Phuket and its taxis
I write this as I am sat in a Grab taxi on the way to the airport. I have been in Phuket for 3/4 days and one thing that TAT, the Thai government, Phuket municipality and the hospitality business must get in order are the taxis.
When I raised this yesterday with the Phuket Hotels Ass’n they acknowledged the need but said they were powerless to effect or bring about any changes. Not possible they said. Cannot. The municipality, the police, military and government cannot they said?
Welcome to the real world chaps. Thailand has to improve its service facilities if it is to recover post Covid. All this talk about targeting a higher level of tourist. Medical tourism, selling wellness, spas and 5 star hotels. Oh, but apparently no one has control of the taxi drivers or the jet ski operators.
If the hotels, restaurants, airports, marinas, municipality, schools, hospitals, clinics, etc instructed their staff to only use Grab taxi drivers then more drivers would sign up and conform. If the municipality registered every taxi driver, jet ski operator and enforced improvements in every aspect of the tourist experience then you will find that you recover much quicker.
If you stick your head in the sand and say “it is what it is and we have to put up with it“ then it will drag your proposition down no matter how clean and sanitised your hotel is.
You can not change the past but you can, and must, influence the future.
