BANGKOK: The Department of Land Transport (DLT) has confirmed that there are no current plans to increase taxi fares.
The department clarified that the concept circulating on social media merely involves studying the adoption of digital taximeters and GPS-based systems to calculate fares more accurately, aiming to ensure fairness for both passengers and drivers in the future.
Sorapong Paitoonphong, Director-General of the DLT, explained that the proposal is not a fare adjustment but a shift from the existing mechanical meters to a digital system.
The current fare structure would remain unchanged.
The digital system, however, would more precisely calculate congestion and waiting times, helping to reduce meter tampering and passenger refusal in the long term.
Meanwhile, Deputy Transport Minister Mallika Jirapunvanit said after briefing the DLT that one of the measures under consideration is introducing a surcharge during rush hours or after 9pm to encourage drivers to pick up passengers at times when refusals are most common.
She stressed that this is not a fare increase but a measure to make fare structures fairer for both sides.
Taxi fares have not been revised in more than 20 years.
The proposed surcharge during specific hours is intended to promote fairness for drivers but has not yet been implemented.
The DLT added that the digital taximeter system would become the new standard for registered taxis, especially new vehicles or operators who voluntarily join the scheme.
Clearer details may emerge by December this year.
Participating taxis will be required to maintain cleanliness, ensure vehicle readiness, and install approved devices.
According to DLT data, about 65,000 taxis are currently operating daily, down from over 100,000 before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Between 2025 and 2026, around 15,000 taxis are expected to retire, and all replacement vehicles will be required to install the digital taximeter system.
Sorapong concluded that the initiative is not a fare hike but a technological upgrade to enhance transparency and service quality, ensuring fairness for both passengers and drivers while modernising Thailand’s taxi industry. - The Nation/ANN
