The 61-year-old taxi driver captured on video doubling the starting fare said on Thursday he did not intend to cheat his Japanese passenger, claiming he did not realise what he had done because of fatigue.
Udon Sasanasupin of Pathum Thani province also failed to follow through on his pledge to report to the Department of Land Transport today.
Cab driver Udon: I felt blurred.
Mr Udon told reporters at his home this morning that he did not recall if or when he had activated his fare meter before picking up the man at Suvarnabhumi airport on Dec 26.
Getting in the cab, his passenger saw the meter was covered with a cloth, so he asked to uncover it. The passenger then saw the fare was 75 baht, instead of the official flag-fall rate of 35 baht. He asked the driver why.
After working most of the past 24 hours, Mr Udon said on Thursday, he felt "blurred" enough to tell the client that the official rate had risen to that level. The passenger videoed the driver's response and it was later put online, where it went viral this week amid several other reports of taxi drivers taking advantage of foreign passengers at Suvarnabhumi.
After the conversation with the Japanese passenger and arrival at the destination in Ratchadaphisek area, Mr Udon claimed, he deducted the 40-baht difference. He admitted that he was wrong and said that he would not approach Suvarnabhumi airport again, but would instead pick up passengers near his house.
The retiree, who became a taxi driver a year ago, failed to show at the Department of Land Transport for questioning Thursday as he had promised. Department officials could not contact him, as his mobile phone was turned off.
Praphon Patthamakitsakun, director of Suvarnabhumi airport, said Mr Udon already had been blacklisted and prohibited from entering airport-taxi compound because he had deceived his passenger, illegally raised the fare and activated his fare meter before picking up his passenger.