In Thailand, registered taxi drivers lend their cars out to relatives to drive. The name on that dashboard card may read SOMCHAI JAIDEE, but the person behind the wheel could well be Somchai's wife's younger brother's best friend's next-door-neighbour, fresh off the bus from Mor Chit, having just completed the rice harvest on the Surin farm and looking for part-time work.

How dare Uber think it can just come into Thailand and charge a price way above what the meter says! That's like westerners teaching muay Thai to the locals! In Thailand, only Thai taxi drivers are allowed to do this.

The last time a legally-registered Phuket taxi driver turned on his meter was back in 2006, and that was only because the passenger was a cop.