Unlicensed cabbies heed crackdown
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During the eleven days of the "Taxi Overhaul" project (June 1-11), a total of 16,278 cabbies applied for a public transport licence, or 1,479 a day, compared to the usual rate of 20 applications per day, Land Transport Department chief Somchai Siriwattana
Somchai said the project had been launched after figures showed many cabbies were working without a licence. The number of cabbies applying for licences this year until May 31 was 66,645 while the number of taxis registered was much higher at 102,575.
The office was also providing a public transport licence application service on weekends to accommodate the city’s cabbies, he added.
Taxi drivers who work without such a licence risk being jailed for up to one month and/or incurring a Bt1,000 fine.
Somchai said that between June 1 and 12, 3,868 cabbies had been caught failing to comply with regulations. Most were unable to present a public transport licence, were not wearing suitable clothing or were not displaying a taxi driver’s ID card in the cab.
