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Phuket Airport Makeover Gives Control of Taxis to Ticket Desk, with GPS
By Chutima Sidasathian Thursday, October 10, 2013
PHUKET: Phuket's airport taxi drivers will be told tomorrow that a new ticketing system is coming - and it will mean a fresh start for arriving travellers.
Airport managers are to provide a GPS for each taxi or limo that registers with them - ending the ''kidnapping'' of just-arrived travellers to agencies that pay extra commissions.
Under the reforms, Airports of Thailand will take charge of the taxi system and control all pickups, Phuket International Airport general manager Prathuang Somkhom revealed today.
''A fee for each pickup will be paid direct to AoT,'' he said. ''But we just need to reach agreement on the scale of that fee.''
The new proposal cuts out the taxi and limo group leaders and leaves drivers queuing outside the airport perimeter, awaiting a call to turn inside for a pickup.
There will be just one AoT desk issuing tickets and recording the number of the cab, the destination and the appropriate fare, in the case of green-plate limos.
A meeting to announce the measures was postponed from today until tomorrow - but Khun Prathuang outlined the new plan to Phuketwan.
''It will be a major change that should solve many of the problems,'' he said.
''A scale of agreed fares and the amount per pickup to be paid by the driver to AoT has yet to be finalised.
''But we think the new system will resolve many of the outstanding issues with airport transport.''
The drivers themselves have managed the system at the airport for years, without real protection for tourists.
Often in the past, minivans and taxis have taken pasengers to agencies where attempts are made to sell them accommodation and tours that they don't need. The payoff to the driver is a commission.
In one of the worst abuses, a taxi driver was last week given a suspended sentence after kidnapping a young Chinese tourist and molesting her as he drove around the island for five hours, keeping her captive.
Under a new arrangement, the status of both the Phuket airport and Khun Prathuang have been elevated so that Phuket management can now deal with the AoT chief executive officer directly.
Previously, all decisions - however small - had to be approved by the AoT board.
''We now have the same independence as Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports,'' Khun Prathuang said today.
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Comments
Comments have been disabled for this article.
quote "''We now have the same independence as Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports,'' Khun Prathuang said today."
I think Khun Prathuang is getting ahead of the realities as it has not yet been agreed with the stakeholders, so let's wait and see what the final "product" ends up to be.
What is a bit of a worry is that taxis do not seem to be a part of the system that is going to be implemented, only limos and minibus services. In Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang taxis are used by a lot of people, I think by more than airport express, busses and limos, but there is no public survey available to substantiate that. What I do know as a frequent user of AOT's limos from Suvarnabhumi then they are even more expensive than those in Phuket, that is if you look at the distances.
Posted by
Sailor
on
October 10, 2013 12:56
Editor Comment:
metered taxis, limos and minivans are all part of the new system. In terms of airport management, Phuket now has the same standing as Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang.
This could actually work. Hopefully the new order won't be too hard to manage for the Thais involved at the Airport. A will to sabotage the new system among disappointed drivers could ruin it with very bad consequences for the customers and the Touristindustri. The prices are also very importent to settle right. Earlier attempts to fix the problems have increased the prices and number of taxis on Phuket. We'll see.
Posted by
One Expat 14 years
on
October 10, 2013 13:03
"Airport managers are to provide a GPS for each taxi or limo that registers with them - ending the ''kidnapping'' of just-arrived travellers to agencies that pay extra commissions."
Minivans are not mentioned here.
They all take the passengers to an agency, with the excuse, that the drivers need instructions about where to deliver the new coming tourists.
Then the agency tries very aggressively to make the tourists change their choice of accommodation to a hotel which pays commission to the agency.
Many hotels pays the agency 300 bath per day for bringing guests.
There is a lot of minivan passengers arriving every day. try to do the math:
Passangers x % convinced to change hotel x days x 300 bath = millions a year, which the tourists pays in the end of the day for nothing.
Posted by
Sherlock
on
October 10, 2013 14:07
Sorry didn't make this clear. These hotels pay 300 bath per day for every room in the whole period of guests staying.
So the agency makes more than 2000 bath for "selling" one room in two weeks.
Posted by
Sherlock
on
October 10, 2013 16:03
Ok, I'm not arguing on the use of GPS's, but there are GPS's and GPS's, so can some explain what GPS system AoT is using and how it will stop the "kidnapping." NB, I am a electronics tech so be careful how you answer, make sure you have the facts.
Posted by
DSI Watcher
on
October 10, 2013 17:29
Editor Comment:
You mean ''I am an electronics tech.'' The gps indicates the vehicle stops at the illegitimate agency, and the taxi driver gets a ''please explain.''
@DSI - its very simple - the GPS tracker is installed in the car / minibus etc....from this the AOT will be able to monitor the exact route taken / speed traveled / stops made etc. I have them installed in our vehicles and they work very well and are super accurate.
Posted by
Ciaran
on
October 10, 2013 18:26
Ed, I couldn't afford an "n" thought you might pay for it. I know what you are saying about a GPS, but who is going to monitor all the taxis/limos, and how will it be done Do you really think that someone will sit in front of a monitor all day and night monitoring every taxi/limo, how will they know if a taxi/limo stops at an agency, will an alarm go off.. there simple is too many technical/operational questions that can be asked. These systems are only good if there is a complaint and the logs are checked, they do not distinguish between a taxi/limo stopping at lights, in traffic or an agency and their accuracy can be up to 100 meters out and need line of site to at least 3 satellite They can be fooled by placing aluminium foil, eg a cigarette packet over the aerial, which in most systems is about the size of a match box.
