Phuket police target rental operators over riders’ licences

[jvs]

I find it the easy way out for the BIB,how are enal agencies supposed to know what a DL from every country looks like?

The renter already signs a contract stating they are in possession

of a valid DL.

I say the person renting is responsible for being legal and the BIB

for enforcing the law.

[transam]

4 minutes ago, jvs said:

I find it the easy way out for the BIB,how are enal agencies supposed to know what a DL from every country looks like?

The renter already signs a contract stating they are in possession

of a valid DL.

I say the person renting is responsible for being legal and the BIB

for enforcing the law.

If a tourist knows he/she is going to rent a bike then they should get an IDP from their home country, it would not be hard for the BiB to supply printouts of stuff to rental shops as a guide...

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, transam said:

If a tourist knows he/she is going to rent a bike then they should get an IDP from their home country, it would not be hard for the BiB to supply printouts of stuff to rental shops as a guide...

Why would they get a translation of their home license in English when their home license is already in English, and legal to drive/ride with?

 

And no, it really is not as easy as you make it out to be.

[transam]

2 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Why would they get a translation of their home license in English when their home license is already in English, and legal to drive/ride with?

 

And no, it really is not as easy as you make it out to be.

If I go to any country in the world and I know I am going to hire a ride I do my homework..

 

If a LOS business is based on hiring stuff to foreigners they should do their homework....

[stevenl]

12 minutes ago, transam said:

If I go to any country in the world and I know I am going to hire a ride I do my homework..

 

If a LOS business is based on hiring stuff to foreigners they should do their homework....

Their homework shouldn't include enforcing the law.

Not everyone knows in advance they're going to ride.

[Lowryderen]

21 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Why would they get a translation of their home license in English when their home license is already in English, and legal to drive/ride with?

 

And no, it really is not as easy as you make it out to be.

Erhmm... How do you know anything about what language a given turist's license is in? English is not a given! It is usually issued in the mother language of the country it is from. If it is in english, no need for the translation.. Anyway, an IDP have clear symbols marked of what kind of vehicle it is for, besides being in several languages.

[transam]

3 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Their homework shouldn't include enforcing the law.

Not everyone knows in advance they're going to ride.

The rentals know the law, need proof of license, easy......

Those foreigners with half a brain know they "may" rent a ride...easy...

 

Strange in my longish life l knew that and traveled prepared.....easy...

[stevenl]

7 minutes ago, Lowryderen said:

Erhmm... How do you know anything about what language a given turist's license is in? English is not a given! It is usually issued in the mother language of the country it is from. If it is in english, no need for the translation.. Anyway, an IDP have clear symbols marked of what kind of vehicle it is for, besides being in several languages.

Nearly all licences are in English, all EU licences e.g.. And if in English IDP is not legally required, hence the comment about English.

[stevenl]

8 minutes ago, transam said:

The rentals know the law, need proof of license, easy......

Those foreigners with half a brain know they "may" rent a ride...easy...

 

Strange in my longish life l knew that and traveled prepared.....easy...

Sorry, you really don't know.

[Expatthailover]

14 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

So does this mean the fine for the farang without a license gets increased, last time I saw a farang arguing with a cop (school hours) outside a school in Phuket over a 300 baht fine for not wearing a helmet, and as I walked past I said mate just pay it and be done with it because you would pay 30 times that amount back in your country, with him giving me his middle finger, so I responded with a blink and the words, sick of you cheap Charlie's coming here and moaning and groaning about loose change, I think he got a little more hotter because he was waiving his hands and yellinging in Italian, so I said, yeh yeh, spagetti bolognese.

 

 I know, should have minded my own business, but it was worth it  

Utterly spot on

[happy chappie]

In theory it would kill the scooter rentals over night but they will just do a couple of shake downs on a few operators with the media there.then go back to just pulling tourists and getting the money rolling in again.

[stevenl]

48 minutes ago, transam said:

And you for excuses for third world countries....

I don't agree with your point of view on the subject, but now you're just posting non sensical. I'm not replying to you here anymore.

[overherebc]

On 28/04/2018 at 4:16 PM, hanssna said:

This will probably kill the business (if enforced ??) as most tourists don't have a motorcycle licence.

So dead business or dead tourist is the choice!!!!!!

[overherebc]

37 minutes ago, overherebc said:

So dead business or dead tourist is the choice!!!!!!

Still don't understand the sad emoticon.

What or who is sad? The post? You? Me?

[Lowryderen]

On 4/29/2018 at 11:23 AM, stevenl said:

Nearly all licences are in English, all EU licences e.g.. And if in English IDP is not legally required, hence the comment about English.

No they are not.. I have a danish license, denmark is in the EU, and its in danish, not english.

[Lowryderen]

On 4/29/2018 at 11:23 AM, stevenl said:

Nearly all licences are in English, all EU licences e.g.. And if in English IDP is not legally required, hence the comment about English.

