BANGKOK — Waiting in a long line for a taxi at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport will be a thing of the past with the introduction of eight automatic taxi kiosks next month, officials say.
Col. Boonchoo Klinsakorn, commander of 2nd Artillery Regiment, said after a joint meeting between airport staff and military officers yesterday that the kiosks will be installed at Gate 4 and 7 on the ground floor of Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The kiosks will be fully operational by 31 August, he said.
According to Col. Boonchoo, the computerised kiosks will do away with long lines at the airport's taxi booths. Passengers will be able to enter their destination, select which vehicle they prefer, and then be directed to the location of a waiting taxi.
Under the current system, passengers have to wait for taxi booth staff to write down their destinations, inform the drivers, and wait for the taxis to arrive. The new system will reduce waiting time for passengers to only "5-10 seconds," Col. Boonchoo said.
The project to revamp the taxi service in Suvarnabhumi Airport is a part of a joint effort between the military junta's National Council for Peace and Order and various state agencies following the 22 May coup. After the putsch, the junta has launched many programs aimed at improving public transportation and combating underground mafia networks.
Apart from cutting waiting time at taxi booths, Col. Boonchoo said the junta is also working to ensure that the quality of airport taxis are up to standard.
"We will set up joint checkpoints to inspect the service readiness of the vehicles and the drivers before they provide services to passengers," Col. Boonchoo said.
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