Posted by
DSI Watcher
on
October 10, 2013 18:43
Editor Comment:
Why not address these questions to the AoT, DSI Watcher? It seems to me, as a non-technical person, that any deviation from the norm will be noted if the system is properly structured to check performance. Aren't you being prematurely negative? Most people would say it's progress.
Ed, my whole career is based on asking technical questions, I did warn readers in my first comment.. I'm sure many readers would like to know it will be implemented or it could be seen as "we are doing something" but in effect achieving nothing... we have seen this before with all the talk on CCTV cameras, another system take technically is possible but practically will never work. With all the money that has been spent on schemes that have/should/been promised Phuket should be running like a Swiss watch, so what has gone wrong.
Posted by
DSI Watcher
on
October 10, 2013 18:59
There is nothing in the article from AoT stating that the GPS will be used to track the taxis etc around ... it is probably just a GPS so they can find the way. Anything else is pure speculation.
Posted by
Sailor
on
October 10, 2013 19:54
I hope that there will be more than 1 desk handling the arrivals. I can see a bottleneck developing once a big jet arrives disgorging 200+ pax. It will be a nightmare come high season. The staffing will have to reflect the airline schedules otherwise this positive development will fail.
Posted by
Ryan
on
October 10, 2013 20:00
Ciaran, see my post below yours, as a technician I can assure you, these GPS's can be easily fooled, but if you wish to believe the salespeople go ahead. Any figures given by them or the manufacturers is in "ideal" conditions, with line of sight to at least 5 satellites, open sky, no buildings (causing reflections)and low PDOP (look it up), lest face it, you will not always be in "ideal" conditions, another examples is if a taxi goes into a covered parking area the signal is lost, they also need a SIM card to call back to base to return location and speed data, the timing of this call back is adjustable and who ends up paying for this cell call...the customer
Posted by
DSI Watcher
on
October 10, 2013 21:08
@DSI - seriously you need to get out more - you seem to be an expert on this so maybe consulting with AOT is the right move for you rather than posting on PW.
Posted by
Ciaran
on
October 11, 2013 09:03
Top floor of JungCeylon. Ask for GPS blockers. Renders signal untraceable. Illegal in some places, but apparently not here.
Posted by
sailorboy
on
October 11, 2013 09:04
Editor Comment:
If the taxis are properly run, taxis who aren't declaring their positions should be penalised.
@ DSI Watcher: ok, ok, we got it. You ARE a technical tech. ( sigh ) Although, you seem to have a problem finding the dot-key on your computer's keyboard, and you have a problem with spelling. After all, not a very - detailed focused - technical tech, I should say. Let them put the GPS system in the taxi's and see what comes out of it.
Posted by
Charles
on
October 11, 2013 09:31
@DSI
Nots ure why everyone is raking DSI over the coals. God forbid he didn't dot his "i" but I can assure you as another GPS Tech that he is spot on with each of his statements and I am quite sure someone financially motivated like an electronics savvy cabbie can think up a couple more.
What these systems will allow is when a complaint is made by a costomer the driver's track log can be accessed to prove the accusation. That requires that the passengers are aware of the rules and feel like taking time from their vacation to pursue a complaint. It will also require a penalty system and enforcement oft that system to motivate drivers to not disable their units.
Lets remember these cabbies have families to feed ;-)
The attempt to initiate some regulations to the Wild West cab atmosphere is to be applauded. It is a step in the right direction and 10 years from now Phuket stands to once again be a good tourist destination....
Hopefully Charles will have time to grade this contribution for spelling and grammatical errors, The role of grammar police does not receive the respect it deserves ;-)
Posted by
Concerned & Amused
on
October 11, 2013 10:12
@Charles
I intentionally made 5 errors.
Can you find them all?
Cheers
Posted by
Concerned & Amused
on
October 11, 2013 10:18
This seems like a very positive initiative so let's give it time to work. Of course there will be early blips. If technical, they can be resolved. If human, they can be removed (arrested, fined & banned).
Posted by
Logic
on
October 11, 2013 10:27
@ DSI watcher - I agree with you 100%.
To much money is made on commissions, so the bad people will find a way to cheat the system, if the GPS data ever will be watched.
And GPS in minivans, which are the worst sinners here, is not mentioned.
There is only a handful of these agencies, so sending some foreign under-covers regularly with the vehicles, would be much more efficient.
Or simply show a huge poster at the taxi counter, which warns about these scams.
But that will never be done because this scam has the backup of everybody involved.
Posted by
Sherlock
on
October 11, 2013 11:31
Those who showed support, I thank you, those who didn't, well you may be ignorant to the way technology works, but you are entitled to you opinion, but do expect a "technically" correct reply, something you may not understand.
Charles, if all you can comment on is a missing "dot" or a miss-spelt word, so be it, it only shows the rest of us how small minded you are. Oh, um the plural of taxi is taxis NOT taxi's (singular). I'm not perfect Charles, but it appears neither are you. It's a pity you didn't add anything to the debate, except to show you are a pedantic fool.
Posted by
DSI Watcher
on
October 12, 2013 09:34
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quote "''We now have the same independence as Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports,'' Khun Prathuang said today."
I think Khun Prathuang is getting ahead of the realities as it has not yet been agreed with the stakeholders, so let's wait and see what the final "product" ends up to be.
What is a bit of a worry is that taxis do not seem to be a part of the system that is going to be implemented, only limos and minibus services. In Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang taxis are used by a lot of people, I think by more than airport express, busses and limos, but there is no public survey available to substantiate that. What I do know as a frequent user of AOT's limos from Suvarnabhumi then they are even more expensive than those in Phuket, that is if you look at the distances.
Posted by Sailor on October 10, 2013 12:56
Editor Comment:
metered taxis, limos and minivans are all part of the new system. In terms of airport management, Phuket now has the same standing as Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang.