Is ‘Taxi OK’ going to be OK?

The feature was submitted on February 16, 2018 in News, Editorial, Feature writing class 2018

Green light for ‘Available’ status, Additional operating cost once register, and Technology savvy requirement. These are just part of many things happened within ‘Taxi OK’.The latest scheme Thai’s government had asked a Taxi driver to register, in order to help improve Thailand’s Taxi standard.

“I witness passenger avoided to pick me up on street, they wait for the regular one,” Taxi OK driver said. “If I register in this government scheme, I will become in debt suddenly,” said normal Taxi driver.

For years, Thailand’s Taxi has received many complaints from passengers. People question on its service standard either safety, swindled fare or passenger denying. Incidents occurred in Taxi regards sexual harassment or theft are being heard vastly in Thai society. Also, many cases reported driver cheating on a fare and refusing passenger. These have contributed to passengers no longer confined to Taxi service.

Most of them switch to alternative transportation; Uber and GrabTaxi. Although both services are illegal, it almost beat a typical Taxi with its fair price and promotion tactics. As for reason, to increase Taxi standard, to bring back trust, and to inhibit the growth of illegal services, the government had launched a new scheme called ‘Taxi OK’ in January 2018.

“The government aims to achieve 100 percent transition of Thai Taxi to register in the scheme,” said the representative of Department of Land Transportation.

A driver under this program has to install five additional pieces of equipment regards the government restriction included GPS tracking, Camera snapshot, SOS emergency button, Driver identification card terminals and fare meter. A passenger can differentiate Taxi OK from the rest by looking at a sticker sign and new green light in which communicates ‘Availability’.

Besides this equipment, there is a newly used system to double transportation security. As when the driver picks up a passenger, information will be signate real time to two destinations; Communication Center and DLT (Department of Land Transportation) Taxi Center.

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Shaw Hong Ser, a Malaysian professor at Chulalongkorn University, takes a normal taxi 3 to 4 times a week said he never have a feeling of insecure when riding normal Taxi. However, when he heard about ‘Taxi OK’ idea and features, he said:

“ ‘Taxi OK’ is the whole idea of having taxi moves to a better service”.

For SOS button and on spot camera in ‘Taxi OK’, he saw it as a good extra feature for women. He said, “Probably, for a female customer it is an ensure if anything happens, she can press the button and the camera is recording”.

The government has claimed that the SOS button both in a car and in the application is linked to Royal Thai Police via ‘Police I Lert U’ application. If something bad happens, the police officer nearby will come and help rapidly in response to a push.

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Mr. Somsak Changchatja, 58, was recently enrolled in this program on January 2018 after his Taxi driver license lasting 9 years expired last Christmas 2017.

“Passenger call by application” a sound from GPS tracking noticed Changchatja while showing the route from Jarunee school to MBK center

“I haven’t tried picking up a passenger by app yet,” said Changchatja while he was gazing at the GPS Tracking.

Because the English language is his concern, Changchatja has not able to respond to a passenger. He said most people called by the app is a foreigner and when the location appears in English sentence, he does not understand.

Also, he afraid that if he accept the calls he could not punctually pick up the passenger and they may have to wait longer. Although Land of Transport and Taxi cooperative center already educate him on how to use the app, unfamiliar things like this take time for people in his age to adapt. “I’m still learning,” he said.

One of the major complaints with normal taxi is ‘Denying the passenger’. However, to settle down with this issue is not that simple, even with ‘Taxi OK’ in its early stage.

Not only Changchatja who denied passenger, some passenger also denied him. He witnessed a passenger avoided to call him when seeing his car drove past, instead they wait for the normal one. The reason is the color sign ‘Green’ that is not yet accustomed by the majority. Changchatja said,

“They thought green will cost more”.

“Beforehand, The government sector has not promoted the program on television much,” he said and added, “I guess those passengers may have mixed ‘Taxi OK’ with ‘Taxi VIP’ ”.

‘Taxi VIP’ is also a part of the scheme but exclusively with a higher vehicle’s quality and capability in accordance with its higher fare when compared to a standard ‘Taxi OK’. A driver who wants to join VIP has to invest more in a car.

Not interfere with Taxi VIP, Changchatja chose to register his new Toyota Altis to the standard ‘Taxi OK’ which cost him 28,000 baht in a sum of money to install overall equipment. In addition to that, he will have to pay 3,000 baht per year, after the first year of enrolment, for internet accessed by GPS.

Changchatja hopes that in the future the government would be able to reduce the cost of installation as he believes that some of the Taxi drivers may not be able to handle the cost.

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Beside all Yellow colored Taxi, standing a man in his 50s who wish to be anonymous for the interview. He is a Taxi driver who has not registered to Taxi OK program yet.

“I have no interest to be part of the program because an initial cost is very high,” he said with indifferent mood then face about to his yellow vehicle.

He continued saying “This car was not mine though, I’m renting it”.

Not all Taxi driver have ten thousand digit amount of money in their pocket. One of the cases is this man who has rented the Taxi to earn a living. He has heard that the installation costs around 30,000 baht and those register has to pay an additional 300 baht per month.

In the future, he still insists on renting a car. He said if all ‘Taxi for rent’ is registered to the program, probably he has to follow the flow even if he knows that there will be an extra charged. “Whenever the car key is in my hand, I suddenly become in debt anyway,” he said with sheepishly smiling.

A transition period requires ‘adapting’ and ‘cooperating’ among each sector. One day, the 58s Changchatja may enjoy received passenger by the app without fear of technology, late passengers who have switched to illegal services may have a turn to ‘Taxi OK’ or even the government may know how to minimize the program fee. No one could tell exact future but together we will see “Is Taxi OK going to be OK?”.