On June 12, 2024, a Thai woman used TikTok to warn others about her alarming experience with the Bolt ride-hailing application, where she was physically assaulted by a driver in Bangkok after refusing to pay an inflated fare.
The victim, who shared security camera footage of the incident on her TikTok account @picnicka, recounted the event that took place on the morning of June 11. She had booked a ride from Huay Kwang district to Soi On Nut 41 in the Phra Khanong neighborhood at 9:30 a.m., with the app showing a fare of 66 baht.
Upon arriving at her destination, the driver asked her to cancel the ride and forced her to hand over her phone for the cancellation. The woman complied and paid him the 66 baht shown in the app. However, the driver refused this payment and demanded more money. When she refused and took a picture of him to report to Bolt’s customer support, the driver became enraged and attacked her until she collapsed. The CCTV footage shared on TikTok showed the attacker repeatedly kicking and punching the victim.
Following the assault, the woman was admitted to Vibharam Hospital and subsequently filed a complaint at Phra Khanong Police Station. The news Twitter account Red Skull reported on June 13 that the attacker had been apprehended by the police, though his identity has not been disclosed, and details of the legal action against him remain unclear.
The incident has sparked widespread criticism of the Bolt application. Many Thai netizens expressed outrage over the company’s apparent negligence, citing multiple previous incidents involving Bolt drivers. Critics argue that the app fails to conduct thorough background checks on its drivers, thereby putting passengers at risk.
Attention has also been drawn to a security guard who was present during the incident but did not intervene. While some criticized the guard for not assisting, others defended him, citing his age and previous cases where security personnel lost their lives in similar situations.
This is not the first time Bolt has faced controversy in Thailand. In March, another Thai woman sought help from local motorcycle taxi riders on Sirindhorn Road in Bangkok after her Bolt driver was found half-naked. Similarly, in October of last year, a Bolt driver demanded a 1,350 baht fare for a 30-minute ride that should have cost only 300 to 400 baht.
Various officials and representatives from the involved agencies attended the scene, underscoring the seriousness of the incident and the urgency of the investigation.
@picnicka คนสมัยนี้ช่างโหดร้าย เห็นเกิดเมื่อวันที่12/6/67เวลาประมาณ9.30น.อ่อนนุช41 ได้เรียกใช้บริการแอพbolt มาส่งจากห้วยขวาง ในแอพราคา66บาท มาถึงปลายทางอ่อนนุช41 คนขับขอโทรศัพท์กดยกเลิกให้เหตุผลว่าผมลืมกดยืนยัน ถึงที่หมายยื่นเงินให้70บาทคนขับบอกไม่ใช่ราคานี้เราก็ยื่นแอพให้ดู เขาไม่ยอม จะให้เราจ่ายตามที่เขาเรียกเก็บ เราเลยขอถ่ายรูปคุยกับแอพที่เรียกก่อนว่าทำไมเราต้องจ่ายเพิ่ม เขาโมโหลงมาซ้อมเราไม่ยั้ง จนเราลงไปนอนกองกับพื้น เขาเลยขับรถหนีไป ตอนนี้เราเข้ารับรักษาตัวที่รพ.วิภาราม และได้แจ้งความที่สน.พระโขนงแล้ว #แจ้งเตือนไว้เป็นอุทาหรณ์สำหรับผู้หญิงที่เรียกรถผ่านแอพ ♬ เสียงต้นฉบับ – ชื่อปิคนิค อาตั้งให้
