Transport officials talk tough on clearing up rogue taxi drivers

[webfact]

Transport officials talk tough on clearing up rogue taxi drivers


Image: Thairath

BANGKOK: -- Transport department officials are promising decisive action against rogue taxi drivers who are "hurting the image of tourism in Thailand". And it won't stop there as they encourage complaints against any driver offering public services in any public vehicle.

Lifetime bans are promised for those engaging in criminal behavior threatening the wellbeing of passengers or their property. Licenses will be withdrawn and all drivers will have criminal background checks, they promise reported Thairath.

A whole host of phone numbers, websites and applications have been advertised where people can complain about not just taxis but any other public transport vehicles from motorbike taxis to private air buses.

As if to prove their point they rounded up a driver yesterday for overcharging and hurting a Turkish passenger. Wachara Thanoi's license was removed permanently with no chance of getting another one. He had a previous black mark against his name for not using the meter. His case was described as one that caused the image of tourism in the country to be damaged.

Those who hurt the image of Thailand will have no chance to get a new license. Officials from the land and transport departments thanked members of the public who had brought bad behavior to their attention already and reiterated the need to people to report violations on many platforms.

There is a 24 hour hotline that promises "instant action" from the transport department on 1584 or people can report on the internet at ins.dlt.go.th. At this site, in the Thai language, the public can find areas to complain about taxis,public buses, tuk-tuks,motorbike taxis, four wheelers, air buses, minibuses, vans, big song thaews, and other vehicles. There is also a section to see how complaints are being followed up.

Complaints can be sent via email to [email protected].

Other sites in the Thai language are available on Android and Facebook.

People with Line can use the Line ID 1584dlt to make complaints or people can drop in at transport department offices to register their grievances.

Source: Thairath

-- 2016-05-27

[NongKhaiKid]

Talk tough and promise decisive action, now where have we heard such things before and how many times ?

[thesetat2013]

So what I the point of these websites and holiness if they don't have any personnel that can directly taken complaints romantic tourists or foreigners? I tried once and only once or file a complaint about a driver in Bkk and will never try again. A complete waste of my phone money. These hotlines and apps are supposed to be to actually catch Roque drivers. Yet, the majority of taxi drivers overcharge or break the laws with foreigners. So what's the point of having them.

[rkidlad]

Oooh, then these taxi drivers are in big, big trouble.

[jamesbrock]

A government department with its own domain name using a Hotmail email account pretty much says it all.

[coma]

Yes. The story of never ending crackdown on "red bull" crazed taxi drivers. When will it ever end ? Never. Cause a large majority of these taxi drivers don't have the I.Q required to know right from wrong. Or to remember that they've been caught before for being a taxi driver of unsavoury character and already have a black mark against their name. Maybe a short jail sentence for serial offenders may go some short way to jogging their memories.

[gandalf12]

Save the talk until after the action has been taken. I guess we will wait for ever

[doremifasol]

It is something isn't it?

I applaud and support the initiative.

[anon467848]

Blah, blah, blah.... good publicity photo and spiel from dept. of transport. This clampdown will last all of 1 day/week. The RTP have more important things to do like manning checkpoints and collecting money for their various commanders, especially at this time of the month...

[Mosha]

Talk is cheap.

Sent from my SMART_4G_Speedy_5inch using Tapatalk

[Aj Mick]

Tough talk is easy; been done many times before, and what has happened……..?

[tx22cb]

Strange that they claim to target "Those who hurt the image of Thailand", yet the websites are in Thai only.

Let's hope that the Hotline has more than one English speaker.

BTW why not coordinate this DLT initiative with the Tourist Police?

[clockman]

What image?

[mtls2005]

Time to form a committee, or three, to plan ways to reform, to figure out how to deal with getting people to obey the law, and display common decency.

Reforms before elections.

[Ostlund56]

I hope that this time the police really do something about this. Please also include the drivers that refuse to use the meter and those drivers that doesn't drive to certain areas. Personally, I don't think the police will do much in this matter, but still, I have hopes.

[kingalfred]

Bullshit on wheels

[Ceruhe]

Barking dogs never bite, even Thais know that....except for thai officials.

