One of the main problems of illegal taxi drivers in Phuket is that they do not have the appropriate insurance to transport passengers. This poses a serious threat to the safety of those who use their services. However, not only the safety of passengers is at stake. Illegal taxi drivers do not pay taxes, which ultimately leads to a decrease in state revenues and negatively affects the economic development of the region.
The head of the Department of Transportation, Adcha Buachan, rightly pointed out the seriousness of the problem of illegal taxi drivers, especially those who take orders through unregistered applications. In such a case, there is no guarantee that the taxi driver has the appropriate insurance and that he is not a potential threat to the safety of passengers.
However, it should be noted that taxi owners who operate through applications that are not approved by the Department of Transportation may have legal status and appropriate insurance, but for some reason they were not approved. This may be due to the lack of transparency in the approval process, which may discourage taxi owners from obtaining official status.
In addition, it is important to consider that many tourists prefer to use services such as Bolt and inDriver because they provide more affordable prices than Grab and Hello Phuket. If the Department of Transportation continues to ban the use of these applications, this could lead to a decrease in the number of tourists on the island.
To solve the problem of illegal taxi drivers, a comprehensive approach must be taken. The first step could be to improve the approval process for taxi owners using non-government approved apps.
