Life in Phuket is great… unless you need to get anywhere with public transport. This is a topic that gets raised constantly because it’s one of the things that desperately holds the island back in terms of tourism. Tourists come here, they see how expensive and difficult it is to get from A to B, and they don’t come back because of it. Even the people who live here find public transport a nightmare.

If you don’t have your own wheels, or a friend who does, then you may as well stay at home. The main reason for the problems is the tuk tuk mafia that operates out of Patong. They dictate taxi services on the island.

Regular, metered taxis are only allowed to take people to and from the airport, and you can’t hail a cab in the street as you would do in Bangkok. Here we are on an island that is pushed as a major tourist destination, where multi-million dollar real estate projects pop up daily, and you can’t even take a taxi from one place to another.

I had to take a tuk tuk home on Friday night because my friend who was driving was staying out late. A year ago, a tuk tuk from Patong to Phuket Town cost 300 baht, day or night. Friday night it cost 400 baht. You can’t really haggle because the tuk tuk drivers don’t care if they take you or not.

Tourists and locals need cheap public transport, especially at night. The lack of public transport limits how much of the island people are able to see.

I hope that somebody does something about this soon. Otherwise, all these plans for next-level tourism facilities (like the long-awaited International Convention and Exhibition Center) are pointless.

Techno’ tags: Thailand, Phuket