Taxi turmoil: Motorbike mayhem as riders brawl with cabbie in Pattaya

A violent clash between motorbike taxi riders and a taxi driver near North Pattaya’s bus station was caught on camera last Sunday, March 10.

In a dramatic video obtained by reporters yesterday, the chaos unfolds as motorbike taxi riders, donning their signature orange vests, unleash a barrage of blows on the hapless taxi driver, with his terrified passengers looking on.

The confrontation took a sinister turn when the besieged taxi driver grabbed a golf club to fend off his assailants, only to face a retaliatory strike from one of the motorbike taxi riders wielding a broomstick. The root cause of the conflict seems to stem from concerns about the motorbike taxi riders’ livelihoods being threatened by the presence of the taxi.

Mag and Pop, two of the motorbike taxi drivers involved, shed light on the escalating tensions. Mag recounted how he politely requested the Bangkok taxi driver to refrain from poaching passengers from their designated stand, only to be met with insults and boasts about the cabbie’s former police status. Pop admitted to wielding the broomstick but insisted it was in defence of his comrade.

Despite the heated altercation, no injuries were reported, and no official complaints were lodged with the police. Both Mag and Pop stressed the importance of adhering to regulations and maintaining peaceful coexistence among different modes of transportation, reported Pattaya Mail.

With daily earnings hovering around 300 baht, largely driven by app-based services, the motorbike taxi riders issued a plea for respect and solidarity from taxis operating in the area.

In related news, in a violent altercation that unfolded on a busy Pattaya street, two Songthaew drivers went head-to-head in a brutal brawl over a group of Chinese tourists. The explosive confrontation left one driver hospitalised and the other facing serious legal consequences.

In other news, a physical altercation suddenly erupted between two passenger van drivers in front of Ratsada Pier in Phuket on the afternoon of February 18. The spectacle, which was captured on video by a passing vehicle, soon became a local sensation on social media channels.