Taxi driver refuses elderly passengers, gets fined on the spot
A taxi driver near Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok was issued traffic fines after an officer caught him refusing passengers and violating traffic rules in a viral video posted on April 26.
The clip was posted on Facebook by Bangkok traffic police officer Jaa Auan Bolikhamsai, an online personality with more than 390,000 followers who regularly shares videos from his work at the Vibhavadi Rangsit Traffic Control Centre.
In the video, Jaa Auan was riding a motorcycle past a taxi parked by the roadside, where two passengers were trying to take the taxi. After the driver refused them, the officer stopped to question him.
Jaa Auan warned the driver against selecting passengers instead of providing a fair service. He also spoke to the passengers and checked whether they needed help finding another vehicle.
The passengers told him that the driver refused them because the nearest U-turn was too far away. When the officer approached and asked for his licence, the driver changed his mind and offered to take them.
However, Jaa Auan did not allow him to continue, asking, “Don’t you have any sympathy for them?” while pointing out that the passengers had difficulty walking and poor eyesight.
The driver claimed he refused because he did not want them to pay a high fare.
The officer then inspected the driver’s documents and issued two 500 baht fines for refusing service and illegally stopping to wait for passengers, totalling 1,000 baht. The offences carry maximum fines of 1,000 baht and 2,000 baht, respectively.
The driver can be heard trying to negotiate for only one charge, but the officer then added a third charge for improper attire, which carries a maximum fine of 1,000 baht. A check found three unpaid fines already linked to the driver, making this his fourth recorded offence.
After issuing the penalties, Jaa Auan ordered the driver to move the taxi immediately and not remain parked in the area.
The video went viral and attracted many comments online, with many netizens praising the officer’s enforcement and criticising taxi drivers who refuse passengers.
Elsewhere, an angry Thai man slammed Bangkok taxis on his TikTok account for favouring foreigners after 23 drivers refused to take him on a journey that was less than 15 minutes.
The man said that taxi drivers in the Asoke area only wanted to serve foreign passengers because they could rip them off with expensive fares.
Latest Thailand News
Follow The Thaiger on Google News:
