Thai bus ticket collector assaulted by passenger for rejecting his advances
A female public bus ticket collector sought justice after being physically assaulted by a male passenger for rejecting his advances. However, the Department of Land Transport allegedly blamed her for the incident, citing her impatience.
The ticket collector, 24 year old Pichobon Yadee, shared details of the assault, which occurred on December 2 at around 4pm on a public bus number 2-33 (Bua Thong Keha–MRT Bang Sue), with the Facebook page Bangkok Bus Club, to seek justice.
Pichobon disclosed that the assailant asked for her contact information, but when she refused, he became aggressive.
Dashcam footage shared by the victim shows the man, wearing a blue T-shirt, handing his phone to her in the hope that she would provide her contact details. When she ignored him, he suddenly approached her, struck her on the shoulder, and promptly exited the bus.
The matter escalated when the attacker filed a complaint against Pichobon with the Land Transport Ministry, accusing her of using vulgar language and behaving rudely during the incident.
To defend herself, Pichobon presented the dashcam footage to ministry officials. However, instead of supporting her, the officials criticised her conduct stating…
“You should remain calm. You are working in the hospitality industry.”
Feeling denied justice by the authorities, Pichobon turned to the public by sharing the video. She also revealed that other ticket collectors encountered the same man, but none experienced the same level of aggression.
The attacker was later identified as 21 year old Nopparat. He admitted to attempting to obtain the victim’s contact details because he found her attractive. While he expressed a willingness to apologise, he also claimed that Pichobon should provide better service to passengers.
Nopparat’s father told Amarin TV that his son has autism and suggested that his actions might have been influenced by his condition.
Pichobon acknowledged his condition but emphasised that his parents should take greater responsibility for their son’s care. She added that it was fortunate Nopparat did not commit further acts of violence.
The two parties reached an agreement at Bang Kluay Police Station yesterday, December 24, after two hours of negotiation. Nopparat agreed to pay 4,000 baht in compensation.
