DLT weighs non-renewal of Bolt’s license over safety failures

The Department of Land Transport (DLT) is currently reconsidering the renewal of ride hailing platform Bolt’s operating license, following a series of regulatory violations, especially a high-profile incident involving a female student who was forced to jump from a moving motorbike.

The platform’s current license is set to expire at the end of May.

Authorities are reportedly dissatisfied with the company’s progress in improving its recruitment and rider screening processes within the previously mandated deadlines.

The move follows an alarming incident on April 23, when a female student passenger had to jump off a Bolt motorbike near the Phet Kasem 81 intersection.

She reported that the rider refused to stop at her designated destination, only managing to escape when the vehicle slowed down in heavy traffic.

Subsequent police investigations have revealed that the rider did not possess a valid public transport driving license and was using another person's account credentials to accept jobs through the application.

Sorapong Paitoonphong, director general of the DLT, characterised the breach as a "serious violation of regulations."

He emphasised that allowing unqualified individuals to bypass security protocols by using "ghost accounts" poses a direct and unacceptable threat to public safety.

Data from the past four months suggests that violations within the platform have shown no signs of decreasing. According to the DLT, if the platform fails to demonstrate a more effective standard for controlling its drivers, its permit to operate in Thailand may not be renewed.

In response, Nathadon Suksiritarnan, general manager of Bolt Thailand, stated that the company has already suspended the account involved in the April incident.

He also claimed that the platform is working to enhance its identity verification systems, noting that over 40,000 riders who failed to comply with legal requirements have already been purged from the system.

The government is now pushing for a unified standard across all ride-hailing platforms.

Dr. Chaichana Mitrpant, executive director of the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA), met with relevant agencies to discuss mandatory upgrades to biometric verification systems to ensure that the person behind the handlebars matches the profile on the app.

A total of 6,776 legal violations involving ride hailing platform riders have been reported since 2022, including 2,193 cases involving riders from Bolt, most of whom did not hold public transport driving licenses.