Bolt drivers accused of attacking rival motorbike taxi drivers in Pattaya
A group of Win motorbike taxi drivers claim they were attacked by Bolt drivers in Pattaya, following disagreements over customers and territory. The incident, which took place yesterday, resulted in injuries to two individuals, The Pattaya News reported.
Last night at around 10.30pm, two motorbike taxi drivers, 50 year old Paitoon Wengwipha and 35 year old Anant Panyim, visited the Pattaya Police Station to file a complaint against an unidentified group of individuals. According to their statement, the group consisted of Bolt drivers who had physically assaulted them.
Paitoon and Anant reported that the group had around seven to eight men. They explained that prior to the incident, some Bolt drivers had entered a condominium area, which the Win drivers considered their territory. This led to a minor verbal altercation between a different group of Win drivers and the Bolt drivers.
Paitoon and Anant said that the two groups initially agreed to go their separate ways. However, shortly after the altercation, the Bolt drivers allegedly returned armed with baseball bats, iron rods, and knives. They proceeded to attack Paitoon and Anant, even though they were not involved in the previous incident.
Paitoon sustained a severe head injury, requiring seven stitches, while Anant suffered mouth injuries and needed three stitches. Following the attack, the suspects fled the scene.
The deputy investigator who received the complaint, Pol. Capt. Natchapol Sangsi stated that police were working on identifying all suspects involved.
This incident highlights the increasing tensions and disputes between rival motorbike taxi services in the area.
Just last week, police shut down a 70-man altercation between Bolt and Win motorbike taxi drivers before things turned violent last night on Pattaya Beach. The Win drivers showed papers to the police of their prior complaints to various agencies documenting their concerns regarding Bolt’s operations in Thailand.
