Airport taxis under close scrutiny

Published: 12/08/2009 at 10:44 PM
Online news: Breakingnews

Taxi services at Suvarnabhumi airport are coming under tighter scrutiny after a passenger accused a driver registered with the airport of trying to drug her.

The passenger, who asked not to be named, said she caught a taxi from the stand at the airport on July 27 to take her to Phloenchit Road.

She said she did not mind paying the airport taxi surcharge of 50 baht as she believed the service was safe and reliable. The driver's name and telephone number were registered with the airport.

The woman said she noticed the driver wore dark glasses and drove slowly despite the fact there was not much traffic.

At one point in the journey the driver blocked the air-conditioning console with his left hand and the woman said she started to feel giddy about five minutes later and her arms and legs went numb.

She felt like she had been given an anaesthetic before an operation. She had to open the window to get some air and told the driver to drop her off.

The woman went to a nearby hospital and had herself checked, but no toxic substances were found.

The woman complained to the airport's public transport centre but she does not believe any action has been taken.

A source at the Transport Ministry said other passengers had complained of similar incidents.

Chairat Sa-nguansue, director-general of the Land Transport Department, said he would look into the matter.

In some cases, complaints had turned out to be a hoax intended to ruin the reputation of taxi drivers, Mr Chairat said.

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Writer: Bangkokpost.com

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cansipsome

Discussion 8 : 13/08/2009 at 10:15 AM8
pointman # 2...maybe you should borrow my glasses or learn to read english

At one point in the journey the driver blocked the air-conditioning console with his left hand and the woman said she started to feel giddy about five minutes later and her arms and legs went numb.

Where does it say foot...please
P

Discussion 7 : 13/08/2009 at 09:20 AM7
This is a true story and it has happened to my mother. It was a normal taxi thought, Im surprise it happens to an airport registered taxi. Ofcourse i would have thought its a hoax if it didn't happen to someone I know.
Ozman_Bkk

Discussion 6 : 13/08/2009 at 09:19 AM6
"Foreigners arriivng in Thailand, need to thank the taxi drivers and give them a big tip". Yeah right Discussion #5. The meter shows the price. It is fair enough to round it off and give up to B20 tip but B200 or $500 ? I guess it shows how stupid some farang are by big noting themselves. Did this woman get drugged ? We may never know. However a complaint has been made and should be investigated. If it proves to be false then prosecute this woman to the full extent of the law.
Pointman #2

Discussion 5 : 13/08/2009 at 08:07 AM5
The woman made a serious mistake telling her story when she said, "the taxi driver covered the air conditioning console with his foot." IMPOSSIBLE. You can't cover all the air-conditioning vents with your foot. The truth is, "taxi service at the new airport is outstanding." Unregistered cars/taxis operating at the airport provide excellent service. Foreigners arriivng in Thailand, need to thank the taxi drivers and give them a big tip. If you give the drivers an extra 200 Baht tip, they will make sure you receive excellent service. I've benn in and out of the international airport in Thailand, several times and I've never had a problem. I normally, give a 500 Baht tip if the driver has to drive long distance to Pattaya, or Jomtein. A tip of 200 Baht is good if you're going to Bangkok.
Learn Some Thai

Discussion 4 : 13/08/2009 at 07:12 AM4
Why Dont you People ( Tourists ) Learn Some Thai and pretend as you know Thailand So well as though staying here for 3 years...,
Best way to handle this things is to handle it their Way !
I never faced any Problem With Taxi Guys So far being in Thailand for 2 years this Dec 2009.
Reason could be I speak Thai and I know the Road Map Before I actually Take a Taxi ( The Shortest Route ) and I go around at Day times.
May be for a Women traveller,It could be Different - He She It.
Det Real

Discussion 3 : 13/08/2009 at 04:25 AM3
So where is the news story?

A driver wearing dark glasses. Nothing new here.
A driver driving slowly. Nothing new here.
A woman trying to cause trouble. Nothing new here.
News papers trying to make a story out of nothing. Nothing new here.
Next you will be reporting on the need to class air conditioners emitting cold air as an illegal drug.
It appears this editor needs to open his/her window.
Only one problem, the mental stability the woman.
Silkpit

Discussion 2 : 12/08/2009 at 11:57 PM2
Chairat Sa-nguansue, director-general of the Land Transport Department should act on complaints rather then make sympathetic remarks towards taxi drivers.
The reputation of taxi drivers overall in Thailand is notrious for overcharging passengers,driving intentionally longer ways for newly arrived tourists with metered taxies, and amongst Thai female passengers feared of to be driven alone, especially at night.
Drugging, stabbing, murdering and raping over the past couple of years as reported in the news, has given Taxi drivers the reputation as it is.
Perhaps Khun Chairat could spend a day behind the Catering facilities of Bangkok Air and LSG Sky chef, and observe first hand the characteristics of taxi drivers, their behaviour and type of man, the urinating on streetside and littering, consumption of alcohol and gambling on site.
Even better, a TV Channel should spend a few hours there and show the real taxi scenario at the airport in their news.
Driver

Discussion 1 : 12/08/2009 at 11:00 PM1
If this is true then the AOT need to take serious action...the 50baht is nothing more than a travel tax & is just a massive money earner for the AOT, this was started well over 10 years ago at Don Mung because of very high profile robberies/rapes of both Japanese & Korean women by taxi drivers.....looks like nothing ever changes in Thailand

Airport taxis under close scrutiny