Thailand’s Department of Land Transport (DLT) announced yesterday, April 29, that it may refuse to renew Bolt’s licence after finding 2,193 legal cases linked to the ride-hailing platform since the start of the year.
Department director-general Sorapong Paitoonpong issued the warning during a press conference on measures to regulate ride-hailing platforms.
The move follows a case in Bangkok on April 23 involving a female passenger who jumped from the moving motorcycle after the Bolt rider failed to stop at her home.
Checks found the driver was not authorised to provide the service, did not hold a public transport driving licence, and did not use the registered vehicle.
The driver was also found to be using another person’s user account. Sorapong said the department could not accept what had happened and had already filed an additional police complaint.
Legal action is being prepared against the driver, the vehicle owner, and the platform involved.
Since the start of the year, the department has taken legal action in 6,776 cases involving app-based rides. Bolt accounted for 2,193 of those cases, or about one-third of the total.
Sorapong said offences had continued despite the government allowing drivers to enter the system under rules issued by the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) over the past three to four months.
The Ministry of Transport is now preparing stricter enforcement, especially against platforms that fail to supervise drivers properly or comply with legal conditions.
Bolt’s licence to operate app-based taxi services is due to expire on May 11. The DLT said that Bolt’s licence renewal in Thailand may not be approved if the company cannot show credible improvements in safety standards, transparency, and driver supervision.
TravelNews reported that the department will summon the operator to explain the facts before making a final decision. If the licence is revoked or not renewed, the public and relevant agencies will be informed immediately.
The department also urged people to avoid using platforms that do not comply with the law for their own safety.
In an earlier incident, a Bolt driver was filmed kicking a foreign man on a road along Jomtien Beach in Pattaya. The background of the footage showed a squid festival that took place on February 13 and 14, although it was unclear when the assault itself occurred.
The story Bolt operating licence expires in May, amid DLT investigations as seen on Thaiger News.
