Around 7.40pm last Friday (Nov 3), an unnamed Russian tourist reached out to the Phuket Tourist Police and Phuket Tourist Assistance Center (TAC Phuket) at Phuket International Airport, seeking assistance in retrieving his missing mobile phone.
The man had arrived at the airport with his family for their return flight to Russia. After checking his belongings, he realised that his iPhone was missing, and he suspected he had left it in the van that had taken him to the airport.
He informed TAC officials and Phuket Tourist Police officers that he had booked the taxi through the inDriver app, an application not yet officially recognised by the Department of Land Transport (DLT) and the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO)**.
Fortunately, the unofficial status of the application did not hinder the return of the iPhone. Tourist Police reached out to the driver, who promptly arrived at the airport and handed over the phone to the authorities.
The Russian man and his family expressed their gratitude to everyone involved and proceeded with their journey back home. Phuket Tourist Police commemorated the honest van driver by taking a photo together, which they shared on their Facebook page. The cabbie’s name was not disclosed.
The most recent announcement by PLTO regarding legal and yet to become legal Car App services was made on Aug 16. The agency confirmed that Maxim and inDriver apps were still not yet approved by the DLT at that time.
The PLTO also issued a notice stipulating what was required for app taxis to legally operate in Thailand.
** UPDATE/CORRECTION: According to a report by the Bangkok Post, InDrive was approved by the Department of Land Transport on Sept 1. However, Phuket officials and the PLTO have yet to issue any notices informing the public that InDrive is now legal to use.