More Drama from Phuket airport...

as before the Phuket Airport taxi drama swirls with silliness and stupidity. To avoid this madness skip Phuket based Taxi's altogether. Keep your money in Khao Lak - Khao Lak Taxi

as quoted from the Gazette....


MAI KHAO: While Phuket Mai Khao Company launched its airport limousine and minibus service at Phuket International Airport yesterday morning, some 100 drivers and other staff of the Phuket Limousine and Business Services Cooperative (PBC), which already operates limos and minibuses at the airport, staged a five-hour strike in protest of the new concession.

However, few passengers were inconvenienced as there were few incoming flights during the strike, from 7 am until noon. (ahem!)

The PBC members demanded that Airports of Thailand (AOT) allow the PBC to operate more vehicles under a new concession.

The new service operated by Phuket Mai Khao Co was able to handle most of the passenger load, with the remainder gladly served by the 42 metered taxis that maintain a booth outside the main terminal.

However, the arrival of the new limo operator at the airport offers no relief from high fares because the company is charging the same rates as those offered by the PBC.

Until yesterday, the PBC was the only transport operator allowed to have a booth in the arrivals terminal. Now, both concessionaires are operating almost side-by-side, separated only by a small kiosk.

Somboon Jumpathong, managing director of Phuket Airport Group, which runs the new service through Phuket Mai Khao Co, told the Gazette that his company had won the right to operate 20 cars and 60 vans in a public bidding on December 30.

The company launched yesterday with 16 cars and 30 vans and is awaiting delivery of more new vehicles to fill its quota, he said.

“About 30% of our drivers are employees. The remainder are drivers who have joined us using their own cars,” he said.

“We have to pay 830,000 baht a month for the concession. The contract, signed on January 17, allowed us to start today [January 24],” K. Somboon said.

He added that he would not appose any move by AOT to increase the number of vehicles the PBC would be allowed to operate.

“If the PBC is allowed the same number of vehicles [150] they were formerly allowed to operate, it would not be a problem for us. Business means competition, so we will just do our best and play by the rules,” he said.

The PBC’s former quota of 110 cars and 40 vans was to be slashed to 90 cars when the new service went into operation – yesterday.

The AOT slashed the number of vehicles the PBC was allowed to operate following many widely-publicized customer complaints that PBC limousine drivers were speeding, and that its minivan operators were stopping on the bypass road where passengers were routinely forced to wait while being pestered by touts pushing a variety of goods and services - hotel reservations, package tours, etc.

(ed. note - this is why we recommend avoiding using these taxis. They are unsafe, greedy and try to bully shops, hotels and passengers into paying commissions for simply driving someone to where they want to go. )

The PBC claimed that the latter practice ended in August last year with the launch of separate minivan services for Phuket City and destinations along the southwest coast, along with a promise by the PBC to punish any drivers who continued the abuse.

However, PBC President Niphon Piromrit told the Gazette that the strike was prompted by AOT’s refusal to give a clear answer as to whether the PBC’s quota would be returned to 150 vehicles, as requested.

“We just want our quota back at 150, but the AOT still insists on limiting us to just 90 cars. As for the complaints, we are now in the process of improving our services, but it seems the AOT doesn’t care about that,” K. Niphon said.

He added that he felt sorry the AOT did not care about the welfare of the PBC drivers. All PBC drivers own their vehicles and are subject to high co-op membership fees in order to pay concession fees, (and other internal fees!!!)K. Niphon said, adding that under the concession that ended on June 30 last year, the PBC paid AOT about 1.2 million baht a month.



So the taxi driver mafia is upset about having competition. Just avoid the drama. We can help arrange pick-up service, without any hassle's and no distractions.

Khao Lak Taxi Service - the evils of Phuket Airport

Editors note:

There is now a new Taxi service that is easy and simple to use. Please go to www.khaolaktaxi.com for easy and simple pricing and details

The dirty tale of taxi Service at Phuket international Airport

Taxi's at Phuket airport...
What to say....this is a very tricky issue, and one that stirs up a huge amount of emotions in this area. Simply put, any taxi that offers it's services to you at the terminal at Phuket Airport is part of a very strong, very ominous mafia. They don't allow metered taxis in their turf (through both intimidation and actual violence) and also bully hotels into paying them commissions for delivering people without reservations. You may possibly get diverted to a golf course, or travel agent or worse. The price you pay for the ride itself is about 2-3 times what you would normally pay for a taxi outside the airport gates. While not every taxi trip is a tale of woe, there are frequent enough stories that we discourage their use.

...Addendum March 2007...

The government has required the presence of metered taxis in the parking lot of the airport. They are to display their badge number and deliver you to your specific destination. The newspapers in the area are filled with continued reports of abuse and problems involving commissions. Still be wary....

If you will allow us to recommend a few options.

First, if you do use these taxis, please don't tell them you do not have a reservation - they will bully and abuse the desk people into paying a commission (30% of your room rate), which they do not deserve. They may also divert you to a travel agent to book a room or a tour. Again, these are EXTREMELY overpriced and are rarely what is advertised. Make it clear that you do not want a golf lesson, or a townhouse or a tour of Phuket.

If you are heading to Khao Lak, the mafia is powerless in this region. The hotels rarely pay their extortion demands (part of why our prices are more reasonable), but the drivers will overcharge for the trip (less than 80km). They will more frequently tell you that Khao Lak is closed, that there are no hotel rooms available or even tell you that the area is off limits. DO NOT believe them. We are completely open, far more beautiful than Phuket ever was and we will welcome you with open arms.

A fine option is to walk straight out of the airport parking area (about 300 meters) and hail a proper taxi - yellow or red. These will agree upon a price, still large, but less than the mafia (between 1500-2000 Baht depending on your negotiating prowess). You will also get to your destination without diversion. If you are in a large group, or have a pile of luggage, ask the driver to come pick you up inside (you must sit in the car/minibus) to avoid the mafia intimidation.

A final choice, and obviously one that you can take with a grain of salt, is allow us to arrange a taxi for you. We will either come in person or send one of our trusted drivers from Khao Lak. We will wait for you at the gate with your name on a sign, and drive you straight here. If you want to stop along the way for a meal or just to sit by the ocean for a few minutes, we are more than happy. We understand that you are on vacation and need time to adapt. If it is not one of us, then it will be one of our trusted taxi drivers (see the never be hired again.

www.khaolaktaxi.com

We will also arrange transportation to and from a variety of other places. Whether you arrive by train in Surat Thani or by bus in Phuket town. We also help in arranging transport in the local areas of Khao sok, Takuapa, Thai Muang and Phangnga. Please let us know what you need, we'll take the headaches away.