Phuket ride-hailing driver and passenger argue over eating in car

A Phuket ride-hailing driver shared footage of an argument with a passenger who allegedly became confrontational after being told she could not eat inside the vehicle.

The incident took place at about 12.25pm on 10 November, according to the driver, who later posted about it on Facebook. She said the passenger had asked whether she could eat during the journey, but was told that eating in the car was not allowed.

The passenger then asked to cancel the trip and book another vehicle. The driver said she had already accepted the booking and that the application had deducted credits from her account, preventing her from cancelling it herself. She therefore asked the passenger to cancel through the application.

The driver said the exchange developed into an argument. In the footage, the passenger could be heard asking the driver whether she understood Thai and questioning why she could not speak more politely. The driver maintained that she was following the vehicle’s rules and that the dispute was not her fault.

The passenger was also heard saying that she wanted to leave because she had somewhere else to be. The driver claimed that, as the passenger got out, she opened the car door into a metal object beside the vehicle, causing a loud noise. According to the driver, the passenger said the door had not been scratched or damaged and walked away without apologising.

The driver then got out and shouted at the passenger before the footage ended. She later wrote that she had tried to remain patient but had reached her limit, and appealed to passengers to consider ride-hailing drivers’ feelings and limits.

The Facebook post attracted comments from users who expressed sympathy for the driver and criticised the passenger’s behaviour. Some suggested that the driver preserve footage from the vehicle’s camera as evidence if she wished to pursue a complaint about the door striking the metal object.