Drivers of regular taxis have threatened to begin blockading entry and exit points at Suvarnabhumi if the government fails to shut down the Grab ride hailing service at Bangkok's main airport.
About 50 taxi drivers began a protest outside the parliament on Tuesday.
They are demanding the government close the Grab service lounge at Suvarnabhumi airport and threatened to blockade the airport if it failed to act by Wednesday.
The protest was led by the head of the Thai Public Taxi Association, Waraphol Kaemkhunthod. They gathered outside entry gate 5 at the parliament, across from the Ministry of Education on Ratchadamnoen Nok Road.
The protest was fuelled by the government's decision to allow Grab drivers to establish pick-up and drop-off points in the airport.
Mr Waraphol said most passengers now hailed drivers via online platforms, which was bad for drivers and operators of public taxis.
They were asking Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit to resolve the problem and ensure them justice.
The cabbies want the revocation of ministerial regulations on Hired Cars Carrying No More Than Seven Passengers and Ride-Hailing via an Electronic System.
Mr Waraphol said these regulations mainly benefitted the investors and platform developers, leaving traditional drivers behind.
“We don’t want the Grab service to have designated spots all over the country, especially at airports,” Mr Waraphol said. “They are like the doors and windows of Thailand.”
Some app drivers had caused damage to tourists, but news reports sometimes mistook them for public taxi drivers, he said.
The association needed the government to decide between Grab and taxi drivers.
“If they choose Grab, it means they are selling the country because the app does not belong to Thais,” Mr Waraphol said.
He said the protest was not political. They sought justice for members of their profession.
If the government did not respond on Wednesday, they would start blocking entrances and exits at the airport, protesters said.
Grab Holdings Inc is a multinational tech company headquartered in One-North, Singapore.