Answered6 months ago
Why is Bolt being shut down or regulated in Thailand?
Why is Bolt getting shutdown ?
Answer summary
The conversation revolves around the regulation of Bolt in Thailand, where users express concerns over the platform's driver compliance and safety measures. Many commentators clarify that Bolt is not being completely shut down but is facing government pressure to ensure that drivers are properly licensed and reforms are made for safety. Discussions include comparisons with Grab and mention incidents related to driver reliability, suggesting a push towards better regulations and compliance across ride-sharing platforms.
121 repliesnewest first
Click comment and we will ask for your email, then OTP, then name.
Steven ********
Major major 💪🏾
Phil ******
Its NOT
@Vit***
Garry *******
Competition is key. Without it, things suck for the consumer.
Ralphy *****
Reversed
Stephen ********
Weirdly I’ve found Bolt to be far more reliable than Grab.
Bruce ***********
Bolt sucks
Laurie **********
Because motor bike taxi riders don't like the competition
Lye **********
You no pay, you no open business here in Thailand. 😂
Cool_Ba********
It isn't.
Mick *********
Their operating license is due for renewal. There have been issues with drivers such as sharing cars or switching cars or drivers plus a few more things. If they make the correct assurances they’re license may be renewed.
Daniel **********
They just don’t give a shit to driver
ScenicWa********
They’re not paying the bribe for the government.
Franky ******
ScenicWallaby513 You mean Tax ?
Don't ***********
I never had a problem with them. How about start with tuktuk scammers, and taxi drivers that don't know TM21 in Bangkok. Then catch those who refuse unless you pay extra at Sukhumvit 13-15
Steve *******
Why would anyone use bolt anyways.
“Indrive” is less expensive. Drivers are who they say they are. They doubt stop mid trip n gouge you for more money and they show up on time.
“Indrive” is less expensive. Drivers are who they say they are. They doubt stop mid trip n gouge you for more money and they show up on time.
J ****************
@Steve ******
interesting, I'd always had good experiences with Bolt...
Tom *******
They have horrible customer service. Drivers very unprofessional and incompetent.
Glyn **********
Competing businesses keep prices in check! Get rid of the competition....
John *******
Andrew Bolt is a prominent Australian conservative commentator, columnist for the Herald Sun, and host on Sky News Australia. Known for his provocative, right-wing views, he is a leading voice in Australian media, often challenging progressive narratives, though he has faced controversy, including a 2011 federal court loss regarding racial discrimination against light-skinned Indigenous people. I have no idea why the Thai Government is blocking him.
Russ **********
.. they fail to Grab the popular vote...
Alex ********
I never had any problems with bolt
Chayanat ****************
Because it is illegal service and many time cheat passenger. The most important thing they do not check how is rider from Police’s report too. Just imagine how your life be dangerous with cheap spend.
Michael ********
Maxim is much better
Peter *********
It isnt
John ***********
In Bangkok there's more chance Bolt will pick up your ride. Also in my recent experience less chance that the driver will cancel after accepting. Also cheaper. I guess being more regulated will change all that.
Rich ******
The one thing I found is the impossible tasks or contact support of there is a problem unless I'm missing where it is
Edward ******
I’ve taken grab at least 700 times with hardly ever even the smallest of issues. Taken bolt once and had serious issues. To save a few baht I’d never take it again.
Jay **********************
Edward Winn Same, never used Bolt after a few bad experiences. Rather pay a little more for better more reliable service
Bagsida *********
What about Food Panda ?
Brandon ************
@Bagsida ********
they never offered ride-sharing. They closed on their own decision, nothing to do with Thai government.
Ferenc ******
There are other similar services in Thailand, if you ask me they are trying to get rid of the competition, grab drivers are just the same, not to mention the thousands of yellow vest drivers lurking around every corner, no one mentioned them
Nick **********
Seems like half my drivers on this vacation are either using somebody else's account or driving a different car
John *****
Stroke by lightning! 😳
Dave *********
Every time ive tried to use booked ride then when drivers 10 mins late they call demanding more money for ride they've already agreed price and excepted. Need closing down just scammers atleast where long journeys are concerned. Better just book local taxi driver from Facebook
Michael ********
Dave Shutlar how from fb?
Dave *********
Michael Villin just go on any of expat Facebook groups and ask for recommendations for trip and you will get drivers contacting u oftenwith pictures of there vehicle.normally great prices and so far super reliable
Eric ******
Dave Shutlar what regulates them and make them safe and scam free? At least with Bolt you have a platform to escalate to.
