Director Sanit Promwong says the new measures are part of a campaign to take rude and uncooperative cabbies off the streets of Bangkok. The department says it has kicked the campaign off in the central Ratchaprasong zone of Bangkok.
As part of the ongoing crackdown the DLT plans to station even more police officers and soldiers at key Ratchaprasong locations to keep an eye out for rogue cabbies. These personnel will patrol outside malls including Mahboonkrong (MBK), Central World and Siam Paragon during the peak shopping hours from 16:00 to 22:00.
Officials in the area say they have apprehended 350 cabbies over the past few months. They had either refused to take passengers or to turn their meters on. So that the extra officers do not become a permanent fixture in the Ratchaprasong area, the DLT has asked malls to increase CCTV camera coverage and report any untoward incidents.
The DLT is targeting owners as well and says it has warned them that repeated complaints about their drivers means they will not be granted any new taxi licences. Under current regulations, Bangkok’s cabbies cannot refuse to take passengers and have to turn on their metres for the duration of trips. Passengers with complaints about taxi drivers can make them via the DLT check-in app or by calling 1584. The app is available in Thai and English.
Bangkok to penalise taxi drivers who refuse fares
News in Asia
Thailand’s transport division has announced it will automatically suspend taxi drivers in Bangkok who refuse to take passengers to requested destinations. The director of the Department of Land Transport (DLT) says first-time offenders will be suspended and repeat offenders will be sacked.