Fare play: Bolt driver warns after Indian couple scams free airport ride
A Thai Bolt driver took to social media to issue a warning to others after an Indian couple tricked him into providing them with a free ride to Phuket International Airport.
The driver urged the Facebook news page โหดจัง จังหวัดภูเก็ต (which translates to Phuket is brutal) to share his story and warn others not to fall victim to similar fraudulent tourists. The exact time of the incident was not included in the report but the driver shared his experience with the page yesterday, February 10.
According to the Bolt driver, the Indian couple booked a ride from the Patong area of Phuket to the airport. The fare displayed in the application was 800 baht. Upon arrival, the couple claimed to have paid via a credit card linked to the app.
However, upon checking the payment method, the driver found that the booking required payment in cash. The couple then insisted that they had no Thai currency and needed to enter the airport to withdraw money from an ATM.
The driver proceeded to unload all of the couple’s luggage from his vehicle, allowing them to enter the airport while he waited at the entrance for them to return with the fare.
Low-quality tourists
Unfortunately, the couple never returned. The driver rushed inside the airport to search for them. Airport officials assisted by reviewing CCTV footage but the couple already boarded a flight back to their home country.
The Bolt driver urged his fellow drivers to be cautious when dealing with tourists who opt to pay in cash. He advised them not to release passengers’ belongings or luggage until payment had been received. Concluding his account, the driver remarked…
“There are a lot of low-quality tourists nowadays.”
Today, the Phuket Times reported a growing sentiment among Phuket locals against low-quality foreign visitors. Residents allegedly stated that Phuket had never experienced such frequent issues with foreign tourists until now.
According to the report, locals believe these problems occurred after the pandemic and the implementation of the visa-free scheme. They claimed that Russian and French nationals were not visiting as tourists but were instead relocating to Thailand and operating illegal businesses.
They called for the visa-free scheme to be revoked or for stricter screening measures to be introduced, along with stronger enforcement of laws to prevent foreigners from paying to evade legal consequences.
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