Metered tuk-tuks ‘just an idea’: Phuket Gov

PHUKET: In a bid to end disputes between drivers and passengers over fares, the Phuket governor is considering introducing meters to Phuket tuk-tuks.

Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop said natural gas-powered tuk-tuks could also be rolled out in order to cut down on fuel costs.

Any metered fee structure would still have to reflect Phuket’s status as an international tourist destination, Gov Wichai said.

“The prices aren’t going to start at 35 baht,” he said. “It could be 120 or 250 baht, but I don’t know yet because we have to set up prices that both sides are happy with.”

Gov Wichai was keen to stress the plans were ‘just an idea’ at this stage.

He also expressed some dismay that one local blogsite chose to report his idea after he expressly asked all the reporters present at a meeting yesterday not to do so.

“It’s my sincere desire to make this happen, but that doesn’t mean it will. Nothing has started yet,” he told the Gazette today.

Many tourism business operators and expat residents hold Gov Wichai in high regard for his introduction of the mandatory insurance scheme aimed at ending disputes between tourists and jet-ski operators, the first of its kind in the world.

No previous governor had ever taken serious action to put the jet-ski rental industry in order.

Problems continue, however, with a number of jet-skis operating without the insurance.

There have also been some reports of continued disputes over repair costs between operators of insured jet-skis and the tourists who rent them.

There is widespread agreement in Phuket that imposing order on the island’s tuk-tuk industry and developing reasonably-priced transport options for tourists will be a challenge of a much greater scale, given the relative size of the two industries.

— Kitima Pornmongkhonwat