Drivers of five-door "van taxis" at Suvarnabhumi airport have threatened to strike if authorities do not allow them to collect additional fees from passengers to cope with high fuel costs.
The fees include an increase in the airport surcharge from 50 to 100 baht per trip, charges for extra luggage and the use of flat rates instead of the meter if passengers want to travel long distances, said taxi driver Patthawi Mirat, as he sent the proposal to the Transport Ministry yesterday.
Mr Patthawi is a representative of 1,700 van-taxi drivers at the airport.
The drivers' position is that larger taxis can take more bags and more tourists, and should be able to charge a higher price. Up to now, Suvarnabhumi airport has set a one-price policy for all taxis. (Photo by Thanarak Khunton)
He reasoned their vehicles cannot use the same surcharges and fares as normal taxis because they have larger engines and more expensive fuel bills.
"If the government does not grant the increase, we will gradually stop running," Mr Patthawi said.
"We can't bear the costs any longer."
The new fees would ease drivers' troubles, Mr Patthawi said.
Passengers with two or more bags should have to pay additional money because heavier cars use more fuel, he said. He suggested 30 baht a bag for the initial rate. The flat rate price is also important, Mr Patthawi said.
For example, if passengers want to travel from Suvarnabhumi to Pattaya, under the new meter-based fares they pay 1,132 baht, but the flat rate would be 1,300 baht, which is more reasonable for van taxis, he said.
He suggested that the Department of Land Transport should set the standard flat rates in accordance with distances.
This would be fairer for both the drivers and the passengers, he said.
Mr Patthawi stressed that additional fees are badly needed. Without them, more van-taxi drivers will be forced out of their jobs, following 300 fellow drivers who left the profession recently.
After receiving their proposal, Transport Minister Prajin Juntong said the van-taxi drivers' complaints were "reasonable".
"We are trying our best to solve their problems," he said.
He ordered officials to gather information on the costs that van taxi drivers have to shoulder to consider their proposal in more detail.