Aussie tourists ripped off 1,500 baht each for a van ride in Phuket
A Facebook post in the “Phuket People Voice“ page has published the photos of two Australians who reported to Kaon police after being ‘ripped off’ in a van ride from the airport to their Kata hotel.
A policeman at Karon says… “An Australian citizen came to report the situation in Karon saying that they ‘called’ (hired) a van from Phuket Airport to send them to their hotel at Kata. Arriving at the hotel, the driver demanded 3,000 baht for the journey, which is a very high price.“
That’s 1,500 baht each.
The distance from Phuket International Airport to the Kata area is approximately 46-47 kilometres, which should usually cost 800-1000 baht max. Advertised prices at the airport say the maximum price for a private minibus from the airport to Kata/Karon is 1,600 baht. Other advertised services at the airport say you can catch a min-bus, with other passengers, for 200 baht to Kata/Karon. A taxi from the airport has a rate set at 1,000 baht, 500 baht each for the two Australians.
Facebook users have been happy to share their opinions, some saying that by doing this “you destroy the image of Phuket tourism”.
