot of tea with this new 100 baht fee being levied to a shack that hands out pieces of paper to those in the queue.

[bubblegum]

Still about the same as it was, for me merely 60 bath cheaper to Rawai. Oh well that's a beer !

Hold a second; Didn't the taxi mob always defended their prices by saying " We have to charge this because the drivers are NOT allowed to pick up passengers on their way back" BUT NOW they are ALLOWED !

Something smells..............

[madmitch]

As a measure of support for the new system I decided to take a meter taxi from the airport to Karon last night, mainly as the driver I normally use was not available (750 baht is his regular price).

All very smooth, The desk is in a much more visible place, the system was efficient and I was in a taxi with no hassle within a minute of leaving the terminal.

I thought something was dodgy when the meter started going up immediately, and not after the first 2kms. It was ticking over pretty fast from what I could see and pretty soon worked out that it was calibrated to charge 15 baht per km from the time I set foot in the taxi to the time I got out.

Add to that the 100 baht airport surcharge and the ride from The airport to Karon, 48km, cost 900 baht, the same as the airport limo official price!

Not speaking particularly good Thai I could only comment that the price looked expensive and the meter was going very fast but I wasn't going to get into an argument.

I couldn't remember the new official price and have only just checked and obviously his price was well over the going rate.

I have his taxi number on the slip of paper I received at the airport and am considering reporting this. Is it worth it? It's not the money, it's the principle.

So, despite the new system, I am afraid to report that the scams are still in place.

[FireMedic]

I'm all for taking video of the whole process and transactions. Video the meter and the route and post it. I will personally match the video with a 48 kilo ride in BKK. My house to Swampy is about 45 and I pay right at 300.

[LivinginKata]

<snip>

I thought something was dodgy when the meter started going up immediately, and not after the first 2kms. It was ticking over pretty fast from what I could see and pretty soon worked out that it was calibrated to charge 15 baht per km from the time I set foot in the taxi to the time I got out.

Not that I use meter taxis very much but I sort of assumed the meter would flag up 50 baht and not increase for 2 klicks, although there must be some time factor in the mix.

Now, who does the calibration checks on these meters ?

[NamKangMan]

As a measure of support for the new system I decided to take a meter taxi from the airport to Karon last night, mainly as the driver I normally use was not available (750 baht is his regular price).

All very smooth, The desk is in a much more visible place, the system was efficient and I was in a taxi with no hassle within a minute of leaving the terminal.

I thought something was dodgy when the meter started going up immediately, and not after the first 2kms. It was ticking over pretty fast from what I could see and pretty soon worked out that it was calibrated to charge 15 baht per km from the time I set foot in the taxi to the time I got out.

Add to that the 100 baht airport surcharge and the ride from The airport to Karon, 48km, cost 900 baht, the same as the airport limo official price!

Not speaking particularly good Thai I could only comment that the price looked expensive and the meter was going very fast but I wasn't going to get into an argument.

I couldn't remember the new official price and have only just checked and obviously his price was well over the going rate.

I have his taxi number on the slip of paper I received at the airport and am considering reporting this. Is it worth it? It's not the money, it's the principle.

So, despite the new system, I am afraid to report that the scams are still in place.

Sad to hear madmitch, but hardly surprising.

There were reports on TV that the price had actually increased, rather than come into line with the rest of Thailand, in general, and your post confirms this.

Difficult to prove a scam when the meter has been used, especially if a switch can be flicked, and the meter can change from the proper rate, to the scam rate.