Woman besieged by Chiang Mai taxi drivers over Uber misunderstanding
A Chiang Mai woman was besieged by taxi drivers who thought she was an Uber driver when she went to pick up a Chinese tourist who rents her condominium.
The drivers’ action was apparently sanctioned by an official at Chiang Mai Land Transport Office who went to the scene to check the woman’s private car.
The unidentified woman posted her story and photos on the CM108.com website on Thursday, saying the incident happened at 1pm the same day.
She recounted in her post that her condominium tenant arrived half an hour early, so she told him to get some food and drove to pick him up. She said that when she called the Chinese tourist, a Thai man answered the phone.
At first, she thought it was a good Samaritan helping here communicate with the tourist. When the man asked her if she was an Uber driver, she said she was not and was simply picking up her condo client.
But when she arrived at the scene, a group of taxi drivers rushed out to surround her car, shouting that an Uber driver has arrived. They refused to let her leave as they waited for an official from Chiang Mai Land Transport Office.
She said she showed them that the Chinese tourist did not have the Uber app installed on his mobile phone.
When the Land Transport official arrived, she asked the official why more than 10 taxi drivers blocked her. The official replied that they had to do so to prevent her from fleeing.
When she argued that she was not an Uber driver, the official simply replied that it was a matter of misunderstanding.
She said that after it was confirmed by the official that she was not an Uber driver, the official and the taxi drivers left the scene without apologising.
The woman said she felt embarrassed and angry over the incident.