The National Council for Peace and Order's (NCPO) directives to solve the problem of mafia-style extortion gangs controlling motorcycle taxis are changing the way drivers operate.
As part of a crackdown last month in efforts to regulate public transport services in Bangkok, the junta has set new requirements for motorcycle taxi drivers.
The minimum requirement for them to operate is a valid licence for public transportation, meaning drivers must hold a temporary driving licence for a minimum of 12 months. They are also required to own the motorbike used for service.
The requirements are aimed at putting an end to mafia figures making profits by leasing vest licences (seua win) to drivers.
The public transport licence will serve as proof of identity to trace drivers who commit crimes or fail to provide good service.
Subin Pongsiri, 42, secretary to a committee of motorcycle taxi drivers on Lat Phrao Soi 101, said if the NCPO makes it mandatory for drivers to hold a licence for public transportation, the number of drivers would dwindle.
Boonthong Intra, 45, head of Soi Thonglor’s motorcycle taxi queue, said many drivers, particularly those who are not Bangkok natives, do not hold licences for public transportation.
Mr Subin said setting fare benchmarks according to the distance travelled would also be unwise, as the customers could end up paying unfair charges.
Mr Boonthong said some drivers in the Thonglor queue refused potential customers if they wanted to travel too far from Thonglor due to traffic congestion, even when they were offered higher rates.
“The Thonglor queue is always busy with customers. On Fridays, you can see as many as 100 customers queuing up,” said Mr Boonthong.
Wandee Kongkrairat, 52, said many motorbike taxi queues are controlled by a mafia gang, which makes profits by leasing vest licences to drivers without screening them first.
“Some drivers can afford to pay for a licence, but they are addicted to drugs and gambling, which affects the image of our queue and customers lose trust,” she said.
Before the NCPO directive, drivers had to pay for vest licences and a mafia gang member parking lot on a monthly basis, one source said.
If new drivers wanting to join a queue have prior connections with an established member of the queue, they have a better chance of being accepted, the source said.
Chalerm Changthongmadon, president of the Motorcycle Taxi Drivers Association, said the cost of a vest licence differs from area to area.
On the outskirts of the city in Min Buri and Nongjok, the rate is about 20,000 baht, while in central business districts like Sukhumvit, Silom, and Ratchadapisek roads, the rate can be as high as 500,000 baht.
Mr Chalerm called for an end to vest licences, as a way to stop investors buying up licences and making money from them.
Some drivers have to work hard to pay their licence fees in installments and many are revoked after failing to meet payments.
An attempt to regulate motorbike taxi queues was made in 2003 under a Thaksin Shinawatra government policy which encouraged drivers to register their services with a district office. The registration was to serve as a database for government officers.
Police are believed to be complicit in motorcycle taxi gang activities, the source said. They are offered financial benefits in exchange for not punishing drivers for violating traffic rules.
Pol Lt Col Jakkrit Chosungnern, deputy superintendent of traffic police at Pathumwan station, said some low ranking officers received bribes offered by gang members or drivers who violated traffic rules.
Pol Lt Col Jakkrit said asking police to refuse bribes is hard, as they are a social norm.
He said he backed the NCPO’s initiative, hoping it would solve the bribery issue.
Pol Maj Gen Wichai Sungprapai, an adviser to the Bangkok governor, said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration once managed motorbike taxi queues, but they are now overseen by the Land Transportation Department of the Transport Ministry and the police.
He said the police agreed with the military council’s idea of regulating public transport. “I personally think the requirement of a licence would help solve problems of bribery and illegal sales of vest licences.”
Pol Lt Col Pawat Wanthasupat, police traffic inspector at the Phra Ratchawang station, noted plenty of unemployed people turn to motorcycle taxi driving and the number of illegal queues is on the rise.