Sunday, August 4, 2013

Transportation in Phuket, Thailand – The Taxi and Tuk Tuk Mafia (And Some Decent Taxi Driver Recommendations)

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Taxis: Phuket is notorious for them. Not only is there a seemingly inexhaustible supply of them trying to flag you down every five steps (except when you actually need a ride, then god help you, you will never find a taxi), there is an entire “Taxi Mafia” thing going on in Phuket. Prices are outrageous and unless you want to drive a car (don’t) or a motorbike (please don’t) they pretty much have a captive audience of tourists on the island since there is no appreciable mode of public transportation (though, allegedly, there will be a bus system in place at some point).



We loved Phuket, we did, but the roads are crazy and the taxis are ridiculously expensive—more so, I’ve heard, than anywhere else in Thailand. Certainly more than in Malaysia. The whole thing is a rip-off, is what I’m getting at. And if you get motion sickness, it’s like paying someone an exorbitant fee to make you violently ill and utterly miserable for the whole drive. Just saying.
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The “Taxi Mafia” (AKA “The Tuk Tuk Mafia”—though this could be an entirely separate faction, I don’t know, I’m not a mobster) may sound like a joke, but these guys are very serious. There are territorial disputes and government official payoffs, the whole nine yards. Haven’t heard of anyone getting whacked yet, but hey, I wouldn’t be surprised. We’ve even been refused service before because the taxi driver we found was so worried about driving us to the BelAir in Panwa, which was apparently strictly under another group’s jurisdiction (he eventually relented, but we had to jump out of the vehicle before it reached the hotel for him to avoid ‘trespassing’—that’s how insanely serious this Taxi Mafia is).

So if you’ve been to Phuket or looked into visiting it, you’ve probably already heard the horror stories. You can never be completely sure that you’re going to arrive at your destination or if you’ll be trotted off to some mega jewelry store or tour booking agency instead (or somewhere that is decidedly Not Tesco, like I was). I even read about an elderly lady who, not expecting this par-for-the-course deception on her arrival to Phuket, thought she was being kidnapped when she wasn’t taken to her intended destination. And that may seem like an overreaction, but you know what, being held against your will and taken someplace you expressly did not want to go…yeah, that sounds an awful lot like kidnapping to me.

All of this nonsense is especially stressful at the airport, where if you haven’t prearranged transportation you can expect to be swarmed by taxi drivers charging outrageous fares and harassing you until you can’t see straight.

When going to the Arrivals area of Phuket International Airport (about two steps to the left of Departures, as I recall—it’s a small, sad little airport that is under construction) to collect my parents, and finding out their plane had been delayed four hours, Geo and I had prime seats to view the airport taxi harassment for ourselves. We ended up collecting two nice American travelers from Denver, Colorado, and sharing our taxi back with them because they were so stressed out on arrival by the taxi drivers that they saw us sitting there looking interminably bored and came straight to us for some advice and reprieve. We almost collected two more after that, but we were running out of seats at that point and going in the opposite direction of the other travelers.

Best advice I can offer: prearrange your transportation from the airport to your destination if you are coming to Phuket. Anywhere else, you can probably just wing it, but here it is a huge hassle.
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For reference, if you are being charged over $1000 THB to get anywhere on the island, you are probably being ripped off. For a one way fare from Panwa to the airport (a 40 minute drive), we usually got charged between $800-$1000 THB (~$25-30 CAD).

We eventually found that the best way to get around the island without feeling like you were being robbed blind by taxi drivers every time you turned was to find yourself one good honest taxi guy, get his business card, and stick with him for the rest of your trip. Despite all the dishonest ones out there, there are a few genuinely decent drivers around. We were fortunate enough to meet at least two of them, which brings me to the point of this post:

Decent Phuket Taxi Driver Recommendations

1. Mr. Theppakorn Karaket (Royad) – Mobile: 08 9645 9164, Int. Call: +668 9645 9164
-  Vehicle: Van
-  License: 30-6091
-  Based in Panwa near the Port of Phuket
-  This guy has never overcharged us and has always given us fair rates. On top of that, when we had to wait through that aforementioned tedious 4 hour flight delay, this guy voluntarily and free-of-charge waited four hours at the airport with us from midnight to 4am until my parents arrived, and then he even dropped our newfound American friends off at their hotel on the way at no extra charge. We’ve used him a ton of times since then to go to the Night Market in Phuket Town, among other destinations, and every time he has been great. When we didn’t have change, he even trusted us to pay him the next day like it was no big deal. This guy is awesome. If you use him, mention that those Canadian girls from the BelAir in Panwa send their regards.

2. Mr. Yan – Mobile: 086892 2695, Int. Call: +668 6892 2695
-  Vehicle: Tuk Tuk
-  License: 503
-  Based in Panwa on Khao Khad Road by Panwa Beach
-  We met Mr. Yan by chance while walking on Khao Khad Road and he ended up being our go-to guy for the duration of my parents’ visit. Very nice, considerate man, with adorable little kids and a well-kept Tuk Tuk. He knows his way around the island and can take you to see all the sights. I find that Tuk Tuks are inexplicably better for avoiding motion sickness (it’s something about that sense of impending doom like you get on a roller coaster, where you know you’re probably fine but oh my, that cliff edge is awfully close, isn’t it, and is that a fifty-foot drop? Yes, yes it is. It leaves you feeling refreshingly alive. Not a smooth ride, though, by any means.) so I’ve tended to prefer them for the longer rides. You can’t go wrong with Mr. Yan.

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Don’t let the Taxi/Tuk Tuk Mafia deter you (Phuket is a beautiful place) but come prepared if you aren’t going to be driving around yourself. On the plus-side, taxi drivers in Phuket are usually more than willing to wait long periods of time for you at no extra charge to give you round-trip service, and they expect payment only after they’ve taken you back home which is a lot of trust on their part, in my opinion. You certainly wouldn’t see that in Canada. The lack of public transportation there can be pretty limiting, but if you can get around that, or like to walk a whole hell of a lot like we do here at Sandy-Feet-Travel, there are a lot of things worth seeing.

Safe travels!

- LuckyStar

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