No means no: Passenger forced off taxi mid-ride after driver ignored ‘no expressway’ setting—sparking outrage over rider rights and taxi trust in Thailand. PATTAYA, Thailand – Taking a taxi in Thailand should be a routine matter—open the app, request a ride, choose your preferences, and expect a safe, respectful journey. But for many passengers, peace of mind remains elusive. Stories of reckless driving, meter manipulation, route tampering, and aggressive behavior continue to surface, leaving riders—especially women and solo travelers—feeling vulnerable and disrespected. A recent viral incident has reignited public frustration and put the spotlight back on the behavior of some taxi drivers who continue to disregard rider preferences even when rides are booked through official apps with clear selections. On May 27, a TikTok user named @aomsintupleng shared a now-viral video—viewed over 800,000 times—exposing a distressing experience with a taxi driver who ignored her clearly selected “no expressway” option and forced her onto the toll road anyway. In the clip, which runs over a minute, the passenger recounts how the driver made the decision without asking and demanded she pay the toll fee, dismissing her objection by saying it was “just 50 baht.” “We selected the normal ride from the beginning,” she explained. “But the driver entered the expressway and told us to pay—without even asking if it was okay. If you’re not comfortable with the ride settings, don’t accept the booking. And you should ask the passenger first.” The confrontation escalated when she attempted to reason with the driver, who eventually offered to stop the ride entirely. She accepted, choosing to get out in the middle of the journey rather than be forced to pay a fee she never agreed to. “It’s not about the 50 baht,” she added in the video. “It’s about the principle—I made a choice and I’m the customer. You can’t force people to pay for something they specifically opted out of.” The clip sparked an avalanche of online criticism against the driver, with commenters applauding the passenger for standing her ground and calling for stricter enforcement of driver conduct on ride-hailing platforms. This is far from an isolated case. While many taxi drivers in Thailand are professional and courteous, a persistent pattern of issues continues to erode public trust. Inconsistent adherence to app preferences, refusal to use meters, route manipulation, and occasional verbal intimidation have led to widespread anxiety among riders—particularly those who rely on taxis for daily commutes or travel alone. The incident has revived calls for regulatory bodies and ride-hailing platforms to step up enforcement and penalties for drivers who ignore service agreements. More robust complaint mechanisms, in-app reporting, and possible blacklisting of repeat offenders are among the measures being pushed by consumer advocates. Until such changes are meaningfully implemented, many passengers will continue to ride with their guard up, never quite certain if their journey will go as expected—or if they’ll once again be forced to choose between confrontation and compliance. Because when even a 50-baht dispute can end with a passenger abandoned mid-route, the real cost isn’t money—it’s trust.