Bangkok squad to tackle illegal taxis in Phuket

Bangkok squad to tackle illegal taxis

Phuket Gazette – Wednesday, February 1, 2012 9:11:11 AM

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif Phuket Governor Tri said he appreciated the support from Bangkok. Photo: Warisa Temram

PHUKET: A team of Ministry of Interior (MoI) officials from Bangkok will arrive in Phuket in the coming weeks to tackle the island’s long-standing problems with “black plate” taxis and their drivers, Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha has announced.

The move follows a number of serious complaints received by the ministry regarding “black plate” taxis, the local name for regular vehicles used illegally as taxis.

Among the complaints to be addressed are threatening behavior by drivers and unfair prices, said Gov Tri.

“We are always receiving complaints about ‘black plate’ taxis, which can be found at most tourist attractions in Phuket.

“The top complaint is that legitimate taxis can’t access certain locations where local ‘black plate’ taxi drivers operate.

“Sometimes, the drivers have tried to steal passengers from other drivers and fighting has ensued,” said Governor Tri.

Most complaints came from Patong, Kata, Karon and Sakoo, he added.

The move for Bangkok to send a team down to deal with the situation follows complaints being made directly to ministry officials in Bangkok, he said.

“I heard that people filed complaints about ‘black plate’ taxis ripping people off with the Prime Minister’s Office as well as the MoI,” said Governor Tri.

“Now the Ministry of Interior is to send an ‘ad-hoc’ team to Phuket to solve problems with ‘black plate’ taxis. They plan to come in February,” he added.

Governor Tri, who has had a difficult time with public transport issues, said he appreciated the support from Bangkok.

“We didn’t just watch the problem and do nothing about it. I set up a working committee to keep chipping away at the problems, but it takes a lot of time and effort.

One initiative, by the Phuket Land Transportation Office and Department of Local Administration, has been to encourage illegal taxi drivers to upgrade their vehicles so they could be registered as genuine taxis.

Once the “black plate” taxi was fully and legally registered as a “green plate” taxi, the driver could then continue to work as a legitimate taxi driver – with no punishment at all for the years worked outside the law.

But the project has so far enjoyed only limited success, said Gov Tri. “Some ‘black plate’ taxi drivers have registered with us. Our next step is to install meters in their cars, but there are some rules that prevent us from doing this, such as the age of the vehicles.

“Buying a new car is expensive, that’s why not many of the drivers want to register their cars as taxis and make them legal. This is why we seem so slow in solving this problem,” he said.

Phuket NEWS: Bangkok squad to tackle illegal taxis

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Among the complaints to be addressed are threatening behavior by drivers and unfair prices, said Gov Tri.

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I'm not sure if the fucker is just taking the piss or is in fact a complete moron.

taking the piss.

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Once the “black plate” taxi was fully and legally registered as a “green plate” taxi, the driver could then continue to work as a legitimate taxi driver – with no punishment at all for the years worked outside the law.

But the project has so far enjoyed only limited success, said Gov Tri. “Some ‘black plate’ taxi drivers have registered with us. Our next step is to install meters in their cars, but there are some rules that prevent us from doing this, such as the age of the vehicles.

“Buying a new car is expensive, that’s why not many of the drivers want to register their cars as taxis and make them legal. This is why we seem so slow in solving this problem,” he said.

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typical thai buckpassing clusterfuck.

time to send the tanks to solve the problems there,

Translation:

"Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha has announced that he is incapable of doing his job and has asked for outside help"

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Originally Posted by Gerbil

Translation:

"Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha has announced that he is incapable of doing his job and has asked for outside help"

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Translation of the translation:

"Bangkok gets their share of Tuk Tuk bandit money as well".

Translation, nothing will be done at all regarding Phuket taxies.

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Originally Posted by dirtydog

“Sometimes, the drivers have tried to steal passengers from other drivers and fighting has ensued,”

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Fukking monkeys.

Well fook, I would not mind getting beaten up by a GREEN plate taxi with the help of 8 of his friends. Then everything is legal.
Still I would not immediately condemn the people from Bangkok, to do so would be to assume that the Phuket Gazette actually got the story correct, and that would be a first.

Typical face saving, greng jai, pass the buck, lazy arsed bullshit from Phukets governance.

Old governor Tri gets to conveniatly have the mob from Bangkok do the dirty work to protect himself from being seen to be doing something. I can just imagine him in a dark smoke filled room tied to a chair squirming not to be tortured crying how it is Bangkoks doing and nothing to do with him while some gangster stands over him.

There are some powerful people behind all this taxi bullshit there, higher than that guy anyway. Big money being made.

What about the tuk tuks?

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Thousands of illegal cabbies ply Phuket's roads, largely because the extortionate rates charged by them and the local tuk-tuk open-cabs make the easy, unskilled and unregulated work appealing to many.

Complaints from tourists and their embassies about the extortionate rates and the lack of safety and service standards have for years fallen on deaf ears on Phuket.

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quoted from the thread about the 4 swedish youngsters killed when the illegal taxi they were riding in was in collision with a large truck. the truck driver fled the scene.

the incompetence, lack of responsibility and general head in the sand attitude of thai officialdom, especially when tourist revenue is concerned is nothing short of alarming.

embassies and travel agents should also shoulder some blame for not warning tourists about the lack of regulation, mafia involvement and lack of police enforcement regarding transportation in this country, so that foreigners can at least make informed choices about their activities here.

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Originally Posted by dirtydog

Translation, nothing will be done at all regarding Phuket taxies.

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Got it in one.

