For many years now, horror stories about illegal taxi and tuk-tuk drivers have graced front pages of newspapers such as this one, as well as other news sites on the island and around the kingdom.
For too long, residents and tourists alike have bemoaned the existence of these unscrupulous operators – tales of overcharging, violence, and intimidatory techniques are unfortunately all too commonly reported – and suggested that a simple solution to the island’s woes would be to force the taxis to comply with regulations, to register, to comply and to become part of the legal ‘above board’ society.
Well folks, it looks like it’s actually now going to happen and, contrary to popular belief, hell has not frozen over.
On the first day that the Provincial Transportation Department (PTD) opened registration to convert illegal “black-plate” taxis into legal “green registration plate” cabs, they received 1,048 applications.
The drivers will be called back to the department at a later date so that their cars can be inspected to ensure that they are roadworthy and suitable for use as taxis.
Sounds absolutely fantastic, right? It’s what Phuket residents have all been waiting all along for right? Well, actually no, not all.
A few weeks ago a reader wrote in to say that ‘regulations’ would not in fact help the drivers or even the customers. He believed that, much like in his native Australia, the regulators would demand higher licensing fees which would lead to higher fares and eliminate the need to keep fares low for competition’s sake.
He said, “Massive license fees and control from government will make it harder for someone to start their own business without permission from this third party claiming to help.” It was for this reason, among may others, that he stated rather proudly that he used an illegal taxi.
Will enforced regulations force the taxi fraternity to clean up its act? Or will it merely allow others to get their hands legally dirty?
One thing’s for sure. After the last few decades or so of dealing with the current situation, The Phuket News is certainly ready to try a new approach.
Taxi!