Muted Taxi Reception For Phuket Airport Boat Service

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Muted taxi reception for Phuket airport boat service
Naraporn Tuarob


Phuripat Theerakulpisut, Director of Marine Officer Phuket branch.

PHUKET: -- The final public hearing on the proposed airport passenger pier and boat service received a surprisingly muted reception yesterday (May 14) from Patong taxi and tuk-tuk drivers.

There had been concern that the drivers might see the proposed boat service between the airport and Patong as a threat to their livelihood, and officials were braced for a stormy meeting at Patong Municipality.

At a similar hearing in Mai Khao concerns were aired by local village leaders that the boat service might eat into local taxi drivers’ revenue.

But yesterday the official tone from Phuket’s party central was set by Patong Mayor Pian Keesin, who told the meeting, “We have to move on, we have to set the standard for Phuket.

“Look at Hong Kong and Macau or even Singapore. This is the kind of development we need. I think we have to be open-minded and consider whether [the boat service] will boost our economy. This is a new selling point.”

A taxi driver told The Phuket News, “It’s okay. It’s not really our customers and in any case it will be small numbers.”

Phuripat Theerakulpisut, Director of Marine Officer Phuket branch, said after the meeting, “I believe we received good signals from this hearing. Nobody in the relevant groups we invited disagreed with the project. This is a good sign.”

He said that now the hearings were over, work can begin on refining the proposal before it is presented to the Cabinet.

“As I have always said, this project is not designed to steal customers from the tuk-tuks or taxis. Our aim is simply to help reduce traffic congestion on the roads.

“More importantly, the market for this service is different, and I think they [tuk-tuk and taxi drivers] understand this.”

Initially the service will use the existing pier at the south end of Patong Beach, but Mr Phuripat said he was waiting for reaction from the private sector to the whole plan, and whether companies would be interested in investing in a new Patong pier.

Phuket’s one existing hydrofoil service cannot use the Patong pier because the water around it is too shallow.

But first the concept has to receive Cabinet approval. “If the Cabinet doesn’t approve, then it will be just another castle in the air,” Mr Phuripat said.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/muted-taxi-reception-for-phuket-airport-boat-service-39389.php


-- Phuket News 2013-05-15

[WilliamTaylor]

Why is their opinion even being sought?

Not that it really matters, this has got to be one of the stupidest plans ever.
The tuk-tuk problem needs to be faced head-on, the idea of getting around it by taking a detour through the sea is ludicrous.

Edited May 15, 2013 by WilliamTaylor

[LivinginKata]

Why should the taxi mafia care - this boat service idea is a joke and even they know it.

[aguy30]

Why should they care? The tuk tuk and taxi mafia will still get some of the tourist blood without the long trip to the airport. People will still need to use some form of transportation when they arrive or depart from the boat service pier and the trip to and from the hotel won't be cheap.

My thought is the boat service will fail quickly unless it includes a shuttle service to/from the hotels.

[jocko]

Just build a four lane Bridge from the Airport to Patong.

Bloody great idea.

You can thank me later.

[eezergood]

They are asking the mafia, because they run the bloody Island! They dont care, cause they know its a joke!

WHat happened to getting Songkran out of the way & discussing the busses once again?

[WilliamTaylor]

Addition of a dinky boat service = SINGAPORE!

[Suffinator]

Love it when the try to compare Phuket with Singapore or any other developed country with little corruption. <deleted> are these people thinking? Stop comparing and start doing and maybe in a 1,000 years with their level of intelligence they may just get there.

[wiyada]

The poor hard done by taxi and tuk tuk drivers, they are so persecuted

These eager attentive softly spoken drivers are only trying to earn a minimum wage (UK minimum wage of course) Those pesky tourist can afford it, if not then go elsewhere. That's why only high end tourists are desired, they don't complain over a few baht unlike those western & Russian cheap charlies.

[JetsetBkk]

What ever happened to the airport bus service? Is it dead in the water? (Sorry, pun unintended).

[bangarang]

After they set this whole thing up, I give a week before it will start to look like Rangong pier with new longtail boat taxis to the airport.
http://www.greenandyellow.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/2012.12.29__16.34.25___MG_6086.jpg

[Unkomoncents]

I feel like the comparisons between Thailand and neighboring countries are just going to get harder to bear and more hilarious. Thailand and Phuket offered something special more than a decade ago. They were ahead of the boom in Asian tourism and they had sparkling, clear waters and beautiful rainforests to boast of. Now, Phuket is a crime-infested, mafia-run, litter-strewn sh*thole. The taxi and tuk-tuk mafias are an international embarrassment (the US Navy, which formerly brought stratospheric amounts of money to the island during shore-leaves promised to never return a couple of years ago after they were prevented from accessing Patong by tuk-tuk drivers who were angry that the Navy had hired buses to drive personnel into town) and really, more importantly, they are a blight on the other honest businesses in Phuket. It's really quite sad. People's livelihoods are held in limbo as a bunch of yabaa-addled plebians with with 3rd Grade educations siphon funds from tourists who will go home and recommend that friends visit elsewhere to avoid the scams, violence, and roadway accidents.

[hansgruber]

More projects, more the Jewish piano gets played.

Fantastic musicians. Jews of Asia.

[jbrain]

The final public hearing on the proposed airport passenger pier and boat service received a surprisingly muted reception yesterday (May 14) from Patong taxi and tuk-tuk drivers

Surprise surprise, not?

How is it going with the Phuket buses, are they fully operational already

[eezergood]

Love it when the try to compare Phuket with Singapore or any other developed country with little corruption. <deleted> are these people thinking? Stop comparing and start doing and maybe in a 1,000 years with their level of intelligence they may just get there.

Singapore is the worlde centre for money lanudering! SO they have huge corruption, but I take your point.

[madmitch]

Of course Mayor Pian would have no problems with this; it's playing right into his drivers' hands. The clamour by the drivers for customers disembarking would make the airport look positively serene.

And as for the poster suggesting a shuttle: great idea but the chance of that happening is even less than the chance of the boat service getting off the ground.

[HarryMilton]

More projects, more the Jewish piano gets played.

Fantastic musicians. Jews of Asia.

Would you please explain what you mean by this?