Pattaya motorcycle taxi drivers rejoice as Chonburi Governor signs off to cancel the blue vest policy. The taxi groups agree and suggest addressing the core problems. Meanwhile, the district office sent a LINE message asking drivers to return their blue vests and exchange them for free orange ones. The background story of Pattaya's taxi vests began with complaints about illegal taxi stands, then switching to orange, followed by a sea blue concept, and finally settling on "blue." "motorcycle taxi vest" "Bang Lamung" "Pattaya" "district office" "color change"
Regarding the controversy over organizing motorcycle taxi services in Pattaya, the vest color was changed from orange to blue to create a new image for the city. Many opposed this change in Bang Lamung district, Chonburi Province, seeing orange as the traditional color of motorcycle taxi groups. Drivers said the blue vests caused income to drop sharply, the color was too dark, not eye-catching, unsafe at night, and the 550 baht cost was burdensome, as previously reported.
Today, at 10:00 a.m. on 22 Oct 2026, Mr. Narit Niramaiwong, Governor of Chonburi and chairman of the provincial committee, signed an announcement dated 22 Oct 2026 canceling the vest color regulation for public motorcycle drivers in Bang Lamung district. The original announcement had been issued on 20 Nov 2025.
The announcement stated that changing the vest color could negatively impact motorcycle taxi drivers due to redundant costs of new uniforms and equipment, safety concerns, and practicality issues. The original standard orange vest was already well recognized and easily seen.
Therefore, the Chonburi provincial committee resolved to cancel the announcement to reduce expenses, prevent waste, and alleviate hardships for drivers. Motorcycle taxi drivers in Bang Lamung district should revert to following the usual regulations and announcements of the Department of Land Transport.
Mr. Bird, head of the motorcycle taxi stand in front of the Bangkok-Pattaya bus station, told reporters he was glad and agreed with reverting to orange vests because orange is the group's identity. Regarding the 550 baht cost, he is not worried since the Bang Lamung district sent a LINE message offering free exchanges from blue to orange vests. If the authorities do not refund the money, he personally is not concerned but feels sympathy for low-income drivers.
He also suggested relevant agencies address the core motorcycle taxi issues. He did not oppose changing to blue vests initially but found the color too dark and not eye-catching. To solve illegal stands during Pattaya’s festivals, he urged authorities to take responsibility and focus on that. Problems with official yellow-plate public motorcycles and app-based rides remain major challenges today.
When reporters surveyed various taxi stands in Pattaya, they found drivers wearing both blue and orange vests across the city. During the survey, two female passengers hesitated to approach blue-vested drivers because they did not recognize them.
The two female passengers told reporters they disagreed with the policy changing taxi vest colors from orange to blue in Pattaya. At first, they hesitated to talk to blue-vested drivers, thinking they were ordinary drivers. They view orange as the identity of motorcycle taxi groups and had never heard of the color change before. They want the drivers to return to wearing orange vests.
Reporters received information from Bang Lamung district about the origin of the vest color change. The issue began in April-May 2025 when Mr. Patcharapath Srithanyanont was district chief. After complaints about illegal stands and unregistered drivers, informal talks with motorcycle taxi leaders were held to find ways to regulate and distinguish registered drivers from informal ones.
In those discussions, a light sea blue vest was proposed to reflect Pattaya’s identity as a seaside tourist city. Some leaders felt the light blue might fade easily, so a darker shade was suggested instead.
On 25 June 2025, the first local subcommittee meeting approved dark blue vests. A second meeting on 12 Sep 2025 reviewed details and correctness of the vest design to propose to the Chonburi provincial committee.
On 20 Nov 2025, the Chonburi provincial committee officially issued a letter designating dark blue vests. Bang Lamung district publicized the color change and held an official launch event on 16 Oct 2026. This sparked public interest and feedback from drivers followed.