BTS, Tell the truth.

[berybert]

I got on the BTS yesterday at about 3pm and then waited for about 5 minutes before the doors shut.

We had the "due to large volume of people the trains are being held at the stop" rubbish a few times before we went on out way. 

I was heading to Mo Chit and it must have taken 20 minutes longer to get to Ari than it would normally do. 

Many times we were stuck at a station with the recorded message going off, while on the platform they were playing a different message saying trains would be arriving every 15 minutes. 

On arrival at Ari we changed to the other side of the rails and people were getting off on the wrong side of the platform. On the side we should have gotten off from was a broken down train.

I have no problems with things breaking down but why not let people know what has happened rather than playing a message which is a lie and everyone on the train knew was a lie.

I am sure a lot of people could and would have taken the MRT if they had known what the problem was. 

So no you are not "sorry for the inconvenience" if you were you might have let people know and they could have avoided it. 

[Just Weird]

Bearing in mind the constant bashing dished out to the BTS by all the usual suspects here about the allegedly "expensive" tickets, "bad" service, "sardine can-like" full trains, improving the 2 minute schedules in rush hours", ticket queues by those who won't carry change or buy Rabbit cards, etc., who really thinks that the BTS gives a monkey's about Thaivisa posters' demands?   If I were the BTS, I wouldn't!

[moontang]

I avoid the BTS during the hours of 0600 to 0000.  

[brewsterbudgen]

I use the BTS every day to get to work - Phra Khanong to Chitlom. It's crowded in rush hour but people are generally polite and civilised. It rarely breaks down. Compared to commuting on the Northern Line in London, it's a joy.

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

 

[madmen]

12 years never been in a broken one however crowds have gotten worse but manageable outside of peak hour. No different to most peak hour traffic in the world.

[Bang Bang]

OP, you have to look at that stats instead of one incident. How many times have you had a problem? Divide that by the number of times you've used the BTS.

 

In my case and I am a regular I would guess less than 1%. In fact, I am trying to remember when I last had an issue.

 

Love the BTS because I've been here long enough to remember Bkk pre-BTS (= pre-2000). In those days you would budget 1 hr. to get from VM to Suk in daytime.

Edited June 23, 2019 by Bang Bang

[berybert]

7 hours ago, Bang Bang said:

OP, you have to look at that stats instead of one incident. How many times have you had a problem? Divide that by the number of times you've used the BTS.

 

In my case and I am a regular I would guess less than 1%. In fact, I am trying to remember when I last had an issue.

 

Love the BTS because I've been here long enough to remember Bkk pre-BTS (= pre-2000). In those days you would budget 1 hr. to get from VM to Suk in daytime.

I'm not complaining it broke down. I'm complaining they didn't tell the truth as to why we were running late. Why try to hide it ?

 

[Bang Bang]

27 minutes ago, berybert said:

I'm not complaining it broke down. I'm complaining they didn't tell the truth as to why we were running late. Why try to hide it ?

 

I doubt they were being intentionally sneaky. They played rote messages on tape (as they always do). And if these were inconsistent it's because of the clerks pressing buttons. Higher management wouldn't get involved in transient delays.

[blackcab]

Off topic posts have been removed.

[Just Weird]

15 hours ago, berybert said:

I'm not complaining it broke down. I'm complaining they didn't tell the truth as to why we were running late. Why try to hide it ?

 

Maybe there were two problems, the broken down train being just one. Maybe they were being truthful but what difference does it make to your journey, anyway?   None. 

 

If you hadn't seen the train with the problem your journey wouldn't have been any different and you wouldn't be complaining.

[berybert]

1 hour ago, Just Weird said:

Maybe there were two problems, the broken down train being just one. Maybe they were being truthful but what difference does it make to your journey, anyway?   None. 

 

If you hadn't seen the train with the problem your journey wouldn't have been any different and you wouldn't be complaining.

So you are saying if there hadn't of been a broken down train there wouldn't have been a problem ? 

[kkerry]

16 hours ago, Bang Bang said:

They played rote messages on tape (as they always do). And if these were inconsistent it's because of the clerks pressing buttons. Higher management wouldn't get involved in transient delays.

Simplest answer, and likely the correct one. 

 

6 minutes ago, berybert said:

So you are saying if there hadn't of been a broken down train there wouldn't have been a problem ? 

if they did play a message telling you exactly what went wrong, well, it's not going to get you to your destination any faster, is it?

