Photo via Facebook/ โหดจัง จังหวัดภูเก็ต

 

In Phuket, a hatchback driver faces criticism from netizens and local taxi drivers for illegally providing transport services to foreign tourists, exacerbated by carrying his wife during work hours, leading to an overloaded vehicle.

 

The incident came to light when the Facebook page โหดจัง จังหวัดภูเก็ต (translated to "Phuket is so brutal") shared a video on May 15. The footage shows a grey hatchback, where the driver's wife vacates the front seat to accommodate three foreign tourists, cramming into the car's rear storage compartment.

 

The unusual seating arrangement left both the tourists and internet users puzzled, sparking debates about legality and safety. Many locals highlighted that the hatchback wasn't registered for public transport, as mandated by law. There was also speculation that the booking might have been made through a ride-hailing app, although critics argued that professional standards should still prevail.

 

Commentators emphasised that the presence of the driver's wife was inappropriate while on duty, and broader concerns were raised about overloaded vehicles potentially compromising passenger safety. There were calls for the Phuket Provincial Land Transport Office to penalise the driver for these infractions, citing the unlawfulness and risk factors involved.

 

Professionals in the transport sector also noted that small hatchbacks, like the one in the video, are inadequate for airport transfers due to limited luggage space. This adds to the debate about proper vehicle use for tourist services.

 

This isn’t the first controversy involving passengers and drivers in Phuket to garner public attention. In March, an incident surfaced where a taxi driver's wife was accused of assaulting a Russian passenger, but the situation also raised questions about drivers' spouses accompanying them during services.

 

As netizens voice their frustrations and urge for regulatory enforcement, the incident highlights ongoing tensions within Phuket's transportation services, underscoring a need for adherence to safety and legal standards. The broader issue remains the balance between accommodating tourist demand and maintaining professional, legal transport services.

 

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-05-16

 

 

Me and my brothers loved to ride in the "boot"  as kids

Ford Cortina  could fit 3 of us  !!!  😋

 

Just giving some friends a lift... 

15 hours ago, johng said:

Me and my brothers loved to ride in the "boot"  as kids

Ford Cortina  could fit 3 of us  !!!  😋

 

Should of had a "Granny" they could fit 5

Would have said it was just them giving people a lift until the part where the woman throws the cushion down and climbs in shutting the boot in one movement like she has done it plenty of times .

Unless of course her husband can't stand her and makes her do that anytime they go out in the car 😂

Probably filmed it and commented because they were foreigners. If he is so worried about the law, and road safety why is he not sitting at the nearest traffic lights videoing riders with no helmets, three on a bike, underage riders, cars jumping red lights, school run taxis with children hanging off the back, or sitting on the roof, the list is endless. No, just another nosey, racist local with nothing better to do than point fingers at "Farangs".

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

and local taxi drivers

No surprise there.

No-one to scam.

Gotta be where you are: FOMO endemic 

Because of overloading!!! 555... You can't make this up

I don’t see that the car was overloaded. 5 passengers total in a hatchback is fine. Just that one of them wasn’t in the back seat, she was in the rear luggage compartment ( not a boot in the sense of a saloon car).

 

The wife was no doubt there, so that the car did not give the appearance of being a taxi picking up passengers. That would be illegal since the car is not licensed as such. So she was camouflage, so to speak.

 

 Maybe campflage was needed because they were picking up from the airport or a hotel. The taxi mafia don’t like that happening.

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

cramming into the car's rear storage compartment

 

If only there was a name for this area.

I'm puzzled. From all the criticism they're getting, I can't understand why they think the driver should be on duty or that it was a public service? Why can't it have just been friends taking some people to the airport in their small car?

9 hours ago, AhFarangJa said:

Probably filmed it and commented because they were foreigners. If he is so worried about the law, and road safety why is he not sitting at the nearest traffic lights videoing riders with no helmets, three on a bike, underage riders, cars jumping red lights, school run taxis with children hanging off the back, or sitting on the roof, the list is endless. No, just another nosey, racist local with nothing better to do than point fingers at "Farangs".

Go home, Grumpy🤣🤣🤣

47 minutes ago, ujayujay said:

Go home, Grumpy🤣🤣🤣

I am home, been here for more than 30 years, and it is Mister Grumpy if you please. 

10 hours ago, AhFarangJa said:

Probably filmed it and commented because they were foreigners. If he is so worried about the law, and road safety why is he not sitting at the nearest traffic lights videoing riders with no helmets, three on a bike, underage riders, cars jumping red lights, school run taxis with children hanging off the back, or sitting on the roof, the list is endless. No, just another nosey, racist local with nothing better to do than point fingers at "Farangs".

 

Well said...    Although the criticism was levied at the driver who'd 'placed' his wife in the boot / trunk to make-way for the passengers...    Its nothing more than rather amusing, thats all it is.

 

This is still much much safer for all invovlved than sitting on the back of a motorycycle or in a tuktuk !...

 

 

In fact - I'm a strong advocate for road safety and wearing of seatbelts at all times... 

However, there have been times were we have placed our children (2 of them) in the hatch back area of the car (usually a 5 seater) when travelling a few kms down the road (on Koh Chang etc) where traffic isn't fast and I consider such actions a bit of harmless fun....    

(Hit a main road, highway or expressway - and no one is in the car without a seatbelt).

 

 

 

This is definitely a case of 'shoe-horning' faux-outrage out of something all rather harmless.... 

 

 

 

Obvs Pick Ups jam full of Myanmar workers is ok morning & night rush hour...