Passengers on Thai transport to be asked: "Is your driver behaving himself?

[webfact]

Passengers on Thai transport to be asked: "Is your driver behaving himself?

 

Picture: Daily News

 

The Department of Land Transport has begun a huge crackdown on public transport in Thailand on orders from the new transport minister Saysayam Chidchob. 

 

One of the new measures is to actually ask passengers en route if the driver is driving properly and sensibly. 

 

If they are not they face being stopped from driving there and then. 

 

More than a million drivers and other personnel will be checked - many to discover if they can actually see straight. 

 

And 150,000 vehicles will be assessed for road-worthiness. 

 

The checks will be done at gas stations 90 kilometers apart on roads throughout the kingdom. 

 

DLT chief Pheeraphon Thawornsuphacharoen said that the crackdown was ordered by Saksayam and involved checking the efficiency and capabilities of drivers of all public transport vehicles - that is 1,203,790 personnel.

 

Drivers will be checked for their recognition of colors, reaction times and long distance and near vision. 

 

All vehicles - 150,747 - will be checked. 

 

What have been called "Checking Points" have been set up in gas stations 90 kilometers apart on 111 routes covering 22,048 kilometers of Thai roads.

 

In total there will be 245 Checking Points to examine drivers and their vehicles. They will run 24 hours a day.

 

Drivers who are overtired or who have been drinking alcohol face being taken off the road and having their vehicles seized.

 

In addition passengers will be asked about drivers to see if they have been speeding or driving erratically.

 

Officers will have the discretion to pull drivers off the road if they are deemed to be driving badly. 

 

Saksayam has been in the job just a few months since the new cabinet was formed following the general election and has been one of the most active and quoted of the new ministers.

 

Initially he was prompted to act after a minivan accident claimed the lives of many Laotian passengers, notes Thaivisa. 

 

However, the latest moves may be part of a wider plan to improve standards on Thai public transport. 

 

Source: Daily News

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-08-23

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[RotBenz8888]

12 minutes ago, webfact said:

More than a million drivers and other personnel will be checked - many to discover if they can actually see straight. 

A good start!

[PatOngo]

48 minutes ago, webfact said:

All vehicles - 150,747 - will be checked. 

Yeah, OK!

[Golden Triangle]

About bloody time, this is one initiative that needs to maintain its momentum, no more of these one day wonders.

[ignis]

ask passengers en route....  wonder if anyone noticed ? most go to sleep or watch TV/play on there phones

[Fex Bluse]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Passengers on Thai transport to be asked: "Is your driver behaving himself?

And, the number of Thais willing to risk confrontation with an often drugged, low education, low class, often aggressive driver while still in the van?

 

0 (zero)

[ylmiri]

Eating lots of sticky rice (kaw neaw)  will make you sleepy. Do thai drivers know this? If you are driving long distance you should eat small quantity but eat a little again during stop over at gas station or resting area. Tapioca is also very sleep inducing. Tryptophan in yam and tapioca is the culprit , they put you to sleep. The Thais love their Tryptophan.

Are government officials aware of this problem? They been eating these stuffs all their lives I guess they don't even know.

   Only one driver driving long distance will be a hazard. How do you calculate "Hazard"?  Distance travel x the number of times the drivers take risks overtaking or speeding when road is wet. Or the amount of Tryptophan circulating in his blood. If your van for no reason slow down a little then speed up again it means the driver has fallen asleep, his foot is not pressing on the gas but when he wakes up he step on the gas again. Fell asleep and woke up just over a few seconds.

   Instead of travelling to Switzerland suicide assisted center called "Dignitas" you can take a number of trips in these little vans in Thailand you will finally achieve the same result.

[CeeGee]

Ok I am in a van which gets stopped in the middle of nowhere,some passengers complain about the driver,the BIB decided that the driver cannot drive any more and confiscate the vehicle.

 

You now have half a dozen or so passengers stranded,will the BIB make alternative arrangements for the passengers or do we start walking.

 

Probable outcome(because this is Thailand)passengers complain to BIB,who are outnumbered,BIB decide that driver is ok to drive,passengers get back on,drive away.

[bluesofa]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

has begun a huge crackdown on public transport

Crikey! That must mean it will run for both days.

[Classic Ray]

The location of the checkpoints will soon be circulated, dodgy van drivers will avoid them, so no improvement. Why they publicize this stuff I don’t know. 

 

Just start setting up  checkpoints in random movable spots as an effective measure.

[Justgrazing]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

More than a million drivers and other personnel will be checked - many to discover if they can actually see straight 

Some being able to see fullstop would be a start ..

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Passengers on Thai transport to be asked: "Is your driver behaving himself?

Apart from his rather blunt nature and desire to get to the afterlife asap by driving like a kamikaze then yes .. sometimes .. 

[dcnx]

Whatever you say. The check points will be empty within a month.

[mok199]

It is a start...

[Redline]

Crackdowns don't work~only 24/7

[overherebc]

3 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

A good start!

Who said that??

[overherebc]

Thought.

Should I tell the nice policeman the driver is a speeding maniac and leave out mentioning his sword and 9mm.

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Crikey! That must mean it will run for both days.

No, the usual 24 hours. ????

[300sd]

Yes that will really work! As if anyone will talk. How are they going to get to their destination from that gas station?

 

Put undercover people in those vans.....the drivers will not know who it is so they should all drive more carefully. Give them only one chance and no bribing please....

 

 

 

[RocketDog]

 

 

Be still my heart!

This is a fantasy come true.

 

If this is truly implemented as stated it will rock the entire transportation industry in the Kingdom. Half the vans and 80% of their drivers will disappear overnight.

 

I will be the first to thank the BIB officer and happily step to the road and find another transport if my driver is stopped or the vehicle seized.

 

This is entirely too rational to ever be activated in Thailand but I can only hope.

 

 

[Artisi]

2 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Crikey! That must mean it will run for both days.

Provided the second day isn't a public holiday or a Buddha day. 

[Artisi]

9 minutes ago, 300sd said:

Yes that will really work! As if anyone will talk. How are they going to get to their destination from that gas station?

 

Put undercover people in those vans.....the drivers will not know who it is so they should all drive more carefully. Give them only one chance and no bribing please....

 

 

 

No bribes, sorry can't do - national treasure and a hub. 

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, dcnx said:

Whatever you say. The check points will be empty within a month.

true, because the check point staff will be rich and move on, from bribes. 

[Cadbury]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

More than a million drivers and other personnel will be checked - many to discover if they can actually see straight. 

Bit difficult to see straight or sideways or up and down when they are having their power nap.

[Number 6]

3 hours ago, CeeGee said:

Ok I am in a van which gets stopped in the middle of nowhere,some passengers complain about the driver,the BIB decided that the driver cannot drive any more and confiscate the vehicle.

 

You now have half a dozen or so passengers stranded,will the BIB make alternative arrangements for the passengers or do we start walking.

 

Probable outcome(because this is Thailand)passengers complain to BIB,who are outnumbered,BIB decide that driver is ok to drive,passengers get back on,drive away.

You nailed it 555555

[Tgcoll]

especially most bus 71 not the government bus and others is so dirty and their are many of them like that, they put an instructions do not smoke but get what they are the one who smoke and everywhere inside the bus will be filled up with smoke. most of them done take good Barth before start work. see to that.

[Almer]

Why are you all knocking this initiative, start knocking and write to the minister when it stops happening  

[Mickc]

Lord help us all if it's just the same pathetic tests they make you do when you go to get your drivers lisence. How about start with your lisencing system, and then go from there first. 

[ubon farang]

13 hours ago, overherebc said:

Who said that??

A better start would if they asked the driver if he knows actually how to drive and does he know the road rules. Oh and has he got a license to drive this mini bus

[PatOngo]

18 hours ago, webfact said:

"Is your driver behaving himself?

"I think he velly good, he have machete and baseball bat under he seat for clear tree broken on road, and he play sport, yes, velly good!"

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, webfact said:

Drivers will be checked for their recognition of colors, reaction times and long distance and near vision.

So how would they have got a license to drive a public vehicle in the first place?

Rhetorical question !