Taxi driver banned from Suvarnabhumi Airport for taking Taiwanese visitor for a ride
A taxi driver has been banned from picking up passengers at Thailand’s largest airport for allegedly using a fake list of flat-rate fares to overcharge a Taiwanese visitor for a ride from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to central Bangkok.
The driver allegedly charged her 1,200 to 1,500 baht.
The cost by meter is about 300 baht.
Besides being banned from the airport for life, he may lose his license to operate a taxi.
Airport management said on Sunday that the unnamed taxi driver had been using a fake list of fares that used flat rates per destination.
All taxi drivers picking up passengers at the airport are required use meters to calculate fares, airport management said.
The driver has been banned from taxi stands at the airport for life, managers said.
On Friday, a report on the incident, along with a photo of the fare list, was published on the Facebook news page “Khao Wong Karn Thong Thiew” (“Tourism News”).
The fare to “Bangkok City” is 1,200 to 1,500 baht, while a trip to Don Mueang International Airport costs 1,500 to 2,000 baht, according to the list.
Soon after the post was made, an administrator of the Facebook page of Airports of Thailand Plc – which operates Suvarnabhumi – left a comment saying she would alert the company so that it could investigate the incident immediately.
On Sunday, airport management said they had summoned the taxi driver for questioning after seeing the report online. The fare list was fake, they said. All taxi drivers have to be registered with the airport to pick up passengers and are required to use meters instead of charging flat rates, airport management said.
The name of the taxi driver has been sent to the Land Transport Department and it has been asked to consider revoking his taxi license for tarnishing the image of Thailand, airport management said, adding that the driver may have cheated other tourists.
Suvarnabhumi Airport management also denied reports that a 50 baht surcharge for taxi rides was prompting drivers to charge flat rates, explaining the 50 baht goes to drivers.
It was levied to encourage taxi drivers to pick up passengers from the airport.
Taxi drivers will be randomly checked around the clock to prevent them from refusing to use meters, airport management said.
People who use the airport can call 1584 if see any taxi driver at the airport refusing to use a meter.
