The complaint was received by Apiwat Yodwan, Chief of the Phuket Damrongdhama Centre (Ombudsman’s Office).
Manop Pacha, who heads the metered taxi drivers at the airport, explained that after Phuket Taxi Metre Co Ltd won the government contract from Airports of Thailand* (AoT) to manage all metered taxis at the airport, the company hiked fees for parking at the airport from B200 to B500 per month per taxi.
There are more than 300 metered taxi drivers operating out of the airport, Mr Manop noted, meaning a hike from B60,000 to B150,000 in parking fees collected from metered taxi drivers each month.
“We want provincial officers to talk to with airport officials and Phuket Taxi Metre Co Ltd management to consider changing the car park location and reducing the fee back to B200 per vehicle,” Mr Manop said.
“We think the fee is too high compared with what the company has to offer. The quality of service from the company is lacking many things, such as not enough parking space for all members. We can only park about 10 vehicles at the airport at a time, but there are over 300 metered taxis serving the airport,” he said.
“We are also concern about safety issues when vehicles enter or leave the area, the curves make it difficult to see clearly and makes the area prone to accidents. Moreover, there is no restroom or waiting area for drivers nearby,” Mr Manop added.
Chief Apiwat accepted the formal complaint, and added, “We will talk with airport authorities concerning this issue and will let you know of any progress.”
Government contracts for all private services operating at Phuket International Airport are offered through Airports of Thailand PLC, a public company operating under the Ministry of Finance.
AoT operates Thailand’s six major international airports: Suvarnabhumi Airport; Don Mueang International Airport; Phuket International Airport; Chiang Mai International Airport; Hat Yai International Airport; and Mae Fah Luang–Chiang Rai International Airport.
Last year AoT posted a net profit of B18,728 billion, a year-on-year increase of 53.26 per cent. (See report here.)