ONE LOCAL Phuket taxi driver asked six US sailors to pay 1000 baht each for the 30-minute trip from Phuket's east coast deep sea port to Patong, a meeting heard today.
Another sailor, a Thai-American citizen, was asked for 2000 baht for the fare from Phuket's deep sea port to Bangkok Hospital Phuket in Phuket City, said Komsan Boonpang, representing the Glenn Marine group.
The excessive fares were mentioned at a meeting today at Provincial Hall in Phuket City of tour companies, agents, local authorities and police following demands by local deep sea port drivers for a greater share of new arrivals as taxi passengers.
Glenn Marine handles sea and land transfers for the US Navy, which now has the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and four other warships anchored off Phuket, with about 5000 personnel enjoying shore leave.
US authorities insist on offering US military personnel a free shuttle service from the east coast port on Phuket to Patong on the west coast as a courtesy. Sailors may as an alternative catch local taxis if they prefer.
A series of blockades by local taxi drivers of US warships and of cruise ships have occurred as the local drivers seek a larger proportion of customers to carry around Phuket from the port.
The latest four-hour blockade on April 6 of the luxury cruise liner Silver Spirit was the Phuket equivalent to the invasion of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, said Wattana Choksuvanich of EAS Maritime Agencies (Thailand). The airport blockade brought Thailand tourism to a standstill in 2008.
He said that VIP luxury cruise tours from Europe insisted on having $2 million insurance for passengers, on every taxi having to pass checks to international standards, and on drivers having to be on standby around the clock for passengers.
''I can't see local taxis complying with these standards,'' Khun Wattana said.
Phuripat Theerakulpisut, Chief of Marine Office 5, which oversees the port, said that 92 cars and 84 vans that wished to become involved in carrying passengers from the port were personal vehicles, not registered as taxis.
Khun Komsan of Glenn Marine, who instanced the excessive fares being asked of US personnel by the local drivers, urged for standards to be set so that demands of exhorbitant fares could not be made.
He added that the associated Marine 5 issue of jet-ski scams on Phuket also needed to be resolved.
''Nobody has done anything about it,'' he said. ''Tourists will choose other countries unless these issues are satisfactorily resolved.''
Orachorn Saisrithong, the Southern Thailand general manager of Sea Tours, which was at the centre of the April 6 dispute, said that luxury liners of between 100 and 500 passengers came to Phuket with packages already organised, and with no way of involving them in local arrangements.
She said ramifications were likely to hit Phuket from the blockade of the Silver Spirit - one of the world's top 10 luxury cruisers - on April 6. Tourists would rightly be upset because they did not get to spend the day they were promised to enjoy Phuket.
News of the blockade spread quickly among the cruise line community around the world, putting Phuket's future as a favored port of call in jeopardy.
''I don't believe a Memorandum of Understanding between local tour agents and local taxi drivers can solve this issue,'' she said. ''The vessels of 1000 or 2000 people usually provide enough independent travellers who need taxis.
''But the cruise ships carrying between 100 and 500 people are VIP liners, and the passengers on them expect to have expert guides who can tell them about the history of a country and compare the cultures to other countries around the world.
''I seriously doubt the ability of local taxi drivers to provide that kind of information.''
The meeting, chaired by Vice Governor Weerawat Janpen, went for 80 minutes. It is to be followed by a meeting of local taxi driver leaders, then by a combined meeting, with the objective of finding a solution and a MoU by the end of May.
Asked after the meeting whether it was fair for vendors at the port to be asking $3 for a bottle of water, as US sailors were asked this week, Khun Phuripat said that he was not in favor of set prices being on display. ''Let them negotiate,'' he said.
Phuket Police Probe Japan Dive Tourist's DeathAnother sailor, a Thai-American citizen, was asked for 2000 baht for the fare from Phuket's deep sea port to Bangkok Hospital Phuket in Phuket City, said Komsan Boonpang, representing the Glenn Marine group.
The excessive fares were mentioned at a meeting today at Provincial Hall in Phuket City of tour companies, agents, local authorities and police following demands by local deep sea port drivers for a greater share of new arrivals as taxi passengers.
Glenn Marine handles sea and land transfers for the US Navy, which now has the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and four other warships anchored off Phuket, with about 5000 personnel enjoying shore leave.
US authorities insist on offering US military personnel a free shuttle service from the east coast port on Phuket to Patong on the west coast as a courtesy. Sailors may as an alternative catch local taxis if they prefer.
A series of blockades by local taxi drivers of US warships and of cruise ships have occurred as the local drivers seek a larger proportion of customers to carry around Phuket from the port.
The latest four-hour blockade on April 6 of the luxury cruise liner Silver Spirit was the Phuket equivalent to the invasion of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, said Wattana Choksuvanich of EAS Maritime Agencies (Thailand). The airport blockade brought Thailand tourism to a standstill in 2008.
He said that VIP luxury cruise tours from Europe insisted on having $2 million insurance for passengers, on every taxi having to pass checks to international standards, and on drivers having to be on standby around the clock for passengers.
''I can't see local taxis complying with these standards,'' Khun Wattana said.
Phuripat Theerakulpisut, Chief of Marine Office 5, which oversees the port, said that 92 cars and 84 vans that wished to become involved in carrying passengers from the port were personal vehicles, not registered as taxis.
Khun Komsan of Glenn Marine, who instanced the excessive fares being asked of US personnel by the local drivers, urged for standards to be set so that demands of exhorbitant fares could not be made.
He added that the associated Marine 5 issue of jet-ski scams on Phuket also needed to be resolved.
''Nobody has done anything about it,'' he said. ''Tourists will choose other countries unless these issues are satisfactorily resolved.''
Orachorn Saisrithong, the Southern Thailand general manager of Sea Tours, which was at the centre of the April 6 dispute, said that luxury liners of between 100 and 500 passengers came to Phuket with packages already organised, and with no way of involving them in local arrangements.
She said ramifications were likely to hit Phuket from the blockade of the Silver Spirit - one of the world's top 10 luxury cruisers - on April 6. Tourists would rightly be upset because they did not get to spend the day they were promised to enjoy Phuket.
News of the blockade spread quickly among the cruise line community around the world, putting Phuket's future as a favored port of call in jeopardy.
''I don't believe a Memorandum of Understanding between local tour agents and local taxi drivers can solve this issue,'' she said. ''The vessels of 1000 or 2000 people usually provide enough independent travellers who need taxis.
''But the cruise ships carrying between 100 and 500 people are VIP liners, and the passengers on them expect to have expert guides who can tell them about the history of a country and compare the cultures to other countries around the world.
''I seriously doubt the ability of local taxi drivers to provide that kind of information.''
The meeting, chaired by Vice Governor Weerawat Janpen, went for 80 minutes. It is to be followed by a meeting of local taxi driver leaders, then by a combined meeting, with the objective of finding a solution and a MoU by the end of May.
Asked after the meeting whether it was fair for vendors at the port to be asking $3 for a bottle of water, as US sailors were asked this week, Khun Phuripat said that he was not in favor of set prices being on display. ''Let them negotiate,'' he said.
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Why not have a system like the airport limo's, with prepaid tickets to the destination?
Posted by JohnB on May 4, 2011 14:47