Taxi drivers present govt with six demands

published : 9 Sep 2020 at 10:03

ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Post Reporters

Suporn Atthawong, vice minister of the Prime Minister's Office, talks to a group of taxi drivers who gathered in front of Government House asking authorities to solve their problems on Tuesday. (Photo by Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)

About 500 taxi drivers rallied outside Government House on Tuesday, calling for the government to accept six demands.

Worapol Kaemkhunthod, the chairman of the Association of Public Taxi Motorists, led the drivers to submit a letter containing six demands to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Mr Worapol said taxi drivers were unhappy and want the scrapping of a draft bill that will allow private vehicles to be used as a ride-hailing service akin to taxis; the extension of the operational age of taxis from nine to 12 years; and the scrapping of a measure making it compulsory for taxis to have GPS tracking devices installed.

The drivers also want the government to help protect their income by controlling the price of fuel for taxis, to cap the interest rates of taxi-related loans and to reduce taxi insurance so that it is equal to that of private cars, Mr Worapol said.

Taxi drivers are worried about competition from foreign ride hailing services, and wanted the government to provide protection.

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Vocabulary

bill: a proposal for a law - ร่างกฎหมาย
competition: a situation in which people or organizations compete, i.e., try to be more successful or better than somebody else who is trying to do the same as you - การแข่งขัน
compulsory: if something is compulsory, you must do it because of a rule or law - ที่จำเป็นต้องทำ
demand: a very firm request for something - ข้อเรียกร้อง, การเรียกร้อง
fuel: any material that produces heat or power, usually when it is burnt - เชื้อเพลิง
hail: to signal to a taxi or a bus, in order to get the driver to stop - เรียก
insurance: an arrangement in which you regularly pay an insurance company an amount of money so that they will give you money if something you own is damaged, lost, or stolen, or if you die or are ill or injured - การประกัน
interest rate: the percentage that a bank or other financial company charges you when you borrow money, or the percentage it pays you when you keep money in an account - อัตราดอกเบี้ย
loan: an amount of money that a person, business, or country borrows, especially from a bank - เงินกู้
operational: working; able to be used - ที่สามารถใช้งานได้
protection: the act of protecting somebody/something; the state of being protected - การอารักขา, การปกป้อง
scrapping: giving up; stopping - ยุติ

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