Saranya Sripai (real name withheld) was not aware of efforts by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to regulate motorcycle taxi drivers until she saw it mentioned in the news last week, following a ban on the smartphone-based service GrabBike.
"There's been little difference in service quality. If there is change, it's barely visible," said the 36-year-old office worker and Bangkok resident who regularly uses conventional motorcycle taxis to travel or for delivery purposes.
Despite the fact that drivers now have to register with the Land Department and that official travel rates have been set, Ms Saranya says she is still overcharged when using the service in some neighbourhoods. The delivery service is another concern even though she is aware that if a package is not properly delivered, she can contact the Land Transport Department (LTD).
"It would take ages for them to process my complaint," she said, adding she trusts that private companies such as GrabBike, UberMoto or similar businesses would handle customers' demands faster than state agencies although she has never used the application-based motorcycle services.
Since taking power in 2014, the NCPO has tried to regulate the conventional motorcycle taxi service in terms of safety and services, including requiring that all drivers be registered with the Land Transport Department, setting a price cap and assigning designated motorcycle taxi stands.
But users are questioning if the NCPO's efforts have paid off as many passengers, according to news reports, were overcharged during a BTS train system breakdown late last month.
Many have also questioned whether the LTD's efforts to summon app-based motorcycle taxi service operators in the last two weeks would really improve the overall service. According to the LTD, the app-based drivers are illegal as they use vehicles registered for private use rather than for public transport. But the summons was reportedly based on heavy online promotions that promised to cut service charges by half, affecting conventional drivers.
LTD chief Sanit Phromsathit last week warned the two companies of harsh punishment if they do not fall in-line with the law and the NCPO's policy to keep motorcycle services in order.
"Violators will face maximum fines," he stressed, referring to a 2,000 baht fine for using personal motorcycles to serve passengers, 1,000 baht for not having a driving licence for public transport and 1,000 baht for not wearing the "correct uniform" of motorcycle taxi drivers.
The military is playing a larger role in regulating the industry as motorcycle taxis grow increasingly popular. The number of registered vehicles has jumped from 40,000 to 90,000 with over 10,000 waiting in line, Mr Sanit said.
Social critic and writer Tomorn Sookprecha said the NCPO's attempts to fix the irregularities have shown few results. He said travel fares were still largely irregular and most drivers do not follow road safety rules or provide helmets to passengers.
While the government's underlying agenda may be to crackdown on mafia and influential figures extorting motorcycle taxi drivers, it has failed to raise quality standards and respond to users' needs, he argued. According to Mr Tomorn, the mentality of government leaders and officials and the measures they take are largely outdated, compelling ordinary people to stand up for themselves and look up alternative solutions, leading to the success of Grab, Uber or other sharing-economy businesses.
"They [business operators] have a bottom-up approach to solving problems," the writer said. These applications were developed by people who were confronted with the everyday concerns of motorcycle taxi users rather than government officials looking down at the problem from an ivory tower, he added.
The driver's name, licence plate and location appears on the application's screen, making it easy to track them and collect such information.
If the users' requirements are not met, they have a direct channel through which to complain.
Using technology as a weapon, the smartphone-based services turned the weaknesses of the official system to its advantage, and profited from it, Mr Tomorn said.
Government agencies have a hard time catching up to these newcomers.
Those willing to pay are guaranteed good quality service, said Mr Kong, 33, an employee and regular user, charmed by the applications' practicality.
He feels particularly relieved to not have to bargain on the price of a journey and found the service to be fast, reliable and the drivers polite.
Conventional motorcycle taxis sometimes refuse to drive long distances or overcharge customers when doing so, he added, while application-based services offer frequent promotions with fares lower than those of registered motorcycles.
While GrabBike or UberMoto are not completely legal, the government's recent ban highlights officials' insecurity in their approach to solving the problem, Mr Tomorn added.
"Perhaps officials only know how to order the 'little people' around such as telling motorcycle taxi drivers to register with the Land Department, but they do not dare start a discussion with heavyweights like Grab or Uber," he said.
While the NCPO has stepped up efforts to wipe out mafia gangs, its efforts weren't so fruitful, said a motorcycle taxi driver in central Bangkok who refused to be named.
"Influential people are still collecting money from many drivers,'' he said, while the strict law enforcement mainly targets those with little means. Under the new regulations, registered motorcycle taxis receive a yellow plate while private motorcycles that have white plates are not allowed to pick up customers.
However, on days where his registered motorcycle breaks down, this driver says he has no choice but to drive his other bike to make a living.
He risks a 2,000 baht fine each time.