 

Overall, despite the overcrowding at times, the BTS is still pretty good. I was in Sydney last year and the delays I encountered using their rail system in only a few days, that was something to complain about ????

 

[kkerry]

On 6/23/2019 at 4:13 PM, moontang said:

I avoid the BTS during the hours of 0600 to 0000.  

Thank you for leaving more room for the rest of us ????

[berybert]

3 minutes ago, kkerry said:

Simplest answer, and likely the correct one. 

 

if they did play a message telling you exactly what went wrong, well, it's not going to get you to your destination any faster, is it?

 

Overall, despite the overcrowding at times, the BTS is still pretty good. I was in Sydney last year and the delays I encountered using their rail system in only a few days, that was something to complain about ????

 

I wouldn't get to my destination any quicker if I had stayed on the train, but had I have known what the problem was I could have got off at Asoke and taken the MRT to Mo Chit and saved 20 minutes to half an hour. 

Is that so hard to understand ?

Did it bother me ? Not really, but if I had to get to Don Muang for a flight it could well have done.

[Crossy]

There was a failed turnout at Mo-Chit on Saturday, nearly 5 hours to sort back to normal. Sanook has details:-

https://www.sanook.com/news/7811962/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1561202268

 

There are only a few messages available, the standard one would be "operational issues" but since these are manually selected who really knows ...

 

It's really not possible to customise the passenger announcements, there are just too many variables.

[bkk6060]

Anybody with some life experience knows that the transportation community rarely tells you the truth regarding these type incidents.

Airlines are famous for the "a cargo door jam" when in fact it is something much more serious.

They do not want to alarm or concern people. 

I think the BTS is great and lived in BKK for 2 years took it everyday never more then a few minutes delay.

It is a machine and machines break down that is life.

[moontang]

6 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Anybody with some life experience knows that the transportation community rarely tells you the truth regarding these type incidents.

Airlines are famous for the "a cargo door jam" when in fact it is something much more serious.

They do not want to alarm or concern people. 

I think the BTS is great and lived in BKK for 2 years took it everyday never more then a few minutes delay.

It is a machine and machines break down that is life.

Thanks for reminding me.. Yep, the airlines are bastards about delays, and the passengers are the last to know.. kind of like the teachers at school...

[berybert]

4 hours ago, Crossy said:

There was a failed turnout at Mo-Chit on Saturday, nearly 5 hours to sort back to normal. Sanook has details:-

https://www.sanook.com/news/7811962/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1561202268

 

There are only a few messages available, the standard one would be "operational issues" but since these are manually selected who really knows ...

 

It's really not possible to customise the passenger announcements, there are just too many variables.

Does the driver not have a way to contact each coach so the paying customers can be keep informed. I know customers are nothing but a pain but they do come in handy to pay for the service. 

 

[yokat]

It's not a BTS thing, everywhere around the world they give generic messages when a problem occurs.

[Greyhat]

On 6/23/2019 at 12:43 PM, berybert said:

I am sure a lot of people could and would have taken the MRT if they had known what the problem was.  

Thank god they didn't it's packed enough as it is.

[Just Weird]

18 hours ago, berybert said:

So you are saying if there hadn't of been a broken down train there wouldn't have been a problem ? 

No, I'm saying what I said.  Your knowing about the problem train or not (or traffic volume, or whatever) wouldn't have made any difference to your delay and it's not worth complaining about.

[josephbloggs]

On 6/24/2019 at 11:06 PM, berybert said:

Does the driver not have a way to contact each coach so the paying customers can be keep informed. I know customers are nothing but a pain but they do come in handy to pay for the service. 

 

And no doubt you would want these drivers to also speak English?

 

To the OP, if the train was waiting for five minutes at stations, and you heard platform announcements saying trains every 15 minutes, then it was pretty obvious something was wrong - why didn't you make your own decision and just get off?  I know I would have done.

[Number 6]

My biggest issue is not so much the broken and delayed trains. Morning commute is crowded but ok. Return is often insane. Packed with clueless tourists and Thais with their phones sticking out of the heads. If everyone could put their phones away for a few minutes I bet 15-20% more people could squeeze on. Then there are the idiots who absolutely refuse to move away from the door. It's very, very stressful.

 

Sad so many can't be alone with their thoughts for a few minutes.

