Taxi drivers, legally registered in Bangkok and other provinces, WILL be allowed to work in Phuket, according to a Phuket Express report. It follows the recent news that 2 Bangkok taxi drivers face legal action for operating in Phuket, outside their registered jurisdiction. The drivers were caught at a checkpoint on Monday.
It’s understood that on Wednesday, a group of taxi drivers registered in Bangkok and other provinces gathered at Saphan Hin in Phuket Town. The drivers were protesting against the recent crackdown and insisting that they were providing a vital service for tourists in Phuket.
Following a meeting of the Phuket Land Transport Office yesterday, PLTO Chief Atcha Buajan confirmed that “green plate” taxi drivers from other provinces will now be allowed to operate on the island. However, they must first register with the Phuket PLTO within a month of arrival to confirm they are operating in Phuket and not the province in which they’re registered.
Officials in Phuket have been getting busy cracking down on anyone seen as “competition” to the island’s powerful clique of locally-registered taxi drivers. As well as targeting drivers registered in other provinces, the authorities have gone after individuals accused of using their private vehicles to offer taxi services, drivers hired through ride-hailing apps, and foreigners allegedly using rental cars to do the same.
SOURCE: The Phuket Express
