>>he drivers will be expected to agree to a range of standards, covering behavior and fares.

It would be nice if it covered safety issues such as seatbelts being installed etc.

>>Tourists need a guarantee of safety and we hope the stickers on the tuk-tuks and taxis will provide it for them,

I'm not quite sure a safety sticker is enough to keep people safe!

>>Talks are also underway on a ''fair fare'' schedule that would tell Phuket's tourists in advance what to expect to pay

I've heard this same spiel every year.The only price agreed upon is one which gives tuk tuks the right to charge a high amount and then point to the "posted fares".

Posted by Safety on August 24, 2011 08:50

lots of mobile phone calls suddenly go out by the usual crooks "hey do you know how to make copy stickers? I need 100 - one for me and 99 to sell."

Posted by JingJing on August 24, 2011 10:21

Copy stickers have probably already been printed....

Posted by gravitas on August 24, 2011 10:39

Lets start with doing comprehensive crash testing of the tuk tuks. Once all of them have been destroyed in the process quality vehicles can replace them.

Has anyone else noticed that the maximum fares previously agreed on very quickly became the minimum fares the drivers would accept?

Posted by soupdragon on August 24, 2011 10:54

"efforts continue to raise standards and fareness".

The exceptional tuk-tuk system in Phuket is already the envy of southeast Asia. I use their services every day. I'll be surprised if they can raise standards even higher!

Posted by Peter Pfeiffer on August 24, 2011 11:22

let's give everyone a whistle at immigration arrival. when you are in trouble you can sound an alert and wait for the police to come to assist you. same lip service never gonna really deal with issues.

Posted by john on August 24, 2011 12:35

What is on the stickers? "No guns used!"? "You will not be jumped by my gang!"? "Driver is dumb, so no insults to be expected." or "The other vehicles suck even more." - my favorite.

Kidding aside. Best is a sticker with a telephone no. of the governor and a simple ID no. of the tuk-tuk. And the promise, if wrongdoings recorded by mobilephone, the driver loose his licence and tuktuk in one hour after the call.

Posted by Lena on August 24, 2011 22:48

I'm sorry, but in common with most commenters, cynicism rises on this subject like bile to the back of the throat.

So let me start by taking the most benign, non-cynical perspective. Anything, and I mean anything, that improves the service offered to tourists on the island is to be welcomed. Tuk tuks and transport are the number one complaints by far and it's impossible to calculate how many tourists have turned away from Phuket, and possibly Thailand, because of it. It's also impossible to deny that people do so.

But the 'quality tuk tuk' campaign is a distraction. It does two politically crafty things simultaneously. Firstly, it goes some way to re-making the image of the tuk tuk federations and their drivers. Secondly, and more importantly, it deflects attention away from the issue of choice.

I'm sure there are good tuk tuk drivers. But that's irrelevant to the issue of someone having a choice of a tuk tuk, a baht bus or a state/regional govt-run bus service. People aren't asking for nicer tuk tuks. They're asking for options.

And while this latest little wheeze - for that is all it is - plays out, the more important issue of customer choice gets spun out into the distant future. Meanwhile, with every month that passes, more people have their holidays spoiled by extortionate travel costs on the island and each one of those people tells 50 or more of their friends.

As for the 'fair fare', the only one that makes a jot of sense is the same fare schedule that applies in Bangkok.

The tuk tuk feds seem to be past masters at stringing along politicians - and honorary consuls - with one risible scheme after another.

The honorary consuls, plus hoteliers, travel companies and anyone else with an interest in the long-term prospects for the island, should be similarly focused.

Ignore the latest gimmicks, stay locked with a laser-like focus onto the notion of an island-wide public transport system that offers visitors a choice.

When visitors have a genuine choice between a network of bus routes and Guaranteed Finest Kind Tuk Tuks, then we can say Phuket is at least on the way to restoring its battered reputation.

If that doesn't happen, good luck to the tuk tuk drivers 10 years down the line, when the tourists will be predominantly Chinese and Russian, with trying to cajole them into parting with their hard-earned yuan and rubles.

Posted by Doug on August 25, 2011 04:49