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Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

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Originally Posted by dirtydog

Translation, nothing will be done at all regarding Phuket taxies.

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Got it in one.

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as soon as the embassies or travel agents start issuing serious warnings, or foreign media start to highlight these stories, thereby sullying thailands reputation abroad, things will change.

if theres one thing thais dont like, its damage to the lie that thailand is a paradise filled with helpful smiling honest upright selfless folk whose only purpose in life is to serve the needs of foreign visitors, and the loss of money to the greedy thieves that such damage will cause.

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Originally Posted by taxexile

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Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

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Originally Posted by dirtydog

Translation, nothing will be done at all regarding Phuket taxies.

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Got it in one.

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as soon as the embassies or travel agents start issuing serious warnings, or foreign media start to highlight these stories, thereby sullying thailands reputation abroad, things will change.

if theres one thing thais dont like, its damage to the lie that thailand is a paradise filled with helpful smiling honest upright selfless folk whose only purpose in life is to serve the needs of foreign visitors, and the loss of money to the greedy thieves that such damage will cause.

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Travel agents won't do shit, fearing loss of income. Embassies don't give a shit. Negative foreign press has had no impact to date,

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Originally Posted by dirtydog

Nothing will be done at all regarding Phuket taxi's.

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Of course, its only lip service for the fuk wits that don't know any difference plus the boys will be able to make some nice tea money down there to go on a massive piss up.

I think the only way to survive Thailand as an Expat is to totally not give a fuk about any of the brain dead shit that goes on in the shit hole and just suck the guts out of the joint enjoying the good points.

I mean the country, politics and other shit is a cluster fuk and if you give a flying fuk about any of this retarded shit you would go absolutely fuking nuts.

Anyway fuk it all, Ill just continue to have a nice time of my visits.

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Originally Posted by taxexile

As soon as the embassies or travel agents start issuing serious warnings, or foreign media start to highlight these stories, thereby sullying Thailands reputation abroad, things will change.

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Your taking the piss Eh Tax ?

It does not matter what happens in Thailand the Tourists will always come as they simply love the place and they consider that all this bad shit will never happen to them.

The Rag heads could bomb the fuk out of Khao San Road killing hundreds of scank backpackers and the fukers would be back in 12 months.

Just the way it is Bro same as Bali.

But in reality when we take the numbers of tourists that flock into Thailand up against the number that get scammed or even Die it ain't that bad in the grand scheme of things.

Even Pattaya and Phuket, when you look at actual tourist numbers to crime against said tourists its all relevant.

Most tourist have a fairly satisfying holiday and the value for money is hard to beat not to mention the awesome looking bints. :)

No need to go to Phuket. Absolutely useless place.

But I repeat myself.

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Heard you the first time and agree whole heartedly.

Just another fucked up corrupt tourist town with a never ending stream of cashed up Tourists screaming out to spend there hard earned holiday dollars.

Fukers only go there because of the never ending publicity that bored travel writers spit out in glossy magazines.

Bastards should be shot for misleading the human race foking tossers they are But after saying that there's some cracking places surrounding Phuket.

I offer up Khao Lak which is starting to get built up but always seems to be quiet and never has the problems that the other shit hole does.

Blow Patong up, kill all the Tuk drivers, Jet ski operators and other scum bags one would end up with quite a nice beach. :rolleyes:

In my experience of visiting Phuket it's the unlicenced cars that offer a better service.

Cheaper than tuk tuks, and you're in a Camry or similar (even if its 7 -10 years old), possibly with an airbag and aircon. Beats being carted round in the modified open baked bean cans on wheels that pass for public transport there.

We reprint a letter sent to us by a British mother, Rachel Cooper, last year:

''My 19 year old son was killed in a bus crash in Ranong District in May 2010. Our whole family and all his many friends have been devastated by his death.

''The bus driver was blamed by the police, but he 'ran away' and has not been brought to justice. However, the tyres on the bus were completely bald and yet the police did not question the bus owner.

''A Coroner's Court in the UK found that my son's death was 'entirely avoidable', and that the cause of the crash was the defective tyres and his death would have been prevented if seat belts were fitted and compulsory. The UK Coroner has sent a report to the Thai Authorities asking them for a response, but has had no response.

''Thailand has a horrendous record of fatalities on the roads (an estimated 22,000 per year - the rate in the UK is one tenth of this and we have the same population). Thailand's record is also far worse than all other countries in South East Asia (including India). The Thai Authorities are failing to enforce existing laws and regulations, and profit from tourism is being put before safety.

''I and the families of other tourists from the UK who have been killed in road accidents in Thailand are now beginning to campaign - both to raise awareness in the UK about the dangers of road transport in Thailand and the seeming lack of care about safety on the part of authorities.

''If Thailand is to continue to benefit from tourism it must do something radical to improve its safety standards. Then everyone (including all the tens of thousands of Thais who die needlessly every year) will benefit.

Yours faithfully
Rachel Cooper''


http://phuketwan.com/tourism/fatal-a...y-roads-15427/

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Originally Posted by Lostandfound

In my experience of visiting Phuket it's the unlicenced cars that offer a better service.

Cheaper than tuk tuks, and you're in a Camry or similar (even if its 7 -10 years old), possibly with an airbag and aircon. Beats being carted round in the modified open baked bean cans on wheels that pass for public transport there.

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Which is precisely why the Governer and his Bangkok pals want to stamp them out or get a slice of the action.

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Originally Posted by taxexile

thereby sullying thailands reputation abroad, things will change.

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it is easy then

trick the AAP into publishing a story about how illegal taxi drivers are eating baby elephants :)