Taxi Drivers Blockade Suvarnabhumi Airport in Protest

[Gaybutton]

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST:

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Taxis Stage Anti-Police Protest

 

About 2,500 taxi drivers protested against Rachathewa police at Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday for cracking down on taxi drivers not running their meters and charging passengers flat rates. The protest started around 5.30pm after one taxi driver was given a ticket by police for not using the meter while bringing passengers from Pattaya to the airport in Samut Prakan's Bang Phli district.

 

Thongchai Thongvorn, 48, a taxi driver, said the protest was being staged to demand justice from police.

 

The protest started inside the airport and then expanded all the way to the road outside the airport as the number of protesters steadily grew.

 

Suvarnabhumi Airport director Somchai Sawasdeephon said the protest was not only causing traffic problems but also inconveniencing passengers who could not find any taxis to take them to town.

 

Taxis taking passengers to and from the new airport are required to use the meter with an additional charge of 50 baht per trip. But many taxis violate the rule by demanding a flat rate from passengers.

 

The rally prompted the airport authorities to bring both sides into a meeting to help end the protest.

 

The drivers want police to stop ticketing them, which the police was still refusing to do at press time.

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And this, from THE NATION:

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Hundreds of Cabbies Protest at Suvarnabhumi Airport

 

Hundreds of cabbies blocked the taxi terminal at Suvarnabhumi Airport last night in protest at a police arrest and ticketing of a driver.

 

As many as 300 police were deployed to the protest.

 

The arrested driver had failed to turn on his meter when ferrying a passenger to the airport from Chon Buri province.

 

One of the protesting drivers said the blockade demanded justice for the arrested driver.

 

He said taxis travelling interprovincial routes did not have to use meters.

 

The protest organiser, who asked to not be identified, alleged staff at a company that operated an Airports of Thailand taxi concession were corrupt.

 

They allowed "ghost taxis" to freely pick up passengers at the airport while those who paid Bt50 to enter the airport had to wait "hours" to collect a fare.

 

Staff received Bt20 kickbacks from each unauthorised taxi.

 

Hundreds of taxis blocked entrances and exits to the commuter area while others blockaded the Thai Airways catering building, causing traffic congestion in the airport compound.

 

 

 

 

[Guest wowpow]

I arrived, for the fist time, at Suvarnabhumi yesterday afternoon. I thought the place was very splendid and worked well. Distances to travel are long but there are lots of travellators (moving walkways some which take you up or down floors ) to move people quickly and as you glide along and look up you can see departing passengers gliding in the opposite direction - most futuristic.

 

There was a line at Immigration but shorter than most times at Dom Muang. Baggage arrived pretty quickly. Nice trollies which stick on the travellators as you go down a floor to get a taxi - I did not see any signs for Taxis but otherwise signage was fine.

 

The Taxi system was similar to previous with two lines of taxis - no very old bangers - and a kiosk. They give you a scrap of paper with your destination on and a guy loads you into a taxi and then gives you the same form as before with details of the charges.

 

I saw thousands of taxis as we drove off and I thought they must be waiting for fares. I did not realize that it was a demonstration.There did not seem to be any services blocked that I could see - about 5.15 p.m. I went quickly, on the nice new motorway and ring road, to Tarntawan Place Hotel despite the rush hour. I paid 60 baht tolls, 265 on the meter and 50 baht airport tax.

 

I saw somewhere (?) that a taxi can be fined 1000 baht for picking up passengers in the Departure area?