Deputy transport minister to hold talk to Uber soon

By The Nation

 

 

Transport Ministry will soon discuss with Uber over legal disputes on its ride-sharing app service, Deputy Transport Minister Pichit Akrathit said Friday.

 

Pichit stood firm that the ministry will not change or adjust any laws or regulations for any particular group or individual.

 

He said using privately owned car as taxis through its application is definitely illegal.

 

Full Story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/breakingnews/30308587

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-3-10

I think the good minister needs to ask himself the following question. "If despite all out warnings etc. Uber is and remains a hugely popular means of transport...why is that? 

 

Consumers like the convienience of using their phones to have transport collect them at home/work/pub/ add as requied and not having to be rejected by taxis etc.

 

 Welcome to Thailand 4.0.

 

Let's not let taxi mafia lobby jerks get their way with this. Here's how you can help: https://action.uber.org/th/

 

It's in Thai but the gaps are just first name, last name and email.

Well I'm sure when the Deputy Transport minister explains the real issues during their cosy chat. Explains the significance of a Banking code and an associated 10 digit number that he will pass to him,  and his expectations moving forward, then I'm sure UBER will become fully compliant and the Deputy minister will have achieved his goal in an amicable manner.

So it's illegal, but still operates, and there are still recruiting booths at my local Tesco Lotus.

 

555

A couple of swipes across their bows - now's the time for brown envelopes and back to business as usual. Or at least I hope so in this instance.

8 hours ago, cliffspab said:

So it's illegal, but still operates, and there are still recruiting booths at my local Tesco Lotus.

 

555

 

Typical case of left hand not knowing what the hell the right hand is doing. Taxis and ride-sharing services can co-exist. I use both - sometimes one is more convenient than the other. Thailand 4.0? More like Thailand 0.4 if they really ban such services.

Pichit stood firm that the ministry will not change or adjust any laws or regulations for any particular group or individual.

 

And this is why Thailand 4.0 is just words on infographics.

 

Almost everyone recognizes that there are too many metered taxis, and that the service they provide has some issues.

 

The obvious thing, for a leader, to do would be to bring together the various parties: customers/passengers, taxi owners (those who rent taxis daily to drivers: two or three very connected people), drivers, app. providers and private drivers to forge some sort of short, medium and long-term plans. There's no need to go all Thai-bureaucracy 101 on this, but maybe require green plates, a modified license and some training.

 

Instead, the reaction is always to fear the new/unknown, hide the head in the sand, make legal threats. Just once I'd like to see them embrace the creativity and innovation espoused in the Thailand 4.0 spiel.

 

 

Well, it is - technically - illegal to drive a car without updated car tax payments too. I would assume that, for the time being, there are more vehicles roaming the Kingdom's road with expired tax payments than Uber drivers. 

While Phichit is right in insisting that the law is the law he might knock on other doors to get certain other illegalities out of the way. Try to imagine what Uber is creaming off during the upcoming Songkran mania again? Many drivers will accept fellow travelers in the drivers direction - Somchai in the cab has lost out - oncemore again! 

15 hours ago, cliffspab said:

So it's illegal, but still operates, and there are still recruiting booths at my local Tesco Lotus.

 

555

Nothing is illegal till the government deems it so. Stay tuned for the next episode of the New World Order vs the Taxi Mafia. Get rich build a better mouse trap. 

Uber better show up with a Royal Flush as the Taxi Mafia has more than one Ace up their sleeve.