While ride-sharing services remain unregulated in Thailand, drivers of traditional transports such as tuk tuks continue to get into conflicts with drivers for the new app-based transport services. One tourist from New York got to see that phenomenon up close and personal recently when he filmed his GrabCar driver getting harassed by local tuk tuk drivers who demanded he and his travel companion get out of the the vehicle.
In the video, the two tuk tuk drivers can be seen angrily yelling at the GrabCar driver from outside his vehicle.
At one point, one driver, later identified as 37-year-old Rungruj Jinaruen, kicks at the GrabCar before walking to the other side of the vehicle to pick up a metal bar, seemingly to use as a weapon.
Ironically, he was sporting a “Welcome to Chiang Mai” shirt in the clip.
Meanwhile, the other unidentified tuk tuk driver demands the Grab driver order his passenger out of the car.
“If they don’t get out, this is not over,” he declares.
Eventually, the two Western passengers, who can be heard getting increasingly distressed throughout the clip, get out of the car.
“Maybe we should just walk,” says one of them as they move to walk away from the ongoing argument.
Coconuts reached out to the uploader, Winston Vaduz, for a comment but has yet received a response.
Pannee Poomphan, Inspector General of the Department of Land Transport, told Sanook that the situation is currently being investigated. Both parties will be interrogated before any charges are issued.
Pannee also urged local drivers to report Grab drivers to his department and not to resort to violence.
Currently, there are no laws regulating ride-sharing services in Thailand and Grab drivers are technically violating the law by using a personal vehicle to provide public transport services — a charge punishable with a fine of THB2,000 (US$60).
Nevertheless, the service remains popular in cities such as Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, where legal taxi drivers are infamous for overcharging and rejecting passengers. The feud between Grab and local drivers isn’t exactly new.
When questioned by reporters today, Rungruj told T News of his frustration due to his belief that Grab Drivers are stealing his job.
He claimed to have filed complaints with authorities but had not received any support from them.
Rungruj believes that he’s the “victim,” and therefore, had to take matters into his own hands.
However, initial investigations revealed that Rungroot was once arrested in 2016 on charges of blasphemy as a result of a, reportedly, similar situation.
