Thailand’s competition watchdog is preparing tighter regulations for ride-hailing and on-demand delivery platforms amid concerns over market dominance, unfair commission fees and algorithms that may disadvantage drivers, restaurants and consumers.
The proposed standards would introduce rules covering platform charges, commercial practices, transparency and safety before being developed into a formal industry code of practice.
Warawan Chitaroon, a member of the Trade Competition Commission of Thailand (TCCT), chaired the first 2026 meeting of a subcommittee tasked with developing competition guidelines for app-based transport services.
Members approved in principle the “Standard Service Requirements for the Digital Platform Ecosystem for Ride-Hailing and On-Demand Delivery Services”, which is now open for public consultation until August 31.
Complaints Rise As Market Expands
Thailand’s food delivery industry grew rapidly following the Covid-19 pandemic, but its expansion also led to growing concerns among restaurants and delivery riders over their treatment by digital platforms.
The TCCT introduced guidelines addressing potentially unfair practices between food delivery platforms and restaurants in December 2020. Since then, the commission has received 17 related complaints.
Ride-hailing has also continued to expand, with the Thai market valued at approximately 45 billion baht in 2025 and forecast to exceed 49 billion baht by 2029. More than 400,000 drivers currently work through app-based services.
Several prominent operators have withdrawn from Thailand over the past three years, leaving two large platforms in control of much of the ride-hailing and delivery market.
The TCCT is examining practices that could undermine competition or adversely affect restaurants, drivers, riders and customers.
Among the main concerns are platform commissions, commonly known as GP fees, which some participating businesses consider excessive or unfair.
The regulator is also reviewing compulsory “batching”, which may require riders to collect orders from two restaurants and deliver them to separate locations while receiving a lower payment for each trip.
Other issues include job-allocation systems that favour drivers or riders with higher platform rankings, inaccurate GPS distance calculations and “dark patterns” that steer users towards decisions without ensuring they fully understand them.
The proposed rules would address unfair commissions, advertising charges and promotional fees imposed by platforms.
They would also cover exclusive arrangements that prevent businesses from using competing services and rate-parity conditions requiring merchants to offer the same prices across every sales channel.
Self-preferencing, where platforms give greater visibility to their own products or services, would also come under scrutiny.
Operators would additionally be required to meet standards covering vehicle and driver safety, identity verification and clear disclosure of service information.
The regulator is also seeking to address unequal operating conditions between registered public taxis and private vehicles working through apps. Public taxis must comply with stricter legal requirements, potentially placing them at a competitive disadvantage.
The TCCT is accepting comments through www.tcct.or.th and hearing@tcct.or.th until August 31. Feedback will be used to finalise the regulations, which are expected to be issued by the end of September 2026.
