Pattaya Tourism Association Plans Buyback of Blue Jackets for Drivers
The Pattaya Entertainment and Tourism Association plans to buy back dark blue jackets from motorbike taxi drivers who purchased them before the Chonburi governor cancelled the mandatory jacket color change. The association aims to ease the financial burden on drivers who spent 550 baht each on the now-unrequired jackets, though buyback details such as price and quantity have not yet been finalized.
The Pattaya Entertainment and Tourism Association has proposed a plan to assist motorbike taxi drivers who lost money purchasing new jackets by buying back the jackets to reduce their expenses.
On October 22, 2026, media reported progress on the regulation of motorbike taxis in Pattaya and Bang Lamung district, Chonburi province. The rule changed the mandatory jacket color from orange to dark blue, but soon faced widespread criticism over nighttime visibility safety, tourist confusion, and the financial burden on drivers who had to buy new jackets at 550 baht each. This led to a review of the measure.
Chonburi Governor Naris Niramaiwong, in his capacity as chairman of the Chonburi Provincial Committee, signed an announcement cancelling the previous order that specified the jacket style for public motorbike taxis in Bang Lamung district. The cancellation cited concerns about duplicate costs and safety issues.
However, after the cancellation, a problem remained: some drivers had already purchased the blue jackets, leading to demands for compensation.
Recently, Krit Jiramongkol, Deputy President of the Pattaya Entertainment and Tourism Association, revealed that due to the heated discontent among motorbike taxi operators, the association held internal discussions and talked with Bang Lamung district officials to consider ways to help affected drivers. The association views the motorbike taxi regulation as aimed at enhancing tourism image and passenger safety, but when the cost burden of purchasing new jackets arose, they wanted to share the burden, especially for those who had already bought the jackets.
The association's idea is to buy back the jackets to ease tensions and put the jackets to further use, as the association had previously discussed a project to provide uniforms and shirts for various activities and saw a way to adapt that for assisting motorbike taxi drivers.
The main goal is to participate in alleviating the operators' frustration, ensuring drivers do not bear the cost of policy changes alone. The association will consider appropriate implementation methods to benefit those affected.
However, details such as the buyback price, number of jackets to be purchased, or official procedures have not yet been disclosed and must await further clarification from the association.
