The government campaign to "return happiness" to taxi passengers, driven by a top army general, is missing the mark.
Lt Gen Kampanat Ruddit, apparently fed up with complaints from commuters about aberrant cabbie behaviour, stepped in and launched another one-army-fits-all solution.
The front man for the First Army Region launched a "Never say no to passengers" public relations stunt on March 13 with 100 Bangkok taxi drivers joining in.
Each driver was given a sunshade with this message and was told to put it on a window to show he supports it.
"Most taxi drivers are good people, I can guarantee you that," the general said at the campaign launch photo op.
But soon after the campaign kicked off, a woman posted a message on her Facebook page saying she had to hastily leave a taxi after the driver demonstrated "ugly sexual behaviour" in the car.
The complaint turned out to have grounds and the department decided to withdraw his driving licence, according to Matichon Online.
The army-led campaign wasn't totally off-track — the driver didn't refuse the fare. But it fails to provide any guarantees about what will happen during the ride.
Any driver deemed a danger to society will have his licence immediately revoked in addition to being fined, deputy director-general of the Land Transport Department Jirut Wisanjit warned last Tuesday.
The department has stripped two drivers of their licences and suspended another 91 in the past year, he added.
Of course not all cabbies are bad; there are many good ones out there on the road. But the bad drivers are spoiling the broth and the cabbie system needs a serious overhaul to fix the problem.
Drivers are aware of the department's warnings and punishment for out-of-line behaviour, but it does not seem to thwart misconduct.
The problem in Bangkok is that just about anybody can drive a taxi — the licence is easy to obtain from the department.
With the supply of taxis outstripping the number of drivers, owners do not bother to check a driver's background as they prefer to see the wheels moving instead of going flat in the garage.
The government has ordered state agencies to be more selective about sending staff on overseas trips. But perhaps it should allow Land Transport Department officials to visit London to see first-hand how difficult it is for a person to get behind the wheel of a taxi.
There, the driver must past a gruelling test, including an exam on routes in the British capital. Japan might be another choice for study to see how polite a driver can be, while wearing a neat uniform and keeping their car clean.
These things are required by department rules here as well. But the only day drivers adhere to these rules is when he has to go to the land transport office to have his car checked and licence renewed.
The department is well aware of taxi problems. Two years ago it created a programme to produce "professional taxi drivers".
Those undertaking the free course are expected to come out service-minded and offer safe transportation to passengers. It has rarely been heard of since.
With taxi problems the most prevalent at the department's call centre year in, year out, it proves there is an awful lot more that needs to be done if we are going to eradicate bad taxi drivers from Bangkok streets.
If Lt Gen Kampanat is serious about his campaign to end the taxi problem, he should steer his efforts towards ensuring the department seriously enforces its own rules — and regularly produces quality drivers. That would be tackling the problem at its root cause.
But first, he should check whether that free sunshade with the message "Never say no to passengers" — which he freely handed out to the drivers on March 13 — complies with the regulations under the Vehicle Act.
Like the ban on central locking in a vehicle, the law does not allow taxis to put sunshades over windows for the safety of passengers.
Saritdet Marukatat is digital media news editor, Bangkok Post.