Thai cabbies who put up anti-Japanese sign warned they may lose licences

[webfact]

Cabbies who put up anti-Japanese sign warned they may lose licences



BANGKOK: -- The Land Transport Department has threatened to revoke the operating licences of any taxi drivers found to have put up a sign or a notice in their cars declaring their rejection of Japanese passengers.

An image of the anti-Japanese passengers notice has been posted in the social media in what was believed to be a protest by some taxi drivers against the action taken by Suvarnabhumi international airport against a taxi driver who refused to use meter and instead demanded a flat charge of 700 from a Japanese passenger for the trip from the airport to Saphan Kwai. The incident was posted on the social media by the Japanese passenger.

The incident attracted many responses from netizens and prompted the airport authority to revoke the operating code of the driver in question who was also banned from picking up passengers at the airport.

MrSukreeCharupoom, director of Land Transport Department’s inspection division, said any individual who saw the anti-Japanese sign or encountered with a cabbie who refused to accept passengers should immediately call 1584 to lodge complaints.

He added that inspectors would be sent out to look for the anti-Japanese sign or notice.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/cabbies-put-anti-japanese-sign-warned-may-lose-licences


-- Thai PBS 2015-01-22

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

Good move Mr Sukree Charupoom.

[Hobiecat]

It's about time the Government did something with the taxi Mafia in BKK.

[Beng]

Good move Mr Sukree Charupoom.

Agreed.

[MaxLee]

They will just continue to work without licenses, case closed

Edited January 21, 2015 by MaxLee

[NongKhaiKid]

Good move Mr Sukree Charupoom.

Yes and the proof of the pudding is in the eating or in this case follow up action.

The whole taxi industry needs a complete shakeup but while officials talk the talk they don't walk the walk and PLEASE not another promise of a short lived, if not non-existent, ' crackdown '.

Edited January 21, 2015 by NongKhaiKid

[binjalin]

they have licenses???

[petedk]

They could still refuse to take Japanese customers, even though they don't have the sign.

I don't know the new system at the airport. Are they forced to take the customers to wherever they want to go?

[daveAustin]

Perhaps the entire taxi force will go on strike and the gov will have to resort to replacing them with packs of macaques.

[lildragon]

It's about time the Government did something with the taxi Mafia in BKK.

They did, for about 5 minutes after the coup, then business as usual.

This incident will die down, then it will be business as usual.

Hell the fare hasn't even gone up to 50 baht yet, not that it will stop this kind of thing from happening.

[ThePlant]

Perhaps the entire taxi force will go on strike and the gov will have to resort to replacing them with packs of macaques.

Good idea Sir, maybe the macaques may know where they are actually going as well.....

[alant]

the key word here is "may", not will lose, may lose their licence.

[steven100]

Kick all the taxi drivers out and start again with a proper drivers initiation test including speech & manners towards customers ...

Then select the best .. give them all a nice clean uniform ... and start from there ...

taxi drivers =

Edited January 22, 2015 by steven100

[Bluespunk]

"He added that inspectors would be sent out to look for the anti-Japanese sign or notice"

Yeah, right.

[Tatsujin]

If we are to report any driver refusing passengers to the 1584 number, that's going to be a REALLY busy line ... hope they have plenty of operators.

[realenglish1]

This is getting good Finally someone is cracking down on these guys.

They are taxi drivers and serve the people not the other way around

If they don't want to do their job pull their license

[Manbing]

This is a reaction against the Japanese guy who exposed the taxi drivers return to corrupt practices at the airport. Not sure why they removed the old system of taking a receipt in the public taxi ranks?

Perhaps farang and Khun Yibbon should remember to discover the Thainess. Meaning accept whatever l corrupt practices the sons of Thainess should give to you.

Taxi drivers aren't all bad, remember it's just 50% trying to rob you.

[rtco]

Never had a problem with Taxi drivers in BKK. Don't know what all the fuss is about!

[MaxLee]

the key word here is "may", not will lose, may lose their licence.

to be or not to be,.... no mafia in this country is ever gonna lose face...

[razer]

Taxi mafia aren't afraid of the Land Transport Authority.

[aussieinthailand]

Never had a problem with Taxi drivers in BKK. Don't know what all the fuss is about!

Me neither - apart from a few not wanting to actually go to where I want to go, the one behind will and the fares are laughably low - people getting upset about the level of fares in Thailand are clearly sailing very close to the wind finance wise!

The taxi driver wanted to rip the passenger of at more then double the normal price, That's what it about, not many people are happy to be blatantly ripped off by anyone, but if you are ok with it then go ahead.

As for the irrational, immature ,idiotic response by taxi mafia, YOU ASKED FOR IT, NOW SUCK ON IT. and yes any one of them refusing to use their meter should be fined and never allowed to drive a taxi again...........

Swapy air port has a responsibility to passengers for the taxi's they allow in the air port.

[rtco]

Never had a problem with Taxi drivers in BKK. Don't know what all the fuss is about!

Me neither - apart from a few not wanting to actually go to where I want to go, the one behind will and the fares are laughably low - people getting upset about the level of fares in Thailand are clearly sailing very close to the wind finance wise!

The taxi driver wanted to rip the passenger of at more then double the normal price, That's what it about, not many people are happy to be blatantly ripped off by anyone, but if you are ok with it then go ahead.

As for the irrational, immature ,idiotic response by taxi mafia, YOU ASKED FOR IT, NOW SUCK ON IT. and yes any one of them refusing to use their meter should be fined and never allowed to drive a taxi again...........

Swapy air port has a responsibility to passengers for the taxi's they allow in the air port.

Who said anything about "happy to be ripped off"? I didn't. I have never been ripped off. Always been on the meter. On those very few occasions when they did not want to use the meter I refused and got a taxi that did. Easy really.

[taony]

Good start, but don't just threaten - do. And keep doing.

[CWMcMurray]

Just curious, but any action take. Against the AOT personnel at the Taxi booth?

As remember from the Japanese tourist's rant, he said he cool aimed to the people at the airport running the Taxi booth and they didn't take any action... Just told him to sort it out with the taxi?

[Fullstop]

Cabbies who put up anti-Japanese sign warned they may lose licences

Not good enough. Change it to "WILL" lose licences"

[Eliot Rosewater]

Never had a problem with Taxi drivers in BKK. Don't know what all the fuss is about!

Me neither - apart from a few not wanting to actually go to where I want to go, the one behind will and the fares are laughably low - people getting upset about the level of fares in Thailand are clearly sailing very close to the wind finance wise!

Yes, I agree. In London the fares are also laughably low (I am quite well off, you see).

Can never understand why the plebes complain about high fares; if they don't like it, let them walk the distance.....

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

Sounds great but just more lip service. Go ahead just for s#!ts and giggles try giving 1584 a call and see how well you do in English or any language other than Thai. If they were serious about making that waste of time hotline effective they would at least offer service in English.

If you speak Thai or have a Thai person make the complaint for you, I have little doubt that they even follow up on these things or penalize (no jokes please) the drivers. Seems like the only way to get action is to take it to social media and hope it goes viral.

[marko kok prong]

Would this happen at any other country's major international airport?, What a great "welcome to los" message it sends out,or prehaps this is all part of the discover Thainess campaign.

[Sviss Geez]

It's about time the Government did something with the taxi Mafia in BKK.

They did, for about 5 minutes after the coup, then business as usual.

This incident will die down, then it will be business as usual.

Hell the fare hasn't even gone up to 50 baht yet, not that it will stop this kind of thing from happening.

Fares have increased for taxis that passed the inspection and had their meters recalibrated. Those taxis have a sticker on the windscreen.

[Bangkok Barry]

They could still refuse to take Japanese customers, even though they don't have the sign.

I don't know the new system at the airport. Are they forced to take the customers to wherever they want to go?

They already refuse to take ANYONE they don't want to, not only Japanese. Happens thousands of times a day. My policy is that I get in the taxi and tell them where I want to go, not ask. You know, like in the Real World.