[razer]

Strange ... this is about Thailand's Tourism image yet there is no place for tourists who don't read or speak Thai to complain. I suppose a tourist could E-mail but if it is English would the recipient even read it? Could they read it?

[Khun Paul]

et us put this into perspective.

1 Taxi drivers hurt the Image of Thailand-------- Answere crackdown by RTP .....questionable

2 Drivers of buses kill many tourists over the year....answer ....nothing

3 Boats overcrowded and killing passengers following accidents ....answer nothing

4 Tourists scammed almost daily making a holiday unpleasant for touristsd.......answer .....nothing .. except possible clearing the beaches from illegal sellers.

5 Tourists charged up to 100% or more for entering badly maintained and most parks ......answer nothing

Onlty those things that are seen publically are acted on , the rest does not matter .

AND EVEN THEN AFTER ONE OR TWO DAYS POSSIBLE WEEKS ...SINKS INTO BOX 13 TO BE REACTIVATD IN ANSWER TO ANOTHER ROUND OF COMPLAINTS.

[Traveling Sailor]

Talk tough and promise decisive action, now where have we heard such things before and how many times ?

Agreed! Talk worldwide is cheap. In Thailand it is close to worthless.

[gyrosman]

And pigs fly.

[iBike]

Maybe this is working.

I tried catching a taxi outside the lobby of all seasons place yesterday and the driver said no. Driver drove off around the roundabout situated between the three buildings and eventually came back around and picked me up. Obviously had second thoughts, after he saw me cussing him in the rear view mirror as he drove off.

[Kurtsie]

Walked through Soi Cowboy last night. There were 4 military police walking around in full kit with automatic weapons. They strolled right by the 10 taxi vultures at the Asoke side of the Soi that were grabbing people offering girls, and non metered rides. I guess these coppers didn't get the memo on talking tough.......

[jamesbrock]

Maybe the news outlets could start giving these stories the same treatment they gave the Red Bull heir story yesterday:

"Transport officials talk tough, again, on clearing up rogue taxi drivers, again"

Edited May 27, 2016 by jamesbrock

[Doc46]

Talking tough isn't going to do Shit,,,They have been crooked rogue taxi drivers since they starting driving taxis in the year Dot ,,,,AND Nothing has been done since,,,,Why would it be different now?

[Caveat Emptor]

Strange that they claim to target "Those who hurt the image of Thailand", yet the websites are in Thai only.

Let's hope that the Hotline has more than one English speaker.

BTW why not coordinate this DLT initiative with the Tourist Police?

is this a Baldrick style cunning plan ?

Set up hotlines etc to supposedly receive complaints which makes it look as if something positive is being done things while ensuring foreigners can't make complaints unless they speak Thai. Later it can be reported that complaints have fallen so their ' enforcement ' activity is working.

[FourAces]

"hurting the image of tourism in Thailand"

I think they will have to look further than the taxi's then, as they are just one little fish in a big ocean of fish that are hurting the image of Thailand.

I would start at the sex and drug tourism first, then look at the taxis, but that's just my opinion.

[BKKdreaming]

Strange ... this is about Thailand's Tourism image yet there is no place for tourists who don't read or speak Thai to complain. I suppose a tourist could E-mail but if it is English would the recipient even read it? Could they read it?

if you cannot complain then there is no problem , , because there is no report that anyone complained ,

Pure Thai Logic

How about a "real" random drug test ,, say the next 50 taxis in line at the airport so no way to escape .......

[colinneil]

Please wake me up when any government official does exactly what he says he will do.

I think i will be asleep a very very long time.

[Brer Fox]

Walked through Soi Cowboy last night. There were 4 military police walking around in full kit with automatic weapons. They strolled right by the 10 taxi vultures at the Asoke side of the Soi that were grabbing people offering girls, and non metered rides. I guess these coppers didn't get the memo on talking tough.......

Full kitted military police wandering the city at night with automatic weapons doesn't do much for tourism and the image of Thailand. I guess they were just making sure the evil tourists were behaving while protecting the taxi drivers from being extorted.