Sanit Phromwong says 9,000 tuktuks is too many and there needs to be a restriction on the registration of new ones. He continued by saying the sheer quantity of tuktuks made it a tough proposition for the authorities to oversee drivers and ensure standard levels of service.
Once the only viable alternative to buses, tuktuks have seen their traditional passenger bases eroded by vast improvements in Bangkok’s public transport options. New urban rail infrastructure, increasing numbers of motorcycle taxis and the introduction of meter taxis in the 1990s provide more choices.
Provided that metre taxi cabbies actually turn on their metres there is little difference between their fares and those of tuktuks. Regulated fares, air-conditioning and more space have made metre taxis the more popular choice.
Among its many travel options, 12GO ASIA offers chauffeur-driven taxi-transfers between Bangkok and central Thailand locations including Kanchanaburi, Hua Hin and Pattaya. When two or three people are travelling together the price is comparable to that of travelling by bus.
Bangkok tuktuk drivers agree on numbers cap
News in Asia
The drivers of Bangkok’s ubiquitous tuktuk taxis have mostly come out in support of a recommendation by the government that their numbers should be capped. Journalists quizzed drivers on a statement by the Land Transport Department’s director-general that there were too many tuktuks on the Thai capital’s streets.