PHOTO: Flickr/thewoah

 

Phuket officials have (once again) vowed to crack down on motorbike renters who provide bikes to tourists who don’t have a valid licence. On Wednesday, provincial governor Narong Woonciew chaired a meeting attended by Vice Governor Anupap Rodkwan Yodrabam and the head of the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Udomporn Kan. Also present were the heads of other relevant government agencies.

 

The meeting was called in response to a growing number of tourists involved in road traffic accidents in which they are killed or injured while on the island. Officials discussed the ongoing issue of motorbike rental operators renting out bikes to tourists who don’t have a motorbike licence (either from Thailand or their home country).

 

But according to a The Phuket News report, there were no new suggestions other than a repeat of the promise to crack down on such offenders.

 

Full Story: https://phuket-go.com/phuket-news/phuket-news/phuket-officials-vow-to-crack-down-on-operators-renting-bikes-to-unlicenced-tourists/

 

-- © Copyright Phuket GO 2023-04-14

 

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Promises, promises, no real intention of doing anything as it would seriously affect the economy of the locals and the Police.

1 hour ago, PJPom said:

Promises, promises, no real intention of doing anything as it would seriously affect the economy of the locals and the Police.

And a license won't fix a bad driver or prrotect them from bad drivers. Sad.

A similar crackdown on renting bikes to unlicensed renters a few years back lasted only a few days until everything was back to "normal".

For a time, the BiB had a checkpoint at the northern end of the beach road in Patong where they'd nab tourists who had just rented bikes down the road, fining them for no license and/or no helmet. Seems like it would have been fairly lucrative, I wonder why they stopped?

Law & Order would result in no money to be made...........

4 hours ago, DrDave said:

A similar crackdown on renting bikes to unlicensed renters a few years back lasted only a few days until everything was back to "normal".

For a time, the BiB had a checkpoint at the northern end of the beach road in Patong where they'd nab tourists who had just rented bikes down the road, fining them for no license and/or no helmet. Seems like it would have been fairly lucrative, I wonder why they stopped?

Their sack was overflowing.......?

About time to really clamp down on the hire shops NATION WIDE and give them a real fine where it hurts + confiscate the bike for a week.

If they really stopped the hiring of M/C to unlicensed riders then imo 75% of their business would dry up and we know that won't ever be 'allowed' to happen.

Phuket officials vow to crack down on operators renting bikes to unlicenced tourists

 

Is that for one day, or two?

13 hours ago, KCPhuket said:

And a license won't fix a bad driver or protect them from bad drivers. Sad.

Another tier to this new RTP initiative (bahahaha????) would be to increase patrolling to nab speeders, nab ALL no helmets, dangerous drivers and immediately confiscate their licenses for these infringements, fine them, charge them for return of the bike to the renter, no refund from rental company, and if serious enough traffic infringement cancellation of the visa and deportation.

This raft of actions would soon make its way around the globe and cow the nutjob cowboys we see all the time on the island ... truly insane behaviour at insane speeds.

1 hour ago, brianthainess said:

About time to really clamp down on the hire shops NATION WIDE and give them a real fine where it hurts + confiscate the bike for a week.

If they really stopped the hiring of M/C to unlicensed riders then imo 75% of their business would dry up and we know that won't ever be 'allowed' to happen.

Hence you have answered the reason your suggestion is a Non-Starter (excuse the Pun) 555

It's too easy to set up in business as a motorbike rental operation. There are, simply, no rules at all. 

 

Why don't these operations require a licence and part of that licence being a course wherby the requirements are spelled out (driving licence, helmets, tax, insurance). We've had guests fined by the police for having a rental bike with an out of date tax disc! 

 

Of course most will sleep through the instructions but if the licence is lost as a result of non-compliance then they might actually take some notice.

 

NB I realise that this will never happen!

Hilirious.  They have been rolling this vow out periodically for at least the last 20 years.  This place is a circus.  Top to bottom.

they have to have the balls to crack down on the locals not following the laws, tourists look at local driving without helmets (often straight passed the police), driving the wrong way on roads etc and just assume it must be ok. Looking around most locals have stopped abiding by the laws, the police don't enforce the rules on locals, and tourists will start doing the same.

On 4/15/2023 at 8:18 AM, brianthainess said:

About time to really clamp down on the hire shops NATION WIDE and give them a real fine where it hurts + confiscate the bike for a week.

If they really stopped the hiring of M/C to unlicensed riders then imo 75% of their business would dry up and we know that won't ever be 'allowed' to happen.

I see it as cynical as it is a money spinner. Buy a bunch of really crap scooters for 10,000 and barely maintain them. Rent them out for stupid amounts of money and hope that the tourists will crack up on the thing. Charge him $30,000 plus the rental fees. Winning!