Paul **********
Bit nosey!!
Si ********
This guy click baits all the Thai groups. Not even in Thailand!
Paul **********
There is a reason why the London black cabbies kicked off, yank apps undermining their 30 Yr knowledge
BrilliantR**********
Must admit 1 in 3 bolt car drivers I find that arrive aren't either the driver or the car .
Aki ************
BrilliantRaccoon4902
Agree with you, shows arrived but Different Number Plate, Driver or The Bike and Car.
And
Shows on the way ( waiting for 5-10 minuit ) or arrived but Suddenly Cancelled By The Driver ( often )
Agree with you, shows arrived but Different Number Plate, Driver or The Bike and Car.
And
Shows on the way ( waiting for 5-10 minuit ) or arrived but Suddenly Cancelled By The Driver ( often )
Frazer ************
They lost
Darren ********
If Anything tukTuks with be finished in 2 years : over priced compared with bolt .
Eric ******
Darren Holmes i’ve never understood why tuk tuk drivers would rather sit in one place all night, throwing out stupidly exaggerated prices instead of charging reasonable rates competitive with taxi and rideshare apps and actually make money?
Darren ********
Eric Alan me too
Last week we stayed at Novotel next to diamond cliff north side of the beach
Wanted to go and have a day at kata noi . Tuk Tuk 800B 😂😂
Bolt 278B
The Airport under 500B
Surely they can’t carry on like that . But I suppose if the Arabs and some other countries were money no object I suppose they can’t carry carry on
Last week we stayed at Novotel next to diamond cliff north side of the beach
Wanted to go and have a day at kata noi . Tuk Tuk 800B 😂😂
Bolt 278B
The Airport under 500B
Surely they can’t carry on like that . But I suppose if the Arabs and some other countries were money no object I suppose they can’t carry carry on
Mike ********
Just in…
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************
*******
/07/bolt-strengthens-compliance-and-safety-measures-introduces-driver-facial-recognition-following-thai-government-concerns/
Bent *************
Because it’s a USA company!👎🏿
Nick **********
Bent Sennenwaldt No it's not.
Save your jealousy of USA for something real.
Save your jealousy of USA for something real.
Jarmo *********
Bent Sennenwaldt from Estonia
Steve ***********
They suck
They rip you off
And they can't follow a gps
They rip you off
And they can't follow a gps
Kevin *********
Steve Fortefyve Bowlarks. I’ve been using them for years and apart from some instances of Drivers continually cancelling my ride, probably because they’ve had a better offer. Bolt is a good service. 🤷🏻♂️
John ***********
Steve Fortefyve I've had a, Grab driver cancel my ride when about 200 metres from me, they get a better fare and take that instead. Happens a lot in busy times. On my last trip to Bkk Bolt beat Grab hands down in all things.
Steve ***********
John W Bright I guess it depends on location
I can get rides home, but reverse impossible
I can get rides home, but reverse impossible
Martin ********
Steve Fortefyve I’ve never been ripped off, but have had other issues.
John ***********
Martin Drazen same, never been ripped off over many years.
YouGet*******
What Byron said.
Guz ********
Thin brown envelopes
Gilbert ********
Unsafe drivers
Michael ******
6776 complaints! I wonder how many of them came frome those orange vests! 😒
Steven ********
Motor bike taxi have a bigger brown paper bag
Slipper*******
the Thaiger is a great place for all the daily news. They did a video a few days back.
Michael ********
Slippery_taint what is that
Ron ********
Not just having cost pulled
Bobba *********************
Forgot to renew visa 😔😔 perhaps you need to ask in another group
Amit *******
As i heard , One of bolt rider did something bad with a thai girl , So thai government is not ready to renew Bolt Business Licence .
Isaac ***********
I leave for Thailand tomorrow, is it advisable to just use grab for this trip?
Edward ******
Isaac Siedentop grab always
Ashley **********
They've been very naughty boys!
Alex ************
Because of a bunch of scammy bullshit
Bert **********
The put a facial recognition now for there driver. So they can not share account anymore
John *********
Something Completely unregulated is normally jumped on by Goverments . Put it on an app however and call it Tech - Different story.
Thai authorities just bringing it into line. It will be back,and better for it I suspect. A little more expensive probably.
But better for drivers/riders and punters alike.
Thai authorities just bringing it into line. It will be back,and better for it I suspect. A little more expensive probably.
