A Thai woman took to social media to share her experience with another one of Thailand’s notorious taxi drivers who abandoned her in the middle of the journey to Pattaya after she refused to pay more when he tried to hike the fare mid-journey.
The victim shared a video of herself arguing with the taxi driver on her TikTok account, @maimumu56 , yesterday, December 11. She began the caption by saying, “Abandoned by this taxi driver in the middle of the journey.”
The woman explained that she booked an app-based driver via the ride-hailing application, Bolt . The fare on the app was 1,217 baht, excluding the toll fees which were about 200 baht. The car was supposed to be a private car registered with Bolt but the vehicle that picked her up was an orange taxi with a different number plate.
After confirming with the taxi driver that he was the Bolt driver on the app, she got into the car and fell asleep. The driver woke her when they reached Siracha district in Chon Buri, about 30 kilometers from her destination in Pattaya.
The driver uncovered a black cloth covering the meter and told her he wanted the fare on the meter, not in the app. The fare on the meter was 1,300 baht and would increase if she continued.
The woman said she refused and insisted on paying according to the app. The driver then asked her to get out of the car and she agreed. The driver stopped and asked her to leave in the middle of the toll, so she refused and asked him to drop her off at a petrol station.
Police intervention
On arriving at the petrol station, the driver began to shout at her, accusing her of cheating him. He also complained about the Bolt application. So, she reported the matter to the police. While waiting for the officers to arrive, the driver was heard saying
“You talk sh*t to the police. You accused me of kicking you out of the car. I did not do that! The app cheated me!”
The woman added that she was unable to record some of the vulgarities shouted by the taxi driver. She asked him to stop, to which he replied that he did not have to follow her orders because she was not his mother.
Police officers later arrived at the petrol station and managed to reach an agreement with the taxi driver. The woman said she paid the driver 1,026 baht, of which 946 baht was the fare and 80 baht was the toll.
The woman did not reveal whether or not she reported the driver to the Bolt application or the Land Transport Department.
However, her video became crucial evidence that led the Land Transport Department to summon the taxi driver in the video for questioning.
The driver admitted to his actions that day and paid a fine of 1,5000 baht for violating Section 57 of the Vehicle Act by failing to deliver a passenger to the agreed destination and provide service in a good manner. He also lost 40 points on his driving record and was required to attend a two-hour training course on good conduct for public transport operators.
https://www.tiktok.com/@maimumu56/video/7311252971835165958
