Chonburi officials handed out the first allotment of vests and identification cards to Pattaya motorbike drivers in its continuing attempt to register and regulate them.
Deputy Mayor Chawalit Saeng-Uthai joined Pattaya-area leaders, military, and transport officials in distributing the official garb to 478 drivers.
Banglamung District Chief Chakorn Kanjawattana said organizing the motorcycle-taxi system will improve the image of transport operators in the city.
Officials said the registration process has gone smoothly, with only a few complaints.
Pattaya has more than 10,000 motorbike taxi drivers, so many more ceremonies will be needed to get all the drivers official.
Chonburi officials handed out the first allotment of vests and identification cards to 478 Pattaya motorbike taxi drivers.
Officials said earlier the point of the new vests and ID cards was to ensure that drivers were licensed and met minimum standards. They also said that drivers would be required to follow government-set rates for transport, which are generally half the going rate charged by most drivers.
Critics have said registration was a worthwhile cause, but getting Pattaya’s drivers to charge legal rates would fail without proper enforcement.
