Illustration photo: Amendments to Thailand's Motor Vehicle Act concerning rental services are expected to be enacted in 2026. Photo The Straits Times/ANN

PHUKHET — Phuket officials are tightening regulations on motorcycle rental businesses in a bid to address unlicensed and reckless riding by foreign tourists.

This comes as the Thai city aims to reduce road accidents while maintaining its image as a tourist destination.

Plans to prevent, control and penalise motorcycle rental businesses that rent vehicles to foreign tourists without valid licences, and those who ride recklessly or violate traffic laws, were outlined in a multi-agency meeting on February 6, reported The Phuket News.

Among the proposed changes are requiring motorcycles for loan to be registered specifically as rental vehicles, empowering the Minister to designate areas where motorcycle rental businesses need licences, and imposing penalties of between 10,000 and 100,000 baht for unlicensed operations.

Measures to prevent rentals to unlicensed riders, tax enforcement, insurance requirement and business regulations were also discussed.

There are currently 288 legal motorcycle rental businesses in the province, according to the Phuket Provincial Commerce Office.

Local police reported a total of 2,745 Thai and 20,901 foreign nationals arrested for riding rental motorcycles without licences in 2025.

There were also 4,437 arrests involving rental operators, with 3,727 fines issued and 1,737 motorcycles seized, Thai news site The Thaiger reported.

It added that a draft amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act concerning such rental services is expected to be enacted in 2026. THE STRAITS TIMES/ANN