Tuk-tuk fares “to be imposed next month’

PHUKET: Negotiations on fixed fares are underway with the island’s tuk-tuk drivers, and an agreement will be hammered out at a meeting planned for June 21, says the provincial government. Teerayout Prasertphol, chief analyst at the Phuket Provincial Transport Office, told the Gazette today that survey forms have been sent to tuk-tuk drivers, provincial and municipal government officials, TAT officials, police superintendents, representatives of the Thai Hotels Association and Phuket Tourism Association, and other interested parties. “Everyone will fill in the fares they think are fair and send the forms back to me before June 18. I will collate all the information and prepare it for discussion at the meeting,” K. Teerayout said. The survey results will be used to determine new official rates, which are to be prominently displayed in Thai and in English in all of Phuket’s 1,200 tuk-tuks from July. A government attempt to impose fixed, published fares at the start of this month, to curb complaints about overcharging, was postponed after it ran into strong opposition from tuk-tuk drivers.