Transport Thailand to Regulate Ride-Hailing Apps Within 90 Days for Fairer Competition

[Kinnock]

3 hours ago, Coxy said:

The taxis I get through the the apps are generally in better condition and than the smelly  death traps you hail from the side of the road 

... and they use GPS so you don't need to guide them turn by turn.

[ronnie50]

While not a sure thing, if I need to hail a taxi on the street, I always prefer a combo green and yellow car. Not always the case, but often they are owner-operators. The solid pink, solid blue and solid green, etc., are very hit and miss if traveling alone (as a farang). Usually they are fine.. but they are often 'rentals' and their drivers can be a bit more sketchy.

[Surasak]

I use Grab where I live, as calling a regular cab incurs an extra 20B, and possibly more. I can hail a taxi and pay 120B to go to the town. I call a grab to go to the same place and it costs 95B. A taxi to the hospital is always 130b. By Grab its 95b and the car is ALWAYS cleaner. Its a no brainer.

[khunjeff]

15 hours ago, webfact said:

addressing long-standing fairness concerns compared to traditional taxis

 

The only "concerns" are from taxi drivers who are offended that their long-standing free rein to cheat passengers has been infringed upon.

 

15 hours ago, webfact said:

The Ministry is engaging ride-hailing companies in discussions to align on legal compliance

 

How about "engaging" the traditional taxis to comply with the laws about using the meter and not refusing fares? 

 

15 hours ago, webfact said:

platforms will need to establish systems to manage driver misconduct

 

...which traditional taxis do not do. Is that "fair"?

 

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

16 hours ago, webfact said:

Service operators must register vehicles under categories Ror Yor 17 and Ror Yor 18, and drivers are required to secure public driving licences. To facilitate this transition, the DLT is expediting criminal background checks at transport offices, promising a faster licensing timeline.

 

Public licences and registering vehicles as taxis will make it difficult or impossible for many drivers if Grab and Bolt are forced to implement these rules. They are just ordinary Thais trying to earn a bit of extra money. 

 

There is a bigger issue here though, that is registering a personal vehicle as a taxi (Ror Yor 17 and Ror Yor 18)  means that you will never be able to sell it. No second-hand dealer will touch cars on taxi plates with a barge pole. Good luck getting it switched back over to a personal vehicle if you ever end up with one.

 

The gig economy is here to stay and this is taking the country yet another step backwards and at the expense of ordinary Thais. Probably to appease those threatening taxi drivers calling for the shutdown of airports a few weeks ago...

[unblocktheplanet]

12 hours ago, NorthernRyland said:

"adhere to fare standards" could mean they need to charge more to so they don't undercut the taxi mafia scumbags. If Thailand is really really stupid they could do some serious damage.

As with cannabis shops. A lot of folks thought they got a break, finally. One weed purveyor told me they rented a townhouse in Samut Prakan to grow ganja! And now they want 'regulation'. Regulation means Mr Big isn't getting his envelope!

[Jonathan Swift]

15 hours ago, ronnie50 said:

You'd think this was already the case but TIT. From a customer's perspective, the ride hailing apps are not as reliable in Thailand as other countries. For example, I've had several rides accepted by a driver, only to then realize he's not 10 minutes away as indicated, he's 30 minutes away. Oh, and of course once the driver (far away) has accepted, the customer can't cancel the ride. Same goes for food deliveries where 20 minutes can turn into an hour.

With Bolt you can cancel the ride even up to the time he arrives. I've had drivers arrive on the wrong side of a highway and refuse to U-turn. I not only cancelled, but was able to lodge a complaint against the driver. 

[ryxyz]

On 6/15/2025 at 7:35 PM, ronnie50 said:

You'd think this was already the case but TIT. From a customer's perspective, the ride hailing apps are not as reliable in Thailand as other countries. For example, I've had several rides accepted by a driver, only to then realize he's not 10 minutes away as indicated, he's 30 minutes away. Oh, and of course once the driver (far away) has accepted, the customer can't cancel the ride. Same goes for food deliveries where 20 minutes can turn into an hour.

I received a text from a driver politely asking me to cancel the ride, and I was able to cancel it. However, the next drive who accepted the ride was a regular taxi driver, and I ended up paying more than twice the what was quoted as the upfront fare.