RESIDENTS of northern Chiang Mai city flocked to fill up their vehicles this evening as fuel prices are rising at 5 a.m. tomorrow (Mar. 18) with some petrol pumps imposing refueling limit while the a taxi cooperative head warned the current situation is impacting both transportation and tourism, TV Channel 7 said.
There were long queues extending outside the petrol pumps that still had fuel with almost all of them limiting fill up to 500 baht for four-wheel cars and 1,000 baht for six-wheel and above vehicles.
Many petrol pumps in Chiang Mai city centre were out of fuel, especially diesel, which has become a significant problem. Some filling stations reported a potential shortage for another one to two days.
Likewise there was a steady stream of vehicles, both public and private, turning up for fuel at a petrol pump belonging to Nakhon Lanna Transport Cooperative, which manages red songthaew, taxis and vans.
Mr. Boonniem Boontha, the cooperative’s chairman, said while work is currently proceeding normally there is a refueling limit because the pump itself is getting limited supplies from the fuel depot.
This will have a widespread impact, especially public vehicles such as red songthaews and taxis, as the fuel problem will lead to the slump in tourism further nosediving.
A tour van driver said while the current fuel prices are slightly worrying, the fill-up limit is a bigger concern as it makes it difficult to pick up customers. He urged the government to urgently address this issue.
A red songthaew driver said he believes the petrol problem will definitely have an impact, as it may lead to delay in picking up customers, especially vendors and students, who will have to wait longer. He too urged the government to urgently resolve this problem.
CAPTION:
A long queue at a Chiang Mai petrol pump this evening, March 17, 2026. Photo – TV Channel 7
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