Thread: NEW Phuket bus service starts Friday -expect trouble says Taxis

Phuket Airport Bus Service Spells Trouble, Warns Patong Taxi Group Leader
By Premkamon Ketsara and Alan Morison
Friday, July 12, 2013


Phuket Airport Bus Service Spells Trouble, Warns Patong Taxi Group Leader - Phuket Wan



PHUKET: Many taxi and tuk-tuk drivers in Patong are unaware that the innovative Phuket Airport-Patong-Airport bus service is beginning next Friday and one is warning of potential violence.

Although the low-cost hop-on hop-off bus service begins in less than a week, Phuketwan discovered today that no precautions have been taken to ''sell'' the project to Patong tuk-tuk and taxi drivers.



One Patong taxi group leader, Vichai Maiseetong, said today when asked about the effects of the bus service: ''Surely there are going to be problems.''

Khun Vichai appeared not to not be aware that the service is beginning on Friday. A Phuketwan reporter chose not to enlighten him.

He said today that both a Phuket airport to Patong bus service and the proposed water ferry from the airport had the potential to cut into the income of local taxi drivers.

''Fighting is how disputes are settled in the Patong area,'' he said. Some locals were already struggling to make ends meet, he said.

Chanon, who prefers to use one name and runs the tuk-tuk stand at Jungceylon shopping centre in Patong, said the buses would have no real effect on his drivers.

''Mostly their fares are people leaving Jungceylon,'' he said.

Khun Vichai was less sanguine. He said that Phuket was now being run by profit-taking business people, mentioning how Russians now ran all businesses dealing with tourists from that country.

''We local people are being cut out of the market without revenue going to us or to Thailand,'' he said.

It came as a surprise to Phuketwan reporters that nobody has briefed the taxi and tuk-tuk drivers in Patong by telling them that the bus service does not pose a threat.

A bus service between Patong and Karon came to an abrupt end back in the 1990s when a driver was beaten.

Planning is going ahead with tickets to be sold by conductors on the buses and from a service outlet on the concourse close to the exit at Phuket International Airport.

An upgrading to the siteat phuketairportbusexpress.com, where details can be found about stops and fares, is likely to be made early next week.

Marketing officer Rungrat Pakdiwong said that each of the buses would be fitted with a suggestion box so that passengers could immediately deliver feedback on driver and conductor quality and service.

Public threats of violence, which are referred to as terrorist threats apparently are not a crime here.

Welcome to Phuket:

Several years back they dragged the driver from a bus on the first day of a new service and beat him senseless.

A couple of heavily armed soldiers fresh from a couple of tours to the South should solve the problem.

This would work nicely as well:

http://doc-0k-8g-3dwarehouse.googleu...000&ctyp=other

Meanwhile my kids are having an Asean weekend at school. Can some one please tell me where this whole Asean economic agenda is coming from because it certainly isn't Thais or the Phuket taxi mafia pushing it. Thai people wont know what's hit them if its a Euro style open borders type agenda. Their heads will surely explode.

they used to have armed guards on buses in the south in the 80s

Originally Posted by BobR

Public threats of violence, which are referred to as terrorist threats apparently are not a crime here.

They will at some point have to crack down on these cnuts. Between the tuk-tuks and the roving pick up truck advertizing Thai boxing, they account for at least 50% of the traffic congestion.
Traffic is bad now even in low season, high season it's been a foking parking lot on 200 pi rd and beach rd.

I've seen one of the airport buses outside Blue Ocean Resort Patong this morning and also yesterday morning. It seemed to be running a tour service for Chinese guests. The buses are Mercs and look quite smart with full wrapping.

Originally Posted by parryhandy

Meanwhile my kids are having an Asean weekend at school. Can some one please tell me where this whole Asean economic agenda is coming from because it certainly isn't Thais or the Phuket taxi mafia pushing it. Thai people wont know what's hit them if its a Euro style open borders type agenda. Their heads will surely explode.

Yep, a bit off-topic, but the implications for the 2015 open-borders ASEAN economic agenda might be a surprise to a lot of people here. Especially as the govt hasn't done anything to prepare for it so far.
Asean 2015: Free movement of labour | Bangkok Post: learning

Originally Posted by BobR

Public threats of violence, which are referred to as terrorist threats apparently are not a crime here.

Nice looking buses. Shame if something were to happen to them.

Here we go again.. Zzzzzzzzzzz

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

A couple of heavily armed soldiers fresh from a couple of tours to the South should solve the problem.

As long as they don't have to get off and actively pursue anyone it might work. However, as in the South, locals ignore them as they are pretty worthless in any situation.

What does the Thai Navy do, btw? What does the Thai Air Force do, btw?

Seems more of a "parade ground," military than a warrior type to me?

Buses, well we all know this will not end well. Watching the local Bangkok evening news where the Police Chief blames every act of crime on Foreigners, using the term tourists a lot. Seems all bad guys are foreigners these days....

Friday ‘D Day’ for new Phuket bus service

PHUKET: The new and much-debated bus service from Phuket International Airport to Patong will launch on Friday (July 19) at 9am, with some lingering doubt as to whether there will be a negative reaction from some of Patong’s highly territorial tuk-tuk and taxi drivers.

Naraporn Tuarob
Tuesday 16 July 2013, 12:49PM


The buses used for the service will be small 24-seaters.

The service was originally announced by government officials as starting on July 1, but the bus company said that it needed another month for marketing. A compromise between the two dates was agreed: July 19.

On March 25, Patong Mayor Pian Keesin put his official seal of approval on the service, saying “It is right that people should have a choice,” and agreeing to speak with the main Patong tuk-tuk club, the Phuket Taxi Federation (PTF), whose chairman is his own son, Phrap Keesin.

Today a representative of the PTF, Anun Pleumjit, told The Phuket News, “I think this [bus service] is a good idea. It signifies that Phuket is moving forward to another level.

“It’s a national policy that we understand … Phuket is an international destination, therefore we need to embrace the idea and provide the choice for tourists and customers.

“In Bangkok, there are many choices of transport for tourists to choose from. Nobody wants to take an expensive form of transport every time. Also, we understand that the target group of the Airport Bus is different [from the tuk-tuks’ main customer base] so it won’t take much [custom from us].

“There will be [a choice of] good services for tourists and other customers. We have to focus on the public interest, not self-interest.”

There have been suggestions from local press that some of Patong’s tuk-tuk drivers may not agree with him at all; the PTF represents only tuk-tuk drivers from Phuket, not those from other provinces.

Asked about this Mr Anun said, “In Patong there are lots of taxi and tuk-tuk groups. Most of us know each other and I have talked with my fellows [in the other groups] and they all agree with the idea.

“There will be some groups who are not local people, who might disagree, but they will not do anything [against the bus service] because the majority of the groups won’t join them in any action.”

Friday will be the acid test.

The hope is that if all goes smoothly – and transport groups in Patong are satisfied that their interests are not being badly damaged by the bus service – that satisfaction will be communicated to the taxi and tuk-tuk drivers of Karon and Kata.

Those two towns were originally planned for inclusion in the bus service but the drivers in both have stated in no uncertain terms that they absolutely will not tolerate the buses coming into their territory.

Unlike Patong, where Mayor Pian has the political and social clout effectively to order change, neither Kata nor Karon has a figure of similar stature, so pushing the bus service through to those two towns may be a drawn-out process, with no guarantees of success.

The Phuket News
- See more at: Friday ?D Day? for new Phuket bus service

Originally Posted by chingching

Today a representative of the PTF, Anun Pleumjit, told The Phuket News, “I think this [bus service] is a good idea. It signifies that Phuket is moving forward to another level.

“It’s a national policy that we understand … Phuket is an international destination, therefore we need to embrace the idea and provide the choice for tourists and customers.

“In Bangkok, there are many choices of transport for tourists to choose from. Nobody wants to take an expensive form of transport every time. Also, we understand that the target group of the Airport Bus is different [from the tuk-tuks’ main customer base] so it won’t take much [custom from us].

“There will be [a choice of] good services for tourists and other customers. We have to focus on the public interest, not self-interest.”

Was someone holding a gun to his head while he was saying this?

Phuket LIVE: Airport Bus Rolls And Reaches Patong Beach
By Premkamon Ketsara, LIVE on the airport bus
Friday, July 19, 2013

Phuket LIVE: Airport Bus Rolls And Reaches Patong Beach - Phuket Wan


PHUKET: British couple Kim and Ben Webb were the first tourist passengers on today's historic Phuket Airport to Patong beach bus service run.

Although there were only a dozen people on the first bus, including the media, more passengers appeared to be on the second bus.



Others can be expected, if the Webbs are any guide. They chose to wait in the queue for the bus even though it ran 30 minutes late, and even though taxi drivers tried to persuade them to take a faster option.

''We have plenty of time and we are watching our budget, so the bus was good for us,'' Ben said. He and Kim hadn't realised it was the first service.

A group of Chinese tourists, however, tired of waiting and took a taxi.

All of them had simply followed the signs to the stop. The bus left at 9.30 and reached Patong just over an hour later.

There were two local passengers from the airport. The first got off early in Thepkasattri Road and the other one rode on to Boat Lagoon.

There were four stops between the Airport and Patong. Residents are expected to use the service for short trips once they realise it's operating.

A bus driver was accompanied by a conductor, who took the money for the fares.

Driver Roongpet Prammanee, 40, said he was ''a little bit excited and a little bit nervous'' in being the first.

It was decided to take a low-key approach to launching today's service.

With the Department of Special Investigation on Phuket next week to investigate complaints by tourists, the issue of whether tourists queuing for the public bus at the airport should be harassed could be added to the list.

Glad nobody was killed.

Quote,PHUKET: British couple Kim and Ben Webb were the first tourist passengers on today's historic Phuket Airport to Patong beach bus service run.



Wonder if it's still running for their return journey to the airport...

The bus goes to Patong.
What about to karon/kata? That`s the dodgy route.......

How much is the fare?

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

How much is the fare?

120 Baht

Originally Posted by ch1ldofthemoon

What about to karon/kata? That`s the dodgy route.......

Correct. The drop-off in Patong is good for the tuk-tuks because they then get the fare to move people to the hotels, the Karon/Kata bunch are a different kettle of fish, airport bus service to there has already been postponed indefinitely due to their threats of road blockages etc.

It would be interesting to read a follow-up report from Ben and Kim at the end of their trip to see what they then think of Phuket transport options.

120 baht! That's fantastic! About time. Looking forward to visitors not getting screwed in the first 5 minutes after arrival. Well done.

Quite extraordinary that a municipal bus service should be so remarkable in 2013.

Just shows what monkeys these people truly are.

Still, it's progress albeit painfully slow.

Perhaps a further century before metered taxis, eh?