Fare fight: Phuket tuk tuk driver attacks Thai woman

A Thai woman took to social media to accuse a tuk tuk driver on Bangla Road in Phuket of overcharging her foreign friend and attacking her after they refused the service.

The Thai woman, Kanyasiri Sisuwan, shared the story about the tuk tuk driver on Facebook on April 15. She said she wanted to seek justice for herself and for tuk tuk drivers in Phuket to respect passengers’ choices.

Kanyasiri explained that her male foreign friend asked her to call a tuk tuk for him as he wanted to travel from Bangla Road to the Kamala neighbourhood in Phuket. She asked a nearby tuk tuk driver about the transport fee, and the driver requested 700 baht.

The trip from the Bangla Road to the Kamala area is about 11 kilometres, and the actual transport fee, according to the Grab application, is between 400 to 500 baht.

Kanyasiri said her foreign friend decided not to use the service due to the high price and opted for an app-based driver instead. She then helped the foreigner book the car using the application.

Their refusal angered the tuk tuk driver. Kanyasiri revealed that the driver verbally abused her with vulgar language, sparking a heated argument. Subsequently, the driver physically assaulted her by beating and kicking her in front of other tuk tuk drivers present at the scene.

Kanyasiri denounced the inaction of the other tuk tuk drivers, stating that no one intervened during the attack. She added that some of them even criticised her for declining the service.

Mafia tuk tuk drivers

The tuk tuk driver fled the scene following the attack but she managed to capture a photo of his vehicle and its registration plate. Another driver present at the scene chastised her for photographing his friend’s car and threatened further violence against her. According to Kanyasiri, another tuk tuk driver said…

“Why are you taking a picture? If you want to take a picture that badly, you should take a picture of my car. You’ll see what I can do!”

Kanyasiri reported that she sustained wounds and scratches from the attack and experienced pain throughout her body. She asserted that passengers have the right to decline service if the transportation fare is deemed too high, and the driver had no justification for assaulting them, as he did to her.

Numerous Thai netizens voiced concern for her well-being, while others recounted their negative encounters with tuk tuks in Phuket.

“All of the tuk tuk on Bangla Road are mafia. I experienced it myself. The fee was very expensive.”

“I won’t go to Phuket anymore! It’s too scary!”

“Tuk tuk drivers in Phuket are so aggressive. I parked my car in a public parking area, but a tuk tuk driver asked me to leave, claiming it was only for tuk tuk drivers.”

“My foreign friends told me that Phuket is beautiful but it’s not a good place to live.”

“Only mafia live in Phuket!”

“A good tuk tuk driver in Phuket advised me not to help anyone who was in trouble with mafia drivers, warning that the mafia group would attack me.”

As of now, no relevant departments have stepped forward to solve the matter or help the woman seek justice.