Bolt Thailand announced on Wednesday it had sacked and permanently banned the ride-hail driver accused of assaulting a Japanese passenger.
The statement said the company is also providing "full assistance" to the aggrieved passenger.
The ride-hailing service company said it was aware of the incident, which occurred in Bangkok's Sukhumvit area, and expressed its deep regret. Bolt had a zero-tolerance policy regarding violence or inappropriate behaviour by riders using its platform.
Bolt Thailand had investigated the incident and had since worked closely with the relevant authorities. It continued to provide support for the passenger, the statement said.
It had also permanently suspended the accused driver's account, and banned him.
A 52-year-old Japanese restaurateur complained to police that he was assaulted by a ride-hailing platform driver in the Asok area of Bangkok on May 28 during an argument over the previously agreed fare.
The passenger said the driver had stopped and told him that was as far as he was willing to go for the agreed fare. When he argued with him, the driver allegedly assaulted him. The incident was reported on a popular Facebook page on Monday, and immediately went viral.
According to Bolt, the driver had expressed a desire to apologise to the passenger and take responsibility for his actions. The driver respected the passenger's decision not to meet him.
The driver had been operating on his own Bolt account and not using another person's account, contrary to some earlier reports. He was prepared to proceed through the legal process, according to the company statement.
Bolt stressed that such behaviour was unacceptable and in violation of the company's safety and service standards. Passenger safety remained its top priority.
