PATTAYA — A motorcycle ride-hailing rider in Pattaya has spoken out after a viral video showed him angrily confronting two Russian tourists over a disputed fare, sparking divided reactions online.
The clip, posted by the Facebook page Social Hunter, shows a man believed to be an app-based motorcycle taxi rider filming two Russian women and hurling profanities in Thai. The post claimed the rider charged for two passengers while the tourists paid for only one, asking: “Is this allowed?” with the hashtag #Pattaya.
Social media users were split. Some criticised the rider for using inappropriate language toward customers, while others faulted the tourists for refusing to pay the agreed fare. Several riders also commented that such disputes with Russian tourists were common.
On Tuesday, 27 January, reporters spoke with the rider, identified as Apisit Phakwatmanop, 24, also known as “Got”, in South Pattaya, Chon Buri province.
Apisit said the incident occurred between 03:00 – 04:00 on 25 January. After completing a trip near Walking Street, he accepted a new job via the app to take passengers from the same area to Soi Pratamnak 6, about 4 kilometres away.
He said he found two Russian women waiting and used a translation app to explain that the fare would be charged for two passengers. According to Apisit, the customers agreed before getting on the motorcycle.
Upon arrival at the hotel, the app showed a fare of 31 baht per person, or 62 baht in total. Apisit said he asked for 60 baht, but the tourists handed him only 40 baht. He said he tried to explain, again using a translation app, that 20 baht was still owed.
“They refused to pay and said travelling by car is not even this expensive, and this is just a motorcycle,” he said, adding that one of them then walked away.
The argument escalated, leading to the confrontation seen in the video. Apisit said when the tourists noticed he was recording, they appeared ready to pay, but he admitted he lost his temper and did not take any additional money.
Apisit acknowledged that his English is limited but said he made an effort to communicate clearly using translation tools and insisted the fare for two passengers had been agreed before the trip.
“I want people to stop attacking me so harshly,” he said. “I just want everyone to understand that there was an agreement before we started the ride, but I still ended up in this situation.”