But better for drivers/riders and punters alike.
Ian ***********
Word is that it’s ONLY the Bolt mototaxis that will get shut down.
The actual cars will remain
The actual cars will remain
Sam *********
Not true. I have a non-BOLTa visa.
Mark *******
It's not !!
The government is threatening to revoke its license unless it starts regulating its drivers and stop unauthorised riders using the same bolt account.
It's not a bad thing and will hopefully improve safety and service for consumers
The government is threatening to revoke its license unless it starts regulating its drivers and stop unauthorised riders using the same bolt account.
It's not a bad thing and will hopefully improve safety and service for consumers
John **********
Mark Hynes there's been many times when i've been picked up by somebody other than my grab driver
Mark *******
John Richards same mate, either a completely different person or sometimes they are that drunk or high they almost fall over when they come to a standstill to pick me up on their bike !!
Deborah *******
Mark Hynes they could also be tired, lack of sleep trying to grind for that money. But definitely not safe
Andrew ***************
Mark Hynes and visa exempt is 30 not 60 Thai government 🤣
Eric ******
Andrew Wilf Wilcock oh, so it’s “finally” official?? 😄
Mark *******
Andrew Wilf Wilcock ???
Summer ******
Google doesn’t work very well for current up to date visa information that’s why there’s groups like this one.. but for random questions it usually can come in handy.
Matthew *********
Summer Dawn so many times I have to stop myself from saying "google or Claude/Gemini it". All are free and all have the answers. I stop myself because I presume people are just looking for a reaction/validation. They really can't be that stupid can they?
Nick **********
Matthew Collier Yes, like Hitler said,
"The people are stupid, all they care about is emotion and hate."
"The people are stupid, all they care about is emotion and hate."
Vit***
OPSummer Dawn it’s not entertaining as reading the comments on the post. Agree?
TalentedO**********
Thailand lose foodpanda. Now lose bolt... Someone is doing a great job investing in (the horrible) grab. Nowadays for food you don't have any other options and for trips we lose the only one with fair prices (and now grab will raise once again).
Jay **********************
TalentedOctopus6524 I love grab! Never used Bolt after several bad experiences. I don’t care about the cheapest, I care about reliability of services
Michael ********
TalentedOctopus6524 Grab is much much better than Bolt.
TalentedO**********
Michael Villin I agree with others. Bolt for me is cheaper than grab. But also the actitudes of bolt drivers are worst than grab. Anyway I prefer bolt always
Michael ********
TalentedOctopus6524 based on my experiences the cheapest is directly taxi on the street not app
Aki ************
Michael Villin
In Bangkok Grab are Cheaper
In Pattaya Bolt are Cheaper
In Bangkok Grab are Cheaper
In Pattaya Bolt are Cheaper
Michael ********
@Aki ***********
really? I didn't know
Niar **********
@Aki ***********
Bolt for me is cheaper in Bangkok than Grab.
Roger **********
TalentedOctopus6524 not sure the business difference between GRAB and GRAB EXPRESS, but the latter does seem to provide different services in terms of payment and time
Hartmut ********
TalentedOctopus6524 jeder der mit Bolt gefahren ist war nicht versichert
Ian *******
@Hartmut *******
so do they hold up a picture of the licence holder now?Hartmut ********
Michael Villin kannst du kein Deutsch
Michael ********
@Hartmut *******
it's English groupHartmut ********
Ian Whyte Nein, es gibt, oder gab, 3 Punkte im Auto zum Scannen. Für die Fahrgäste
SerenePa********
TalentedOctopus6524 No problem with Grab at all
Niar **********
TalentedOctopus6524 you can still order from Lineman and Shopper food. Robin Hood might be still working.
Michael ********
Niar Stemdluk what is Robin Hood. It's funny, I'm watching Robin Hood movie and you talking about Robin Hood. Fkn simulation 😂
Kerry ******
Michael Villin Robin Hood sort of took over from FoodPanda but apparently is only running a limited service in Bangkok.
I was hoping they'd just slide in and keep the FoodPanda menus (and restaurants) as I found them WAY better than Grab's options.
But as they don't seem to be too interested in expanding beyond Bangkok I've deleted their app.
I was hoping they'd just slide in and keep the FoodPanda menus (and restaurants) as I found them WAY better than Grab's options.
But as they don't seem to be too interested in expanding beyond Bangkok I've deleted their app.
TalentedO**********
Niar Stemdluk I can't even find lineman in play store. I'll try the other one to order food. Thanks for the tip!
