Social media reported that water taxi operators on Koh Phangan demanded payment from passengers on the open sea.
Koh Phangan is a very touristy island located in the south of Thailand, world famous for its full moon parties .
On January 4, a social media post reported an incident in which tourists were allegedly forced to make payments under duress during a late-night boat ride.
According to the report, around 2 a.m. on New Year's Eve, a group of about 20 passengers boarded a water taxi to a local pub.
The boat driver, who had not revealed the fare in advance, stopped the boat in the middle of the sea and demanded 400 baht (11.24 euros) per person for a one-way ticket, refusing to continue until everyone had paid.
“The waves were strong and we couldn’t turn around.”
“Remembering the recent tragic incident in which a Korean tourist died in a longtail boat accident, everyone felt compelled to pay,” the message read.
See: Thailand: Tourist missing after boat capsizes in Koh Phangan
Tourists and Thais criticize these practices on social media
Rescuers pull the longtail boat "Pichitchai" toward the beach on Koh Phangan on December 29, 2024, after an accident that left 13 people overboard and a Korean tourist missing.
The article generated a lot of reaction, with comments such as:
“Typical behavior.”
"Are the police still turning a blind eye?"
"These scammers are destroying our tourist reputation, they'll be the ones complaining when tourists stop coming."
In response, a Rin Beach water taxi operator defended the practice, citing previous experiences with passengers running off without paying when they reached shore.
"This is not about being cruel, but about protecting our livelihood," the operator said, also disputing reports of rough seas that night.
The incident sparked a heated debate on social media, with many people criticizing the practice as harmful to tourism.
Critics argue that collecting fares before departure would be a more appropriate solution.
Authorities are investigating
Tourists on a beach on Koh Phangan in Surat Thani, Thailand. Photo: Supapong Chaolan.
Wijak Chupharekit, director of the Koh Phangan Regional Port Office, announced that authorities were investigating the incident.
A meeting with about 50 local water taxi operators has been scheduled for January 7, 2025, to establish appropriate service guidelines and protect the island's tourism industry.
“We must ensure that our transport services meet high standards and do not harm Koh Phangan’s reputation as a tourist destination,” said Mr. Chupharekit.
This controversy highlights the ongoing challenges of regulating tourist transport services on this popular island.
See also:
Thailand: Shotgun shooting at tourists on Koh Phangan
Koh Phangan Island in Thailand, voted third best island in Asia
Source: Khaosod English
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6 comments
Quote: "Critics argue that collecting fares before departure would be a more appropriate solution." End of quote!!!
It's so obvious it's obvious... why don't "Longthai" drivers collect the fare BEFORE they leave?
It seems so logical to me: when you take a long-distance coach or a bus, or even a train, you pay at the departure station... not at the arrival station!!!
This is what happens in Krabi-Aonang when you take a pirogue-taxi to get to Railey beach, only accessible by boat in 10 to 12 minutes...
There is a small office that houses two ticket offices that issue tickets (single or return) and when there is the quota of 8 to 12 passengers, the pirogue-taxi starts.
It is not even the driver who collects the fare, but the office which at the end of the day distributes the fare according to the number of crossings of each pirogue... simple, easy, efficient and without possible dispute, each driver coming to check his presence and his availability for a new trip at the office by depositing the tickets he collected from the tourists.
Once again, Koh Phangan's problems are due to poor management, poor organization, or rather, no organization at all... classic in Thailand, when we assume that when things work without rules, we work that way...
The day there are problems, we'll see; always do as little as possible, as long as no one finds fault with it!
Well, on that note, I'm going to take a nap... it's exhausting to think.
Typical reaction.
Typical venality of this country!
It's in their genes.
And why not pay like everywhere else when you board the boat at the dock?
Well yes, Nico, it's so obvious... as obvious as there is at the base of this practice a scam in the price requested under a certain situational constraint...
I don't know how far this water taxi was supposed to travel, but charging 400 baht per customer is way over the top...
For comparison and to take the example of my comment on the Aonang-Railey trip, in Krabi, this trip of approximately 6 to 8 km along the coast costs between 45 and 60 baths (90 to 120 baths ROUND TRIP), depending on the distance of the 2 beaches where you are dropped off!!!
400 baths is a complete scam made possible by this "pirate" perception on the high seas!!!
This is why the pirogue taxi drivers do not want to change the system!!!
It was a bit like the same problem encountered in Bangkok airports (Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang) with random taxi meters before the airport authorities put some order in these customer-centric pricing practices by taking charge of customer protection, booking and organizing the flow of customer pick-up with a system of destination tickets distributed fairly among all the drivers and taxi companies who now no longer have the power to negotiate a fanciful price much higher than their meter...
This has also made it possible to eliminate certain organized groups of illegal or mafia-type taxis, such as still exist today in Phuket, where the authorities are having difficulty eradicating their existence and where sometimes violent incidents involving drivers and customers are still reported in the media... unless in this specific case, certain people in the administrative and police spheres find it to their advantage... ouhouh!
Bad language... shhhh!!!
I don't know the context, but if they ask for 400 baht in the open sea, it's because there's a "scam" type reason.
Maybe they just couldn't ask for 400 in the first place.
Classic Thai scam!
Indeed, I already witnessed these practices in 2015, when I returned from the Full Moon Party.