Baht bus brawl: Phuket driver and foreign man row over fare
A physical altercation broke out between a Thai baht bus driver and a foreign man outside a hotel in Phuket after the foreigner refused to pay the agreed transport fare.
The Phuket Times shared a video of the altercation today, January 14. However, the page did not specify when or where the incident occurred. The accompanying post read…
“Fighting! The foreign tourist refused to pay the transport fare of 400 baht as agreed before the trip and paid only 200 baht upon arriving at his hotel.”
The video, posted in the comments section, showed the red baht bus driver initiating the fight by punching the foreign man, who was wearing a white shirt, in the face. The foreigner retaliated by throwing the Thai driver to the ground and kicking him forcefully.
A hotel security guard rushed to separate the two but the driver got up and struck the foreigner on the head. Another security guard intervened, eventually succeeding in stopping the fight.
Since no details were provided regarding the distance of the journey, it was not possible to determine whether the 400-baht fare was reasonable. Nevertheless, some netizens argued that the foreigner should have paid the agreed amount regardless of its fairness, as the terms had been settled before the ride.
There has been no report on whether either party will face legal consequences for their actions.
A similar incident was reported earlier this month, two foreigners were filmed attacking a Thai taxi driver outside a supermarket in Phuket. The physical altercation was also triggered by a fare dispute.
The foreign passengers reportedly did not have sufficient Thai cash to pay the fare and requested the driver to take them to a supermarket to exchange money. The driver, in turn, demanded a higher fare for the additional trip. The foreigners refused to pay the extra amount and assaulted him.
Despite the passengers’ unlawful actions, some Thai netizens sided with them, speculating that the driver may not have informed them about the additional charge for the detour to the supermarket.
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