Actually a quick google image search on for example "german license", "French license", "swedish license" ect will show you that most licenses are in fact in the language of the country that issued it.. Not english.

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, Lowryderen said:

No they are not.. I have a danish license, denmark is in the EU, and its in danish, not english.

Yes, but with pictogrammes as well, so 'international language'. My Dutch licenses is therefor accepted here, as are German, French etc.

[Lowryderen]

23 hours ago, stevenl said:

Yes, but with pictogrammes as well, so 'international language'. My Dutch licenses is therefor accepted here, as are German, French etc.

Hahahaha well of course they have pictogrammes.. But that is not english.

 

Still, my danish license is also accepted, but because of possible problems with insurance etc. I also had an IDP to go along with it before. Then i realized that even with an IDP, you are not supposed to drive for more than 90 days on that at a time, even though it is valid for one year. The "normal" license is good for 30 days. After the 90 days, you are supposed to get a thai drivers license. So thats what i did, to be sure in case of accident or what not. I am sure you can get away with driving around with just your dutch license, and showing that at checkpoints, most of the time.. But if you are unlucky and get into an accident, you could have problems with coverage.

[stevenl]

2 hours ago, Lowryderen said:

Hahahaha well of course they have pictogrammes.. But that is not english.

 

Still, my danish license is also accepted, but because of possible problems with insurance etc. I also had an IDP to go along with it before. Then i realized that even with an IDP, you are not supposed to drive for more than 90 days on that at a time, even though it is valid for one year. The "normal" license is good for 30 days. After the 90 days, you are supposed to get a thai drivers license. So thats what i did, to be sure in case of accident or what not. I am sure you can get away with driving around with just your dutch license, and showing that at checkpoints, most of the time.. But if you are unlucky and get into an accident, you could have problems with coverage.

My point it: it is international, therefore accepted and legal.

 

And yes, it does need a photo, maximum 90 days, etc. IDP adds nothing, except that police will most likely accept it, with home license only they might.

[Lowryderen]

4 minutes ago, stevenl said:

My point it: it is international, therefore accepted and legal.

 

And yes, it does need a photo, maximum 90 days, etc. IDP adds nothing, except that police will most likely accept it, with home license only they might.

Okay.. So it turns out we actually agree.. Good thing it didn't turn out as a "heated agreement" 555

[arithai12]

On 4/29/2018 at 11:23 AM, stevenl said:

Nearly all licences are in English, all EU licences e.g.. And if in English IDP is not legally required, hence the comment about English.

I have two driver licences from 2 major countries in the EU, neither of them is in English.

btw, an IDP is more than just a translation. In the first page, it lists the countries signataries to that IDP agreement, and the IDP certifies that you are able to drive a vehicle of a given category in any of those countries. The IDP is written out in 4-5 languages, as I remember, not just English.

 

It is a slight pain in the neck to get one (photos, copies, a few hours of waiting or come back next day), but not that hard. If you want to rent a vehicle or motorbike, it's an absolute requirement in many countries. So far, Thailand has been negligent but I think this is a step in the right direction. Phuket is probably the place with the highest number of foreign unlicensed drivers involved in accidents, so good to start there.

 

Given however that many tourists may not know in advance that an IDP is needed, there should be a remedy solution. There are countries which issue a local temporary driving permit based on your home country's licence, provided they can understand it. This is perhaps along the lines of what you are suggesting. I got them e.g. in some S. Pacific countries. They are easy to get, make for a nice souvenir, and are a little source of income for the country. Maybe Thailand should consider this.

[stevenl]

3 hours ago, arithai12 said:

I have two driver licences from 2 major countries in the EU, neither of them is in English.

btw, an IDP is more than just a translation. In the first page, it lists the countries signataries to that IDP agreement, and the IDP certifies that you are able to drive a vehicle of a given category in any of those countries. The IDP is written out in 4-5 languages, as I remember, not just English.

 

It is a slight pain in the neck to get one (photos, copies, a few hours of waiting or come back next day), but not that hard. If you want to rent a vehicle or motorbike, it's an absolute requirement in many countries. So far, Thailand has been negligent but I think this is a step in the right direction. Phuket is probably the place with the highest number of foreign unlicensed drivers involved in accidents, so good to start there.

 

Given however that many tourists may not know in advance that an IDP is needed, there should be a remedy solution. There are countries which issue a local temporary driving permit based on your home country's licence, provided they can understand it. This is perhaps along the lines of what you are suggesting. I got them e.g. in some S. Pacific countries. They are easy to get, make for a nice souvenir, and are a little source of income for the country. Maybe Thailand should consider this.

IDP is not legally required.

See previous posts for discussion about language.

[NamKangMan]

 

Crackdown probably requested by the transport mafia, and sold to the public as a way of cutting the road toll.

 

Let's see, 200 baht just to get into a tuk-tuk, versus 200 baht to rent a scooter for 24 hours. 

 

If this was a serious crackdown, it's only going to turn away more independent tourists, as the transport mafia has already done, over the last recent years. 

