This is the shocking moment a taxi driver rammed his vehicle into his rival in a violent row over a passenger in Thailand.

Manus Srilamai, 52, clashed with Thani Saikaew, 41, for allegedly stealing his passenger in Samut Prakan, in the outskirts of Bangkok, on September 18.

The cabbie said he had been waiting in line for customers when Thani cut in front of him to collect a Buddhist monk, sparking a road rage fight.

Footage shows Thani punching and kicking Manus when he tried to block the path with his car.

Thani then drove away in an orange taxi and was later seen on dashcam video being chased and rear-ended by a furious Manus.

Both men blamed the other for starting the violence as police arrived to question them. Manus was sent to a hospital for a check-up.

Police Captain Niran Sawatsri of the Phra Pradaeng Police Station said: ‘We sent the injured man to be examined at Bangchak Hospital. We will summon both sides for questioning to gather further information and proceed with legal action.'

Nearby vendors claimed Thani was a passing driver in the area and had acted more aggressively.

Somporn Yenphan, 63, said: 'I saw Manus waiting a long time for passengers when another taxi cut in front to take one. He only honked his horn as a warning, but the other man went out of his car to confront him.

'They argued, and he grabbed Manus's shirt before other people rushed in to help. Manus has always been polite and he has worked here for years, but I've never seen the other driver before. I don't think he should even be picking up passengers here. He seemed to have bad manners.'

Road rage is a common problem in Thailand, where aggressive driving and a lack of enforcement often lead to violent confrontations on the roads.

Thailand has one of the world's worst road safety records. Ministers have set the goal of reducing fatalities from 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people to 12 per 100,000 people by the year 2027.