Cabs can catch up
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Cabs can catch up

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A threat by taxi drivers to block road access to Suvarnabhumi airport in protest against the ride-hailing service Grab has ended badly for the cabbies.

The now rescinded threat made by the Association of Public Vehicle Drivers and Taxi Professions was a response to the Airports of Thailand (AoT) policy of permitting Grab to operate at Suvarnabhumi airport and other national airports. This policy also confines taxis to designated areas and prevents them from competing with ride-hailing services.

Unfortunately for the taxi drivers, their campaign has seemingly backfired, with netizens sharing on social media bad experiences they faced when using taxis at Suvarnabhumi airport.

Apart from having to pay an extra 50 baht surcharge and additional charges for extra luggage, these passengers also complained about smelly old cars and moody cabbies who openly showed they preferred foreigners over Thai passengers.

Sadly, such criticisms reflect the reality that local passengers and foreign visitors have experienced. Surprisingly, neither the Department of Land Transport (DLT) nor the taxi drivers' association has created a mechanism to address the issue of taxi drivers not doing the right thing.

Of course, passengers can always find polite and honest taxi drivers.

But it is too often that passengers experience taxi drivers refusing to pick them up if the fare is perceived as not worth their effort. So it is not surprising that many passengers are willing to pay more, up to 20% extra, for ride-hailing services. Apps for these services include price transparency and a reporting service for passengers with any complaints about the service and the conditions of vehicles.

Unsurprisingly, traditional taxi drivers might become the next victims of digital disruption.

No matter how uncompetitive traditional cabbies are, they must not be left behind, and those who don't join commercial app services will need to adapt.

Moreover, passengers still need robust competition and choices. Under a monopoly situation, major providers will end up dictating business conditions and treating consumers as they see fit.

Instead of leaving taxi drivers behind, the government, especially the DLT, needs to help them adjust. One aspect rarely mentioned is that taxi drivers have to invest money in paying special, pricey insurance, commercial tax, and permits to become taxi drivers -- something the digital platforms do not have to shoulder.

Tomorrow, DLT, AoT, and representatives of protesting taxi drivers will meet at the transport ministry to find a solution. This will hopefully lead to fundamental reform that traditional taxi drivers sorely need. Indeed, there are a few things that the government can and must do.

First, laws and mechanisms should be enforced to penalise taxi drivers who reject customers or offer poor service. Another project that all governments promised and failed to deliver is to create a state-funded hail-riding service for taxis and public vehicles. With a professionally managed app that offers fair benefit sharing and transparent data to passengers, cabbies will be more competitive, and passengers will come to them instead of running away.

In the end, local passengers often want to patronise traditional taxi drivers, many of whom come from poor backgrounds in the provinces. All these cabbies need to do is improve.

Editorial

Bangkok Post editorial column

These editorials represent Bangkok Post thoughts about current issues and situations.

Email : anchaleek@bangkokpost.co.th

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