Thailand takes steps to improve transport safety for tourists

[webfact]

Thailand takes steps to improve transport safety for tourists

By Chadamas Chinmaneevong

 

The first round of safety standards will be first implemented for tourist buses

 

The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) is joining hands with state agencies including the Department of Land Transport, Marine Department and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to improve tourist safety standards nationwide and overturn perceptions of the country as a dangerous tourist destination.

 

TCT revealed that countries such as the UK and China have expressed concerns about their citizens travelling to Thailand amid the kingdom’s inadequate safety standards.

 

First to launch this April will be safety standards for tour buses. Apart from vehicle checks, bus drivers must be trained regarding tour services, have limited driving hours and drive responsibly.

 

Full story: https://www.ttgasia.com/2019/02/13/thailand-takes-steps-to-improve-transport-safety-for-tourists/

 

-- TTG Asia 2019-02-14

[Thaiwrath]

Checking EVERY set of brakes should be the first step !

Brake failure, my arse !

[Nong Khai Man]

And Checking to see if the driver has got any YABA On his person.....

[worgeordie]

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

overturn perceptions of the country as a dangerous tourist destination.

More than perceptions,I think,

regards Worgeordie

[lipflipper]

Just empty word once more from clueless morons directed at tourists in the hope they will continue to utilize vehicles that are unsafe and drivers who don't give a sh...it.

Sent from my CMR-AL19 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[downunder66]

Mini-buses are the WORST. Drivers paid to speed from job to job, no seat belts, and freely risking tourist lives and locals on the roads. No police visible on the roads that I saw from Trang to the Malay border in a minivan driven wildly by a 20 year old driver on wet roads some 6 weeks ago


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[nikmar]

Then stop trying to find new and exciting ways to kill your tourists.

[quandow]

I just LOVE these joke posts. Say what? They're SERIOUS?

[arithai12]

At least 1,000 tour buses out of 15,000 buses nationwide should meet the standards within this year, assured TCT’s vice president Wasuchet Sophonsathien.

 

And the other 14,000...? Oh wait, I know.

[davehowden]

Just more hot air!!

 

Make an example of this jerk, show that you have some teeth!!

 

 

[mok199]

Saddly most mini van, bus and motor cycle drivers are finally getting the hang of this exciting new multi texting ,driving and sleeping at the same time thing....JUST DRIVE DICKWAD !!!!

[Lemonltr]

[NCC1701A]

I thought it was Valentines Day not Ground Hog Day. 

[Captain_Bob]

Typical wording "overturn perceptions of the country". Only the perception/image or other loss of face matters, not the actual true safety and responsibility on Thai roads. Social media increasingly reveals just how bad it is, but Thailand mentality just reacts *after* something goes publicly wrong via someone's "smart"phone images show up on Facebook or Instagram. Value of human life remains cheap, while perception/face-loss earns a few knee-jerk reactions, then again quietly forgotten. Damn, think I'm turning into one of those thaivisa whingers ???? 

[nong38]

All public transport to be fitted with emergency anchors if case of brake failure.

[ChipButty]

These buses need parachutes as well to slow them down

[trainman34014]

Now where have i read this before ?   Oh yes; in the news every year for the past two decades but meanwhile things have got worse.

 

Talking is cheap and so are Human lives in the Land of Lost Lives !

[scorecard]

I thought double decker buses were banned at least one year back?

[Lupatria]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Thailand takes steps to improve transport safety for tourists

While the average Somchai steps on the accelerator no matter what circumstances

[BobbyL]

Incredible. 

 

It shouldn't be about tourists only. It should also be about the 100s or 1000s of Thais who die in these things each year. And until a real approach to road safety is implemented nationwide nothing will change. 

 

As usual it is just a press release with no substance that is 'urging all parties' to do nothing. The exact same thing will be released next year.

 

Thailand, the twilight zone. 

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, nikmar said:

Then stop trying to find new and exciting ways to kill your tourists.

 

And stop putting band aids on everything.

 

Needs to a total rework with totally different approaches and more professional staff involved and serious regular checking of everything.

 

Plus an outside body responsible for a regular 'secret shopper customers' activity on all of the various transport vehicles / systems to quickly report all transgressions to an outside body who in turn order changes, repairs etc.

 

If there are no negative reports then sack both the secret shopper staff and sack and prosecute their supervisor. Start again.

 

And very serious mandatory punishments through a court system, not from the police.  

 

 

[Geoffggi]

2 hours ago, Nong Khai Man said:

And Checking to see if the driver has got any YABA On his person.....

Drug & alcohol checks should be an ongoing spot check throughout the year for all public transportation 

[Fex Bluse]

Thai = Talk Only

[Fex Bluse]

55 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

Incredible. 

 

It shouldn't be about tourists only. It should also be about the 100s or 1000s of Thais who die in these things each year. And until a real approach to road safety is implemented nationwide nothing will change. 

 

As usual it is just a press release with no substance that is 'urging all parties' to do nothing. The exact same thing will be released next year.

 

Thailand, the twilight zone. 

Thailight Zone 

[hotchilli]

As we saw from the latest post of a mini-van driver texting as he merrily drives down the road.

It's the drivers who need to be educated, not the public by some half-hearted promise!

[DM07]

Oh...I think, I never heard that one before!

I am sure, there is a well worked out plan up for discussion, which will perfectly keep in mind the safety of foreign tourists, over the quick and easy baht!

This will work out just fine, I am 100% sure!

 

Excuse me, while I just walk over to the window, to wait for a flying pig...

 

[Pedrogaz]

2 hours ago, davehowden said:

Just more hot air!!

 

Make an example of this jerk, show that you have some teeth!!

 

 

Driving in my town yesterday I had to swerve out of my lane to avoid a police minivan whose driver was texting and who came across double yellow lines into my lane. A police driver? Yes, with the phone held up to his face. If the police ate texting and driving what hope do we have for the bus driver to stop doing it?

[CGW]

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

I thought double decker buses were banned at least one year back?

You think to mutt, only talk - until the fuss died down 

Sad, but the way it works here 

[monkeycu]

So the government is going to ban all motorised transport.  

At least the old buffalo pulling a cart knows where to go, and when its time to stop  

[spidermike007]

Nobody, and I mean nobody takes these guys seriously. There is absolutely nothing in the way of a deterrent here, and both the local governments, the central government (the hapless Prayuth, and especially the human wrecking ball, known as the biggest joke) and the police do not take traffic safety seriously. Not even one iota. The safety of the public means less than zero to the small men in charge here. Nothing. They show that on a daily basis.

 

They will not do a thing. Why? They do not care about the people one iota. Not the common people. Not the average pleb. No way. Never have cared, and may never care in the future. It is all about protecting the elite, the super wealthy, those that are connected, and those in power. The rest of the population? They do not matter. The ex-pat community does not matter. And the police will not get involved unless an accident has already occurred. There is no prevention. None. The idea of getting the police more involved, is an interesting one, and it would be an effective one. But, the issue is money. They are grossly underpaid, and until the government steps up, and spends the trillion baht on updating the police equipment, and paying each cop a living wage, it is not going to happen. Until then, they will just work the franchise.