"No Japanese passengers"; Bangkok taxis react to FB complaint (updated)

Some Bangkok taxi drivers are apparently refusing to take Japanese passengers in reaction to the banning of an airport taxi driver at the centre of a Japanese manโ€s viral Facebook complaint. The taxi drivers' association denies any involvement, however.

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Wednesday morning update

The social media storm continues after photos were posted of signs in some Bangkok taxis this morning, saying that they have stopped accepting Japanese passengers, presumably in reaction to the fallout from Koki Aki's Facebook complaint.

Now, people are asking whether or not the taxi drivers have the right to selectively refuse passengers. We should know the answer soon.

14:30 Thai Rath online reports that Mr Tarin Kaenkhunthod, the head of the taxi drivers association, has strongly denied his group is involved with the controversial sign, calling it very inappropriate. He also threatened to take legal action against the person posting the photo of the sign in the social media. 

16:30

Here is more from our online reporters:

The "no Japanese" sign carried the name of the Taxi Driver Pauthai Suvarnabhumi Association, but association president Sadit Jaitiang said the group did not make or sanction it. In an interview with the Bangkok Post, he said it came from members who might have wanted to do something in response to what had happened after Koki's post.

"The association did not approve the sign, as it will damage the association," Mr Sadit said. "The person who put up the sign may be our member, but we didn't see when he put it up."

Land Transport Department director-general Teerapong Rodprasert, meanwhile, said any taxi spotted with such a sign would be fined 1,000 baht.

Mr Sadit also defended his drivers' desire to negotiate fares, particularly drivers of larger vehicles.

He urged the public to consider the situation at the airport where passengers often arrive as a group with four or five pieces of luggage that do not fit in compact-car taxis.

"If you have to go with a large car, should you pay extra? Let talk based on the facts, not the legal issue," he said.

Mr Sadit said small taxis can fit three passengers with two bags. Otherwise the trunk won't close and the driver faces the risk of police fines if spotted.

 "Passengers pay tens of thousands of baht for an air ticket. Why can't they pay a few hundred baht for a negotiated fare," he asked.

He said the Land Transport Department now should take action to set clear fares for small and large taxis, as is done in other countries. He pointed out Japanese taxis, for example, charge higher fares at night.

"If you go to Japan, a taxi ride (from Narita airport to downtown Tokyo) is about 4,000 baht, but in Thailand, it is only a few hundred baht to go to Sukhumvit or Silom," he said. "And the taxi has to go back to the airport with no passengers."

Full details of Mr Aki's complaint below.

Evening update

Koki Aki, the man who made the Facebook complaint against Suvarnabhumi airport and its taxi service, has talked to the Bangkok Post. Here is the story:

Former superhero, child actor Koki regrets fallout from online rant

The Japanese educational volunteer, whose Facebook post about Suvarnabhumi airport’s taxi service went viral Sunday, said he feels “empty” that the driver at the heart of his online rant was banned from working there.

In a Tuesday telephone interview with the Bangkok Post, Koki said that he did not want the man to be punished, which was why he did not ask the driver's name. He did, however, turn in his taxi-queue ticket, which identified Mr Chaiyan, although he believes it was thrown away.

"I feel empty. I didn't want to break his life," Koki said of Mr Chaiyan. "What I experienced was a societal problem that both Thais and foreigners may face when they want to use the taxi service."

Koki, a former child actor who now runs a small Internet-based toy business, has visited Thailand regularly for 10 years, working with a colourful group of volunteers to teach proper societal norms to children. For a while, he even dressed up as a superhero and drove a decorated motorcycle through slum areas, distributing toys and snacks while teaching proper courtesies.

The group, organised through the Cosplay Aid Thailand page on Facebook, has members dress-up, Japanese-style, as characters from a movies, comic book and video games to teach students about general ground rules about queuing and sharing. Children are told that if they break rules, such as by jumping the queue or hoarding gifts, the group would not visit the community again.

Koki, who due to copyright issues shed his superhero garb for traditional Japanese dress, will be in Thailand through January, working with slum kids in Yommarat, behind CentralWorld, Klong Toey and Saphan Khwai.

Morning story

"The airport is the most expensive; the airport is the most disgusting. I can say that Suvarnabhumi is an embarrassment to the country of Thailand."

Japanese educational volunteer Koki Aki had no idea what he was starting after he wrote a grumpy post about his arrival experience at Suvarnabhumi last Saturday evening.

Mr Aki, who has lived in Thailand for almost 10 years,  complained about the long immigration lines and particularly the taxi service where he said a driver had attempted to cheat him. The driver refused to use the metre and demanded 700 baht to Bangkok's Saphan Khwai area, double what he normally pays.

Mr Aki is obviously not alone in his dissatisfaction with Thailand's premier airport. As of this morning, his post has received 25,000 likes and 15,000 shares.

It has also resulted in some drastic action from airport authorities. Here the latest from the Bangkok Post.

Airport bans overcharging cabbie

Amornrat Mahitthirook.

Suvarnabhumi airport on Monday banned the taxi driver at the centre of a Japanese tourist’s viral Facebook rant for reportedly refusing to use his meter.

Airport director Prapon Pattamakijsakul signed an order to immediately suspend indefinitely Chaiyan Charoensopha from servicing passengers at Suvarnabhumi and revoked his registration with the facility.

The axe fell on the driver after he admitted to airport officials that he offered a flat-rate fare to Facebook user Koki Aki instead of turning on his meter.

Mr Chaiyan, who drives a Toyota Innova, a sport-utility vehicle, told Mr Aki that the use of his large vehicle demanded a fare of 700 baht to take the Japanese educational volunteer to Bangkok's Saphan Khwai area at 7.45pm Saturday.

An airport staffer suggested Mr Aki and another woman write a complaint to the airport, but the 10-year expat refused, according to the airport director.

Instead, Mr Aki turned keyboard warrior, writing a lengthy post in Thai and Japanese on Facebook detailing his travails at Suvarnabhumi, calling the airport "disgusting" and listing various points he considered poor service, including long immigration lines and staffers using mobile phones while customers waited.

His dispatch went viral, with more than 15,000 people sharing his story, which was picked up by various media outlets.

In the post, he said he complained to a taxi-queue official and another woman but they took no action. He said he later went back to line up for a small taxi that used a meter.

About 5,000 taxis are registered with the airport to transport incoming passengers. All drivers are required to register their name and vehicle with Suvarnabhumi. The airport receives approximately 35 complaints about taxis per month.

Mr Prapon claimed the number of complaints was low compared with 8,500 trips made by meter-taxis every day.

Suvarnabhumi said passengers can lodge complaints about taxi drivers at 02-132-9199 around the clock and suggested they keep a queue number as evidence for investigation.

Mr Aki said, when he made his complaint, the queue official took his queue ticket and threw it away. He had, however, taken a photo of it.

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