The confirmation follows the Phuket Info Center earlier today (May 29) sharing the news via a notice posted on its official Facebook page.
The notice announced, “We are pleased to announce that we have been certified as an e-service provider by the Department of Land Transport as of May 12, 2023.
“Also, we can’t grow fast without your support and understanding. Thank you for your trust in us.
“After listening to every suggestion you share with us through official channels. we have been working hard to increase your benefits with our platform,” the announcement said.
The Phuket Info Center posted another, separate, notice that featured the official emblem of the Department of Land Transport explaining the “Applications Certified by Department of Land Transport”.
According to the notice, the apps approved by the DLT to operate in Thailand were given as: Hello Phuket, Grab, Bolt, AirAsia Super App, bonku, CABB and Robinhood, with Bolt being the latest addition.
Also according to the notice, inDriver and Maxim remained unauthorised by the DLT to operate in Thailand.
However, as the initial notice posted pointed to an announcement on a Google Sites webpage (see announcement here), there were doubts of its authenticity.
Asked by The Phuket News today, a representative from the Bolt.eu website ‒ Bolt’s global portal ‒ confirmed: “We would like to assure you that Bolt meets all legal requirements to operate the app in Phuket and fully cooperates with the local authorities.”
The news is a breakthrough for taxi app drivers using the Bolt app to serve passengers in Phuket, following months of being targetted by the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO), which has yet to publicly recognise the news.
The news also comes as Phuket Move Forward MP-elect Somchart Techathavorncharoen ramps up pressure to allow taxi app drivers to pick up passengers at the airport ‒ instead of being forced to use taxis provided by selected taxi cooperatives that have signed concessions with Airports of Thailand (AoT) for the exclusive rights to serve passengers at the airport, at preset prices.
Mr Somchart pointed out that tourists arriving at Phuket airport are preferring to drag their luggage across the car park ‒ at times through driving rain ‒ in order to be picked up by a taxi app driver on the main road in front of the airport
In response, the branch of AoT that operates Phuket International Airport (AoT Phuket) posted a notice that listed the “public transport” options available at the airport.
The list featured only bus services at the airport, namely the Airport Bus, Airport Bus Express and the Phuket Smart Bus.