The meeting was held at Phuket Provincial Hall on Friday (Feb 6), chaired by Phuket Governor Nirat Pongsitthaworn. Representatives from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Phuket Provincial Police, the Department of Land Transport, the Revenue Department and other relevant agencies attended, reflecting a coordinated legal, security, tourism and economic response to the issue.
The governor said the objective was to determine concrete measures to prevent, control and penalise motorcycle rental businesses that rent vehicles to foreign tourists without valid driving licences, alongside stricter enforcement against tourists who drive recklessly or violate traffic laws. The measures aim to systematically address the problem, reduce road accidents and maintain Phuket’s tourism image.
Officials from the Phuket Provincial Commerce Office reported that there are currently 288 registered legal entities operating motorcycle rental businesses in Phuket Province. Phuket Provincial Police reported that in 2025, a total of 2,745 Thai nationals and 20,901 foreign nationals were arrested for driving rental motorcycles without licences.
Police also reported enforcement action against rental operators who rented motorcycles to unlicensed drivers, with 4,437 arrests made, 3,727 fines issued and 1,737 motorcycles seized.
The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) briefed the meeting on progress of a draft amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act concerning motorcycle rental services, which is expected to be enacted in 2026.
Key provisions under consideration include introducing a legal definition of “motorcycle rental”, requiring rental motorcycles to be registered specifically as rental vehicles, granting the Minister authority to designate areas where motorcycle rental businesses must be licensed, and imposing penalties ranging from B10,000 to B100,000 for operating without a licence.
The meeting also discussed integrated measures to curb shops that rent motorcycles to unlicensed riders, combining tax enforcement by the Phuket Area Revenue Office, insurance requirements overseen by the Phuket Provincial Office of Insurance Commission, and business regulation by the Phuket Provincial Commerce Office.
The measures will be supported by strict enforcement against offending drivers by Phuket Provincial Police, the Phuket Provincial Transport Office and the Phuket Provincial Attorney’s Office, with assistance from Immigration Police and Tourist Police, said an official report of the meeting.
Mr Nirat stressed that all agencies must clearly understand their roles and responsibilities, integrate their work within their respective mandates and report obstacles to enable joint problem-solving. He said the focus is on bringing motorcycle rental businesses into a regulated system, supported by the development of shared databases, strict law enforcement and comprehensive public awareness campaigns targeting both operators and tourists.