A ride-hailing driver in Pattaya is under police investigation after a female passenger accused him of sexually assaulting her inside his vehicle before later entering her hotel room without permission.
The alleged incident took place in South Pattaya on May 30 and has since sparked renewed concerns in Thailand over passenger safety and driver verification on ride-hailing platforms.
The victim, identified only as 27-year-old May from Phichit province, said she had booked a ride together with a female friend and the friend’s boyfriend earlier that morning.
According to her account, the group first travelled to a hotel in South Pattaya before her companions got out of the vehicle.
May then allegedly paid the driver an additional 200 baht (around S$7.40) to send her to another nearby hotel.
Driver Allegedly Locked Doors & Refused To Let Passenger Leave
May claimed the situation changed shortly after the ride continued.
She alleged the driver locked the vehicle doors and began touching her inappropriately without consent while driving.
The woman further claimed the driver exposed himself during the journey and allegedly used her tattoo as an excuse to continue touching her.
When they finally arrived at her hotel, May said the driver refused to unlock the car doors immediately and repeatedly requested her phone number.
Fearing for her safety and wanting to leave the vehicle as quickly as possible, she eventually gave him her number before exiting the car.
However, the situation allegedly escalated further after she noticed the driver’s vehicle parked outside the hotel for nearly an hour.
According to May, the driver continued calling her multiple times, causing her to become frightened enough to ask her sister to come stay with her.
Driver Allegedly Entered Hotel Room Before Fleeing
May later alleged the driver contacted her again claiming she had left lipstick behind in his car and asked her to come downstairs to collect it.
Before the conversation even ended, the driver allegedly opened her hotel room door and entered the room.
Fortunately, May’s sister had already arrived and immediately began recording the confrontation on video.
The driver reportedly appeared shocked after noticing he was being filmed before quickly leaving the room and driving away from the hotel.
After the footage was uploaded online, May claimed the driver contacted her again and asked her to remove the video, but she refused.
She also alleged the driver’s girlfriend later contacted her and admitted he had behaved similarly in the past, although this was allegedly the first time his actions had been captured on video.
Victim Files Police Report & Warns Women Travelling Alone
May has since lodged a police report with Pattaya City Police Station and said she wants legal action taken to prevent the driver from targeting other passengers.
She also urged ride-hailing companies to improve driver screening procedures, claiming that profile photos shown on apps do not always match the actual driver who arrives for pickup.
The incident has triggered discussion online, particularly among women who frequently rely on ride-hailing services at night.
Many social media users called for stricter background checks, improved identity verification and additional in-app emergency safety measures to better protect passengers travelling alone.