Pui *****
TalentedOctopus6524 the other person who posted meant Shopee Food, not Shopper
Byron ******
Bolt is not being shut down. Bolt is being forced to ensure that it's drivers and their vehicles are appropriately licensed and compliant. Not saying whether or not that is a good or bad thing
Alan **********
Byron Hill its because they are being run like amazon where the deliveries are outsourced to franchisees who then go on to rip off, underpay, threaten people with their jobs for not working, taking time off being ill, without holidays, paying peanuts instead of a minimum wage and locking people out of the app if they dont comply and if they complain, preventing them from taking a stand against them because they are easier to manipulate as they are classed as self employed. I say goodriddance to the modern forms of slavery or force these companies to employ drivers direct with working conditions and contracts
Robert *******
slavery? So you think they are forced to do those jobs and can’t choose other work? Why do you think that?
Alan **********
Robert Odear because theres no such thing as social security here my girls parents only get 500 baht per month pension. So if thats the only job there is they will do it they arent like the lazy little shirts in uk who just sit on the doorstep gettin pissed because they get everything handed to them . If you cared enough about the country instead of going about with a massive head bragging about how much money you have to waste you would learn something about your host country
David *********
Robert Odear
Yes it’s called taking advantage of the most vulnerable not everyone is educated and have family to support,they don’t work for peanuts cause they want to it’s cause they are desperate the sooner they shut down companies like this the better
Yes it’s called taking advantage of the most vulnerable not everyone is educated and have family to support,they don’t work for peanuts cause they want to it’s cause they are desperate the sooner they shut down companies like this the better
Andrew ********
Byron Hill they refused to do it and their renewal is being denied as per bangkok post - they were not doing what they were asked to do in order to curve fraud
Tiger_55********
Andrew Romine curb
Regina **********
Byron Hill Why not?
Andreas *********
Regina Mosimann Because too many drivers drove black and without licenses.
Byron ******
Regina Mosimann because compliance and licensing is great and all, but the cost of compliance is likely to put a lot of these guys out of a job.
Billy *******
Byron Hill Fuel prices already are.
Peter *********
It isn’t it needs to check drivers ect more
Activity
90 joined90
people
Related
24What are the best banks in Thailand for expats applying for the over 50 retirement visa?
2.8k21298mo
Why should expats consider Cambodia over Thailand for retirement visas?
21k1273638mo
What are the concerns regarding safety standards in Thailand?
579439mo
How can I handle USDA health certificate delays for pet importation to Thailand due to the US government shutdown?
470321y
Can US expats use the Direct Express card to access Social Security retirement benefits in Thailand?
729421y
What are the best recommendations for health insurance in Thailand?
4.1k37251y
Should Expats Get Vaccinated Before Coming to Thailand or After Arrival?
9.7k731202y
What are the thoughts on the DWP YouTube video for pensioners or claimants living in Thailand?
54932y
How do I drop Medicare deductions from my Social Security checks while living abroad?
6k55172y
What are the best options for hiring a car with a driver in Bangkok for 100km travel this Saturday?
93673y
What is the best way to manage a visa run to Myanmar and what are the current border conditions?
1.8k8233y
Has anyone successfully used Wise for transferring funds for a condo purchase in Thailand?
5.1k36393y
Will I have any problems booking a ride from Bangkok Airport to Jomtien using Bolt or Grab?
2.7k18143y
What are the best medical insurance companies in Thailand for expats?
2k16103y
What happened to the missing person in Khao Sok National Park, Thailand?
7.9k451204y
Is Grab taxi safe in Thailand? What are the recommendations?
7.4k50404y
How can I determine taxi charges in Bangkok and what should I know about using the meter?
12.7k1101165y
What are the popular apps for getting scooter rides in Thailand?
2.4k1395y
Why was my Wise account cancelled after transferring money to Thailand?
3.2k26135y
What are the new testing protocols in Bangkok as it prepares for reopening?
593155y
What are the pros and cons of retiring in Cambodia versus Thailand according to expats?
7.5k46975y
What ride-hailing apps are recommended for getting a ride in Thailand?
2.6k1096y
What is the best insurance for a UK citizen staying in Thailand for 6-7 months?
2.2k2096y
What new record is being discussed regarding Thailand, and why should it not be attempted?
1.7k478y
Resources
Need help with your Thai visa?
#1 visa agent · 4,000+ reviews · 100,000+ expats served