Patong to get B20 tuk-tuk service

PATONG: A fleet of 24 tuk-tuks will ply a circular route through the streets of Patong for no more than 20 baht per passenger by the time the next high season arrives, Teerayuth Prasertphol, Chief Technical Officer at Phuket Provincial Transportation Office, announced today.

K. Teerayuth explained that the tuk-tuks will pass along the route every five to 10 minutes, though he added that many details of the plan have yet to be decided on – including the route itself and how the tuk-tuks will be decorated so they can be distinguished from those currently serving the resort town.

He added adding that the fares have yet to be set, but the maximum would be 20 baht.

“I intend to have finalized the routes before the end of this month, and the project should be ready for tourists to use in the coming high season,” he said.

K. Teerayuth explained that the service was being introduced in response to complaints from tourists about extortionate fares being charged by tuk-tuk drivers.

“Since I started working in Phuket in 1999, I have heard that one big problem in the tourism industry in Phuket is the high tuk-tuk fares,” he said.

“The current Governor, Udomsak Uswarangkura, and past Governors instructed me to find a solution to this problem.”

The drivers – and the tuk-tuks – will be recruited from the freelance tuk-tuks currently serving the Patong area, he said.