BANGKOK: Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkasakulkiat is moving ahead with efforts to organise app-based hire cars and raise passenger safety standards, setting a four-month deadline for all driver partners to obtain a “public driving licence” and pass a strict “criminal record check”.
Those who fail to comply face heavy fines and immediate removal from service.
Siripong was assigned by the transport minister to receive a letter of demands from representatives of taxi groups and a rider union who gathered in front of the Ministry of Transport on Tuesday (April 28, 2026).
He also joined talks aimed at finding a solution to the conflict between traditional operators and service providers on application platforms.
In the letter of demands, the driver groups proposed measures for the government to solve long-standing structural problems, divided into the following key issues:
1. Strict enforcement of digital platform law: The groups urged the prime minister to order the Electronic Transactions Commission to strictly enforce the notification on regulating digital platform operators for public hire car and motorcycle services under Section 18 of the Royal Decree on digital platform service businesses, to prevent exploitation by foreign platforms.
2. Tough penalties for violators: They called for severe penalties against platforms that fail to comply with Thai regulations, to create an equal standard of competition, or a “level playing field”.
3. Push for a “National Platform”: They proposed that the government lead the development of a central application for public hire-vehicle services, bringing together public cars, motorcycle taxi ranks, app-based hire cars and motorcycles, with an emphasis on fair and verifiable fees.
4.Adjust registration rules to reduce costs: They asked for amendments to the 2017 ministerial regulation to reduce restrictions on registering private cars as taxis, to encourage new investment in the system.
5. Extend vehicle service life amid the economic crisis: They proposed extending the service life of taxis from 9 years to 12 years, and to 15 years for “electric taxis (EVs)”, so that the rules align with the payback period for new technology and the carbon neutrality policy.
6. Overhaul the fare system: They proposed empowering the minister to revise fares and other service charges to reflect the real cost of sharply rising energy prices, particularly in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces.
At the meeting between the Ministry of Transport and driver representatives, the issue raised as a new benchmark was the “overhaul of driver screening systems” used by various platforms, following continuing complaints over safety and service standards.
The government has a clear policy to enforce the law on app-based hire cars so their standards are equivalent to those of public taxis.
Public driving licence: The new law requires every app-based hire-car driver in the system to undergo competency tests and training under Department of Land Transport criteria, to switch from a private driving licence to a “public driving licence”, guaranteeing the skills and knowledge needed to provide professional public service.
Criminal record check: Every driver must pass a retrospective criminal record check by the Royal Thai Police to screen out people with risky behaviour or cases involving violence and prevent them from entering the service system. The information must be updated within the specified 4-month timeframe.
Siripong Angkasakulkiat, deputy transport minister, stressed that once the 4-month grace period ends, if any driver is still found without a public licence, or if any application is found to have neglected to prevent people with serious criminal records from accepting jobs, the Department of Land Transport will impose the maximum penalties, including fines for drivers and possible suspension of the business licence of the platform concerned.
“We want to build confidence among the public that every time they use a vehicle service through an electronic system, regardless of the type of vehicle, passengers must receive the highest level of safety. Drivers must be identifiable, verifiable and have no record that poses a danger,” Siripong said. - The Nation/ANN
