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Transport Dept Cracks Down on Ride-Hailing Apps Over Safety

Transport Dept Cracks Down on Ride-Hailing Apps Over Safety

MGR Online•General•16h ago

Reader Briefing

Thailand's Land Transport Department is intensifying efforts to ensure passenger safety on ride-hailing apps following a surge in complaints, while navigating legal limitations in sanctioning platforms.

  • •The Land Transport Department (LT) is prioritizing passenger safety and enhancing service standards for ride-hailing applications.
  • •A significant increase in passenger complaints regarding safety has prompted the LT to establish a dedicated task force.
  • •The LT is cooperating with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DE) and ETDA to enforce regulations and penalize non-compliant platforms.

Overview

  • •By the end of fiscal year 2025, 738 cases of driver misconduct were submitted to the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DE) and ETDA for action against application companies.
  • •An additional 60 cases were recorded from October 2025 to January 2026 involving ride-hailing platforms.
  • •The Land Transport Department acknowledges a significant influx of complaints regarding passenger safety on ride-hailing apps.
  • •The Land Transport Department has formed a special committee to specifically address and investigate these safety complaints.
  • •The department's primary concern is ensuring passenger safety, which could lead to operators not having their licenses renewed.
  • •Issues arise from loopholes in checking driver criminal records, despite platforms being legally obligated to verify driver information and ensure passenger safety.
  • •The Ministry of Transport, through the Land Transport Department, is collaborating with the Ministry of DE and ETDA to regulate and penalize digital platform service providers under relevant laws.
  • •The Digital Platform Services (DPS) law, specifically Royal Decree on the Business of Digital Platform Services Notification, B.E. 2022, mandates additional verification for ride-sharing platforms, including Digital ID checks and reporting to government agencies.

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Key Quotes

Source from the Land Transport Department
"It must be considered a phenomenon that the complaints regarding the lack of safety in ride-hailing apps arriving at the department are so numerous that management had to set up a special working group to consider these complaints."
ต้องนับว่าเป็นปรากฏการณ์ที่ข้อร้องเรียนความไม่ปลอดภัยต่อแอปเรียกรถฯเข้ามาที่กรมฯเยอะมาก จนฝ่ายบริหารต้องตั้งคณะทำงานเพื่อพิจารณาข้อร้องเรียนขึ้นเป็นการเฉพาะ
Source from the Land Transport Department
"Because the department must prioritize passenger safety as the main concern."
เพราะกรมฯต้องคำนึงถึงความปลอดภัยของผู้โดยสารเป็นหลัก
Source from the Land Transport Department
"Acknowledging limitations in decisive measures against platforms with repeated complaints or risks regarding non-compliance with legally mandated safety measures."
ยอมรับว่ายังมีข้อจำกัดเรื่องมาตรการดำเนินการขั้นเด็ดขาดกับแพลตฟอร์มที่มีกรณีร้องเรียนหรือความเสี่ยงซ้ำๆ ในเรื่องไม่ปฏิบัติตามมาตรการความปลอดภัยที่กฎหมายกำหนด

Key Entities

Organization

Land Transport Department(กรมการขนส่งทางบก)ℹ️
The Thai government agency responsible for land transportation regulation and oversight, currently focusing on ride-hailing app safety.
Ministry of Digital Economy and Society(กระทรวงดิจิทัลเพื่อเศรษฐกิจและสังคม)ℹ️
A Thai government ministry involved in digital development and regulation, collaborating with the Land Transport Department on ride-hailing app oversight.
ETDAℹ️
Electronic Transactions Development Agency, a Thai agency collaborating with the Land Transport Department on digital platform regulation and enforcement.

Law

Royal Decree on the Business of Digital Platform Services Notification, B.E. 2022(พ.ร.ฎ. การประกอบธุรกิจบริการแพลตฟอร์มดิจิทัลที่ต้องแจ้งให้ทราบ พ.ศ. 2022)
A Thai legal framework governing digital platform services, mandating specific requirements for ride-hailing platforms.
Digital Platform Services
A legal category pertaining to online platforms, which includes specific regulations for ride-sharing services in Thailand.
ThaID
A trusted digital identity system in Thailand that ride-hailing platforms may use for verifying user identities.