Pattaya —
Banglamung officials nailed two problematic motorbike taxi groups in Pattaya with penalties following an assault on foreign tourists and a clash with Bolt drivers.
On August 5th, 2024, a meeting was held at the Banglamung District Office, chaired by Mr. Weekit Manarojkit, the Banglamung District Chief. The meeting, involving the Chonburi Committee for Issuing Motorbike Taxi Service Licenses, focused on addressing recent issues related to motorbike taxi conflicts, which affected Pattaya City’s tourism image.
During the meeting, the committee emphasized on three measures previously imposed to punish motorbike taxi drivers with bad behaviors. The first measure is that for the first offense, the driver will be arrested or fined or have his/her points deducted.
For the second offense, the driver’s public motorbike taxi license will be suspended for 30 days. And for the third offense, the driver will potentially be removed from the list of the legally approved motorcycle taxis or their respective motorbike stand will face suspension of services for 15-30 days, depending on the severity of the incident.
Despite these measures, issues continue to arise, Pattaya officials said. For example, motorbike taxi drivers from two stands— one in front of a shopping mall on Pattaya Second Road and another one near a major hotel— had a fight with Russian tourists.
Officials also received another complaint accusing these two groups of harassing and threatening app-based riders. The Pattaya Police have investigated and arrested 10 drivers at these two stands for operating vehicles not registered for public use. The heads of these two groups have also been summoned to acknowledge the committee’s actions.
Additionally, officials revealed Pattaya Police are searching for the Bolt drivers who caused injuries to three motorbike taxi drivers previously on Soi 9.
The meeting also addressed the registration of 260 new motorcycle taxi drivers at Pattaya Police Station. Initially, 35 of these individuals met the legal requirements under the Motor Vehicle Act of 2004. Those who want to apply for the license are instructed to submit their info via Google form for a review by relevant authorities.
