Pattaya cabbies force passenger from Uber car

Pattaya cabbies force passenger from Uber car

The picture captured from a video by Uber driver Surasak Khukham shows a Pattaya taxi driver standing in front of his vehicle, preventing him leaving.
The picture captured from a video by Uber driver Surasak Khukham shows a Pattaya taxi driver standing in front of his vehicle, preventing him leaving.

PATTAYA - A foreign tourist has been forced out of an Uber car by disgruntled local taxi drivers, who are said to have blocked the vehicle's passage in their escalating conflict with the rival ride-sharing service.

The passenger was "very frightened" after being ordered to get out of the car by five men believed to drive for a taxi cooperative in the Pattaya beach area, Uber taxi driver Surasak Khukhan said as he complained to police late on Wednesday night.

The men did not let his car go even after the passenger left, the 29-year-old driver said. They surrounded the vehicle, preventing him leaving. He used his smart phone to record their bullying actions.

The men seemed undeterred by warnings from Pattaya police not to take action themselves against Uber cars they view as stealing passengers from them.

A similar, highly publicised incident occurred earlier this month in Pattaya, when a real state agent carrying three Chinese clients in her car was chased and stopped by about 20 local cabbies from the Loma taxi cooperative.

They mistakenly thought she was an Uber driver with passengers.

The California-based Uber company has expanded its service into Thailand, with Uber drivers using their private cars to carry passengers.

The ride-sharing service is illegal bcause the cars are not registered for public transport, but it has become popular with passengers fed up with being rejected by impolite taxi drivers.

Uber drivers in Pattaya said it is a way to earn much-needed extra income, but the latest incident made them fearful of working. 

They want Uber and the government to come to an agreement and solve the problem.

They play down officials' expressed concern over possible risks faced by passengers because their cars are not registered as public vehicles under the state supervision. Uber puts all drivers through a background check before they are allowed to work with the company, they say.

Uber chauffeur Surasak Khukham files a complaint with Pattaya police that his car was blocked and his foreign passenger forcd to leave by a group of local cabbies in the beach resort city. (Photo by Chaiyot Pupattanapong) 

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