Pattaya, Thailand-
Pattaya City officials have addressed a number of signs going up around the area warning Bolt and Grab drivers that they cannot pick up passengers within a hundred meters of an Orange Vest motorbike taxi booth.
A video of this story can be found here.
According to officials, the rule is not a law and is rather a “Gentlemen’s Agreement” between the rival companies. Customers should not be penalized or placed in the middle of disputes over this agreement, and officials warned that doing so can hurt tourism. Ultimately, customers have the right to decide which service they want to use.
Grab is mostly following current rules and regulations, added officials, but Bolt has agreed to meet all the rules by November. This includes that all drivers must have transport licenses, plates, insurance, registration, be registered with the city, pass a criminal background check, and pay city fees and taxes. Additionally, they want Bolt drivers to have vests/jackets and clear identification cards with all their legal information above similar to other companies.
Pattaya City officials have also suggested that Bolt have registered and taxed stands and physical locations like orange vest motorbike taxi booths, but this is unlikely to happen.
After all Bolt drivers are properly registered and licensed, the Gentlemen’s Agreement will likely end and the services will, according to officials, be able to co-exist.
