Phuket taxi, tuk-tuk drivers rally against Patong parking crackdown

Premkamon Ketsara

 

The Patong taxi and tuk-tuk drivers 'appealed' to the Army contingent in Phuket for a more 'middle of the road' approach. Photo: Premkamon Ketsara

 

PHUKET: -- Hundreds of taxi and tuk-tuk drivers massed near Phuket Provincial Hall today (May 24) to “negotiate” with officials over parking spaces along the Patong beachfront and elsewhere in the island’s busiest tourism town, following an Army push to make more spaces available to the public.

 

The drivers, bolstered by scores of other drivers from Patong’s fleet of “green plate” and “yellow-and-black” commercial passenger vehicles – aka “private taxi” cars and vans – demanded a “fairer share” of the parking spaces in Patong.

 

The push follows Maj Gen Pornsak Poonsawat, Deputy Commander of the Army Region 4 base in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, which is responsible for all of Southern Thailand, inspected Patong Beach in February and noted that parking spaces along the entire beachfront had been commandeered by private taxis, tuk-tuks and car and motorbike rental operators.

 

“Rental vehicle operators and taxi drivers must park somewhere else. Lots of tourists visit Patong Beach, especially during the (tourism) high season. We need to take of of their needs,” Gen Pornsak said.

 

“The car park spaces are for the public, not for private business,” he added.

 

Since then, officials have tallied that there are currently 84 taxi and tuk-tuk ranks in Patong – and last Thursday (May 18) unveiled plans to slash that number to just 21.

 

Full story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-taxi-tuk-tuk-drivers-rally-against-patong-parking-crackdown-62292.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2017-05-25

When pigs fly.

"V/Gov Siwaporn said the issued would be handed over to another Phuket Vice Governor to head an investigative committee, which was to convene at a later date – yet to be specified – to further discuss..."

 

How very unexpected, not.

Can´t see the problem. If people need a tuk tuk, they will always find one. If they are parked on the side streets or on the main streets is totally irrelevant. Usually they also come driving so you get one on every street anyway.

Why not the commonsense approach as adopted in every other country? Mark out bays for say 5 taxis/tuk tuks at intervals along the road, when they are full others have to drive around looking for passengers. Don't allow queueing to enter the rank. A fact finding junket to Singapore or Hong Kong ( under age girls not quite so available) should demonstrate best practice.

mafia in action 

- hope they did not make an offer that can't be refused

that cadaver in the black shirt looks like a perfect mouthpiece for these scumbags. 

8 minutes ago, alfalfa19 said:

that cadaver in the black shirt looks like a perfect mouthpiece for these scumbags. 

 

I think I have also seen him at another rally somewhere.

 

 

 

Let's hope the VG refers back to the army and the army posts armed patrols all around to stop these lawless thugs that think because they pay every month to "the association" that they are above the law.  Local politicians and police will never crack down, it's too lucrative.

Please ban all these horrible annoying 24/7 parked tuk tuks,fake taxis and rental motorbikes in Patong Kata Karon Hardly anyone is using them.indeed allow max one parked tuk tuk on a street once he has a ride then the next tuk tuk may park.why need see streets full with uncountable parked tuk tuks?impound every tuktuk to go over the max one park limit.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The Patong taxi and tuk-tuk drivers 'appealed' to the Army contingent in Phuket for a more 'middle of the road' approach.

Somewhere else to illegally park, then.

Isn't it illegal for a group of more than a certain size to gather?  Why doesn't the Army throw all the louts in jail and confiscate their vehicles?  Rhetorical question, but would be nice to see it happen.

And here we go again.... how many times have we seen this same problem/article over recent years, i've lost count.  Every time it's the same old story and it just goes to show who actually runs the show... not to governor, not the police, not the military.... just a bunch of thieving mafia taxi drivers.

The only way this would work is to bring in the army (if they are able to enforce the law) otherwise this will fail. The police are inadequate in enforcing the law on the Island of Phuket. 

As long as the Tuk Tuk groups are able to keep paying the BIB for their locations nothing will change....

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Would love it if the drivers pushed the army just a bit to far...

12 minutes ago, beechbum said:

Would love it if the drivers pushed the army just a bit to far...

Let's hope the army personnel (here) aren't capitalists.

The local BIB are so entrenched with the TukTuks don't expect to much of a change because THEY are the ones who would have to 'police' any changes..

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On 5/25/2017 at 7:44 AM, Classic Ray said:

Why not the commonsense approach as adopted in every other country? Mark out bays for say 5 taxis/tuk tuks at intervals along the road, when they are full others have to drive around looking for passengers. Don't allow queueing to enter the rank. A fact finding junket to Singapore or Hong Kong ( under age girls not quite so available) should demonstrate best practice.

But Thailand is different, special, and works in other ways.

They don't need to copy things from foreigners as Thais already know the answer to every question.

 

So many things could be solved here by just looking how these things are solved abroad, but the only times government officials go abroad is when they get a government budget to leisure there.

Yep , all of the landward side of Beach rd., Patong is back in Tuk Tuk hands.

And now the rental boys are returning and hunting off tourists on the sandy side!

 

This problem never goes away.

No officials seem capable of fixing it..

Ahh the delights of Patong..., can't park freely for Tuks Tuks and motorbike rentals hardly anywhere near the beach, because of the line of Taxis/Tuks parked all down one side of beach road it makes it congested at times and dangerous for crossing. The idiotic one way system and lack of good public transport around Patong, whats all that about? Based on logical farang thinking its stupid & dumb but there lies the problem...,

 

In a corrupt live for now and make a quick buck, me me me... type of place, patong actually runs like a well oiled money making machine,  akin to Rolls Royce engineering, thats why we have a one way system that means you have to go all round the houses to get from A to B with shed loads of tuk tuks and taxi's parked up wall to wall. Is not about Tourist  or locals benefits or service its about Da Money!!! and hence why it will not change and we have this charade every year - Next!

Just came back from a Singapore getaway. Ticket to fly was 880 baht each way. Taxi to the Phuket airport was 1000 each way.

Clean out the greedy trash.

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Nothing will change ..we all know that...this shit pops up every year with the same results...all this is, is a façade which masks the "REAL" negotiating going on behind closed doors...and once those involved settle on their shares...everything will be status quo...Who are they kidding?

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