Take a stand on taxis, general

Take a stand on taxis, general

The bitter account of a Japanese educational volunteer's latest experience at Suvarnabhumi airport, which he referred to as "a disgrace to Thailand", has been all over the internet in the past few days. Originating on Facebook, where it since has been shared more than 1,600 times, Koki Aki — known as Kamen Rider among some of Bangkok's underprivileged children after visiting them dressed as the motorcycle-driving Japanese superhero — complained about poor service at the airport, especially in regards to taxis.

Without his two-wheeled vehicle, and with heavy luggage he claimed to be filled with toys and goodies for children, Aki had no choice but to take a cab. He went to the terminal's first floor and received a queue ticket from the automatic kiosk, which was introduced in November as an attempt to shorten wait times and lessen hassle for passengers.

To make a long story short, everything went by the book. Until, that is, Aki got in the cab and discovered the driver refused to use the vehicle's meter, and instead urged him to pay 700 baht for the ride to the Saphan Khwai area of Bangkok — double the amount he normally pays.

He wasn't dressed as his superpowered alter ego, but Aki still could not comply with such an unfair practice. Although the complaint he made to the supposedly responsible people at the airport on the day the incident occurred did not receive much attention, his Facebook post did.

And justice was quickly served — on Monday the problematic taxi driver was banned from the airport.

A pain was stifled, but is the disease cured?

I don't think so. Neither do many others. That's why comments continue to stream in from virtually anywhere on the internet where the incident was reported.

Many people — Thais are no exception — can identify with Aki on the taxi issue. At Suvarnabhumi, it's not uncommon to encounter cab drivers who refuse to use the meter. Stories of drivers dumping passengers soon after leaving the airport are also not rare.

These comment threads also suggest a variety of solutions to the problem. Among those I find feasible are proposals that airport-registered taxi drivers who do not wish to use the meter should be positioned separately and openly, allowing passengers a choice. Several also demand that the airport stop blocking arriving passengers from accessing the fourth floor, where they can catch taxis after drivers drop off departing passengers.

I avoid using Suvarnabhumi taxis. By travelling light, it's convenient for me to use the Airport Rail Link. But this is not an option for those with more than one piece of luggage.

At Don Mueang airport, I hail a cab that has dropped off passengers at the departure level terminal entrance. At Chiang Mai airport, I always use the queued taxis, which charge a flat rate of 120 baht for a trip to the downtown area. Everybody plays by the rules — the drivers are happy and, as a passenger, so am I.

As long as the taxi problem at Suvarnabhumi airport remains, comments and opinions from the public will continue to be shared.

But perhaps it's the thoughts of certain people that really count. I'm still looking forward to hearing what Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha or ACM Prachin Chantong, the Minister of Transport (who presided over the launch of the automatic taxi kiosks at Suvarnabhumi), have to say.


Pongpet Mekloy is the Bangkok Post's travel editor.

Pongpet Mekloy

Travel Editor

Pongpet Mekloy is the Bangkok Post's travel editor and a mountain bike freak.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT