http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/eco ... ws-the-way (Charts)
Business » Economics
Pick a colour and hope he knows the way
Taxi industry deregulation has led to a free-for-all on the city's roads,
* Published: 27/03/2010 at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section: News Bangkok Post
Tens of thousands of taxis roam the streets of Bangkok at any given time of the day or night.
They compete for the right to service passengers, which is good in that it offers more choice.
However, many observers believe that overall service standards have declined since deregulation of the industry ushered many more taxis onto city streets.
Before 1992 the number of cabs in Bangkok was capped at 13,500 vehicles for fear the streets would become too clogged.
Under this strict limitation, taxi registration plates were like gold, costing even more than the cars for anyone wanting to enter the business.
But as the city's population grew, the government came under pressure to lift the limit.
Since the industry was deregulated in 1992, the Land Transport Department has registered 80,000 taxis, of which 60,000 are constantly on the move to find passengers.
This free-for-all policy ended the problem of insufficient taxis, but in the process created new ones.
In the past the behaviour of drivers could be better kept in check by the department because there were fewer taxis and they tended to be more established. It's not the case today. The number of drivers and vehicles has grown far beyond the capability of the department to monitor them.
With it has brought crime and unethical practices of unmitigated proportions, obliterating reports of honest and professional drivers.
In addition to waves of complaints about poor service and driving standards, many passengers tell horror stories of rape and robbery, while murder and extortion of foreign tourists is not unknown.
Topping the list of complaints to the department's call centre is the refusal of drivers to accept a fare.
Chairat Sa-nguanchue, the department's director-general, concedes there are just too many taxis for the agency to control. "The liberalisation of the taxi policy was successful in the sense that it led to new services. But other problems have arisen. And that has put Thai taxis far below the standard of taxis in other countries like Singapore, Hong Kong and England," Mr Chairat says.
The new services include a requirement for fares to be charged by meter instead of the old practice when passengers had to bargain with the driver. A vehicle's lifespan is set at nine years to force old taxis off the roads. The regulations apply to the main yellow and green taxis driven by the owners as well as taxis of other colours run by small firms on a cooperative basis. Each cooperative has a different colour.
Qualified drivers are required to be at least 25 years old, possess a public transport driver's licence, learn the code of conduct and receive training on taxi driving skills. But many companies ignore the rules as they are desperate to find anyone who is available to drive their vehicles rather than leave them sitting idle and losing money in a garage.
The Siam Taxi Cooperative estimates that only half of all drivers are qualified. "Many owners do not ask for a licence and other information from those coming to rent their cars because they fear losing money," said Siam Taxi chairman Vitoon Naewpanitch, who drives as well as runs a taxi business.
One of the main problems is that many drivers will refuse a fare if the destination is clogged by traffic because they know the authorities will not go after them for breaking the rules, he said.
It is the duty of the department to make sure the rules are adhered to. Mr Chairat said officials are regularly sent to monitor firms and individual owners. But with a task force of just 80 officials, it is impossible to undertake thorough checks.
Taxi drivers who fail to meet the requirements are blacklisted and their cooperatives receive a warning before action is taken, including the most severe measure of a complete ban on its operations, he said.
When a crime is committed in a taxi, police from all units are required to help the department as its officials have no arrest authority. "This problem needs the cooperation of all agencies."
A new meter to be installed in taxis was launched this year and the department is hoping it will kill the practice of drivers using longer routes to pad out fares. The meter will issue a receipt with the fare, distance and time of the ride.
The department once floated the idea of installing a driver compartment in the taxis for the safety of passengers and drivers, but it faced strong opposition from taxi firms which did not want to invest more in their vehicles.
Mr Vitoon said the department alone cannot tackle the problem of ruthless drivers and poor service.
Jear Youtamnat, a veteran driver who was plying his trade before liberalisation policies were introduced, bemoaned the falling driving standards. "Part of the problem is they compete fiercely for passengers as there are too many taxis in Bangkok now," the 63-year-old said. "Unlike the old days, now there is no sympathy, even among drivers themselves," he said.
not that it would do any good but i may feel better. Had that a few times and never worked out why until i read this. a good bit of information here.
Anyway, my wife won't have it as she can't see why she should pay more for a tuk-tuk than she pays for a taxi.