[madmen]

17 minutes ago, Number 6 said:

My biggest issue is not so much the broken and delayed trains. Morning commute is crowded but ok. Return is often insane. Packed with clueless tourists and Thais with their phones sticking out of the heads. If everyone could put their phones away for a few minutes I bet 15-20% more people could squeeze on. Then there are the idiots who absolutely refuse to move away from the door. It's very, very stressful.

 

Sad so many can't be alone with their thoughts for a few minutes.

If your on at those times either your a school teacher or totally insane otherwise the rest of us stay clear and travel in between those hours if needed

[bkkbudddy]

Greetings, 

At least, BTS always turn on their air conditioning system not like MRT! Frequently, it'S very warm and humid in MRT because the conductor only turn on the fan not AC!

[Number 6]

11 hours ago, madmen said:

If your on at those times either your a school teacher or totally insane otherwise the rest of us stay clear and travel in between those hours if needed

I am a school teacher but that does not negate the fact the system is broken. It's not too much to ask that trains are not packed to gills with insane asylum paroles at 4-500pm. It's barely peak hour. In fact, not really.

 

But there's always some drama. Siam is an absolute catastrophe. Complete bedlam.

[bkk6060]

55 minutes ago, Number 6 said:

I am a school teacher but that does not negate the fact the system is broken. It's not too much to ask that trains are not packed to gills with insane asylum paroles at 4-500pm. It's barely peak hour. In fact, not really.

 

But there's always some drama. Siam is an absolute catastrophe. Complete bedlam.

Have you ever been to another major city in Asia?  Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.

From your comments, I doubt it.

And complaining about people on their phones nowadays seems childish as that is the world today.

Are you aware Bangkok is a major city and Siam the #1 station on the line for business and tourist transports?

The BTS is a great system and 99 percent very efficient.

I suggest you take a hot smelly taxi and sit in traffic for an hour if it bothers you so much.

Edited June 30, 2019 by bkk6060

[berybert]

3 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Have you ever been to another major city in Asia?  Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.

From your comments, I doubt it.

And complaining about people on their phones nowadays seems childish as that is the world today.

Are you aware Bangkok is a major city and Siam the #1 station on the line for business and tourist transports?

The BTS is a great system and 99 percent very efficient.

I suggest you take a hot smelly taxi and sit in traffic for an hour if it bothers you so much.

Wow thanks for your words of wisdom. I didn't know Siam was the main station on the BTS line, mind you I didn't know Bangkok was a major city until you mentioned it. 

I hope the poster you were referring too now feels put in his place.

How dare someone have an opinion. 

As for the phones well if someone stops at the bottom of the escalator and everybody behind crashes into them and starts to complain about it, they need to realise that is the world today. And not to expect their personal space to be more important than some ones phone. never mind the back pack that takes up the room of another person. It could be put on the floor between the wearers legs but that's again giving respect to your fellow travellers and you have made it quite clear you have none.

[scoutman360]

It is just recorded messages. The train operators, do you think they are going to explain everything in English and Thai? They push a button to keep people calm. But I do remember the old days when no one was on the train.

[Just Weird]

On ‎6‎/‎30‎/‎2019 at 8:44 AM, Number 6 said:

I am a school teacher but that does not negate the fact the system is broken. It's not too much to ask that trains are not packed to gills with insane asylum paroles at 4-500pm. It's barely peak hour. In fact, not really.

 

It's not too much to ask that trains are not packed to gills with insane asylum paroles at 4-500pm.

 

But there's always some drama. Siam is an absolute catastrophe. Complete bedlam.

"I am a school teacher but that does not negate the fact the system is broken".

The BTS system is not broken.  Your being a 'teacher' does not negate the fact that your remark is wrong unless you have evidence to back it up.

 

"It's not too much to ask that trains are not packed to gills with insane asylum paroles at 4-500pm".

It is actually too much to ask and you know why the trains are crowded?  It's because of people like you using it!  Do you really think that others should not be there to crowd you when you're travelling; maybe you're the one who shouldn't be there to add to their discomfort?

 By the way, peak hours are when the trains are the most crowded, whatever that time may be, if they weren't crowded they wouldn't be peak hours.

 I'm not a teacher so perhaps you could help me out with this...what is an "insane asylum parole" [sic]?  Please excuse my ignorance. 

 

"But there's always some drama".

Always some drama?  Such as?

Edited July 1, 2019 by Just Weird