The 30 are all members of PBC, but have yet to receive permission to operate from the airport, so they decided to apply a little pressure to make their point. They also represented other members of PBC, who want a second booking centre inside the departure terminal.
A meter taxi driver from another group, the Phuket Taxi Metre Service (PTM), speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Phuket News, “I worry that when they come in it may damage my income. In my opinion these new guys guys should be behind us in the queue for passengers.
“PBC wants to add 30 more meters taxis now – I have no idea what’s going to happen to me in the future.”
Pratueng Sornkham, Phuket director of Airports of Thailand later came out to talk with the PBC mob and told them that their demands would be considered next month.
Meanwhile, the previous evening (May 21) members of the Mook Andaman Club, which represents black taxis and some of those recently converted to green-plate taxis, also formed a protest, but instead held theirs outside the mansion of Phuket Governor Maitree Intusut in Phuket Town.
They parked on the road outside the mansion at 8:30 pm and stayed there until morning.
A deal was agreed on April 25 whereby 25 of Mook Andaman’s drivers would be allowed to operate from the airport. But on May 10, the club went to see the Governor to complain that some of their members had been beaten up when they tried to pick up passengers from the airport.
They are still being blocked from working at the airport, hence the vigil outside the Governor’s Mansion, led by Sontam Metmanee, the President of Mook Andaman and the group’s secretary Ithipon Metthanee.
They told media that they wanted to meet with the Governor. He did not, however, emerge during the night, though in the morning he sent out a representative to hear their complaints and deliver a message from him.
Mr Ithipon said today, “We went there because we still could not get into the airport, and we wanted to tell the Governor this. But he could not see us.
“Finally, we were told by an official we will be allowed to take 10 Mook Andaman taxis into the airport first thing tomorrow morning [May 24].”
Phuket’s airport taxi scene has always been a Byzantine affair, with existing groups always blocking any newcomers, sometimes with violence, in an attempt to defend their turf.
Usually, changes settle down after the authorities grant the existing groups concessions – usually the right to bring in more of their members to work at the airport.
An indication of how much is at stake came six years ago when PBC renewed its concession for 60 minivans and 20 limousines to operate from the airport. The price paid to Airports of Thailand was B33 million for three years – an average of B11,000 per vehicle per month.
At present some 8 million passengers a year land in Phuket. If half of those take a taxi and pay B500 for the trip, that works out at B4 billion a year being handed over to taxi, limousine and minivan drivers – a purse that is unlikely to cool the recurrent fever over who gets into the airport and who does not.