 

The Thai Military has been in power for years, but they can't even introduce metered taxis to the tourist areas of this so called "World Class Tourist Destination." 

 

Until the transport issue is properly addressed here, the Chinese market with their coach buses will continue to increase, and the western market will continue to decrease.

 

 

Edited May 2, 2018 by NamKangMan

[MeLoveYouLongTime]

On 5/1/2018 at 1:32 PM, arithai12 said:

I have two driver licences from 2 major countries in the EU, neither of them is in English.

btw, an IDP is more than just a translation. In the first page, it lists the countries signataries to that IDP agreement, and the IDP certifies that you are able to drive a vehicle of a given category in any of those countries. The IDP is written out in 4-5 languages, as I remember, not just English.

 

It is a slight pain in the neck to get one (photos, copies, a few hours of waiting or come back next day), but not that hard. If you want to rent a vehicle or motorbike, it's an absolute requirement in many countries. So far, Thailand has been negligent but I think this is a step in the right direction. Phuket is probably the place with the highest number of foreign unlicensed drivers involved in accidents, so good to start there.

 

Given however that many tourists may not know in advance that an IDP is needed, there should be a remedy solution. There are countries which issue a local temporary driving permit based on your home country's licence, provided they can understand it. This is perhaps along the lines of what you are suggesting. I got them e.g. in some S. Pacific countries. They are easy to get, make for a nice souvenir, and are a little source of income for the country. Maybe Thailand should consider this.

 

You clearly did not read the article:

 

"...Col Sermpan noted that some reprieve is coming for tourists being stopped and fined for not having an International Driving Permit in addition to their regular licence issued in their home country
Traffic Police will now recognise licences held by tourists if the licences are issued by any of the 134 countries that already recognise International Driving Permits, Col Sermpan explained."

 

This is an interesting comment since IDP's have never been required in Thailand if the license is in English (or an EU license from one of 31 counties with photos of class and a dates based on the Gregorian calender) and, of course, with a photo. Police Colonels don't make law. They are finally admitting IDP's aren't needed but must cover for the fact that traffic cops have often exploited the lack of tourists knowledge in this area in an effort to extract tea money. They are apparently now instructing officers to stop doing this.

 

Edited May 10, 2018 by MeLoveYouLongTime

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and the replies have been removed. 

[MeLoveYouLongTime]

On 4/29/2018 at 10:03 PM, Lowryderen said:

No they are not.. I have a danish license, denmark is in the EU, and its in danish, not english.

 

Don't be pedantic.  There is very little writing on them at all, but what there is (letters) is fact in English. Also the numbers are Hindi-Abrabic (0-9) , and they use the Gregorian calender, (unlike many) thus an IDP is redundant. I don't read Danish but, just like any EU license, I can look at your license and tell when it expires and what class you are licensed to drive. Add your photo and that is all a cop needs. 

 

 

[observer90210]

Good....next Stop should be to target the Hong Thong blemished locals, with no licence, no helmets, no insurance, no maintenance and a glove box full of yaba .....Maybe this could also contribute to reduce the world famous no 1 Thai road fatality ?

[Lowryderen]

On 10/5/2018 at 4:45 PM, MeLoveYouLongTime said:

 

Don't be pedantic.  There is very little writing on them at all, but what there is (letters) is fact in English. Also the numbers are Hindi-Abrabic (0-9) , and they use the Gregorian calender, (unlike many) thus an IDP is redundant. I don't read Danish but, just like any EU license, I can look at your license and tell when it expires and what class you are licensed to drive. Add your photo and that is all a cop needs. 

 

 

What are you talking about.. Okay, there is not a lot of writing, but not a single word is in english.. Its latin letters. All the explanations on the back, of what the front numbers and so on mean, is in danish. Unless you know the meaning of words like "fødselsdato og fødested" "udløbsdato" "begrænsninger" etc. You can only read it and understand it if you a familiar with a EU license. You can not expect any random cop to be familiar with any kind of driving license from anywhere in the world..

 

Attached is an example driving license, taken from google as i dont want to show my own in detail.

[stevenl]

7 minutes ago, Lowryderen said:

What are you talking about.. Okay, there is not a lot of writing, but not a single word is in english.. Its latin letters. All the explanations on the back, of what the front numbers and so on mean, is in danish. Unless you know the meaning of words like "fødselsdato og fødested" "udløbsdato" "begrænsninger" etc. You can only read it and understand it if you a familiar with a EU license. You can not expect any random cop to be familiar with any kind of driving license from anywhere in the world..

 

Attached is an example driving license, taken from google as i dont want to show my own in detail.

So it is very clear what this person is allowed to drive for non native speakers, which is what this is about.

[Lowryderen]

18 minutes ago, stevenl said:

So it is very clear what this person is allowed to drive for non native speakers, which is what this is about.

So tell me.. Would this person be allowed to drive a motorbike in thailand with this license?