The order also annuls the cabbie’s registration at the airport. The row stemmed from the arrival of Koki Aki at the airport on Saturday morning. Drivers are supposed to turn on meters when passengers enter their vehicles at the airport.
Staff at the airport said Pattamakijsakul told them that he had informed Mr Aki that it was a flat fare of THB700 to his destination in the Saphan Khwai District of Bangkok. Mr Aki claimed that the cabbie told him that he would have to pay more than double the standard fare as the vehicle was a Toyota Innova SUV.
Mr Aki refused to pay and said he took his taxi-reservation slip back to one of the dispatchers. He alleged that the dispatcher just took the slip and tossed it away. After this, Mr Aki said he found a taxi with a driver willing to turn on the meter to take him to his destination.
After arriving in Saphan Khwai, the Japanese national turned into a Facebook warrior and posted up a tirade about the shortcomings of Suvarnabhumi and in particular its taxi services. The post went viral and once 14,000 people had read it, the airport’s management were forced into doing something about the rogue cabbie.
Cheating cabbie barred from Suvarnabhumi Airport
News in Asia
The director of Suvarnabhumi Airport has slapped a ban on a taxi-driver at the heart of a row over overcharging a passenger. Yesterday, Prapon Pattamakijsakul endorsed an order banning Chaiyan Charoensopha from picking up passengers at the principal international gateway to Thailand.