Phuket tour bus operators’ crisis deepens amid virus fallout

By Khunanya Wanchanwet

 

More than 1,200 tour buses now lay idle as the virus impact on Phuket’s tourism industry deepens, bus operators explained. Photo: PR Dept

 

PHUKET: More than 1,200 tour buses in Phuket now lay idle as operators and drivers yesterday appealed to the Phuket Governor for assistance as the island struggles with the plunge in international tourist arrivals, mostly those from Mainland China, due to the outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus.

 

More than 100 tour bus operators and drivers gathered at the Phuket office of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to voice their concerns on Tuesday (Feb 12).

 

“After the Chinese government issued travel bans on their citizens because of the coronavirus, a lot of bus drivers now have no work, so we set up this meeting in order to listen to their problems,” explained Phuket Bus Operators Association President Anan Deepraserthere.

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-tour-bus-operators-crisis-deepens-amid-virus-fallout-74806.php

 

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2020-02-13

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6 minutes ago, webfact said:

More than 1,200 tour buses in Phuket now lay idle

Wonder what'll happen to the accident rate

Ohh the poor dears, been ripping off tourists for years, but never stashed any of their ill gotten gains for use in slack times.

You got to help us, we are struggling to find lao kao money, now no tourists to fleece, boo hoo.

So tour bus operators are looking for Government handouts,

just like the farmers,I am sure they paid all their taxes when

things were very good for them.

regards Worgeordie

Some experts are saying that the infection from the virus in China is more likely to be 4 to 5 times higher than what the Chinese government is saying which in affect could mean the death toll might be as high as 4,000 to 5,000 very scary if true .

Weren't the Chinese supposed to be "FIT"s, where are all the "independents" now. Or could it be, gasp, that it was all still zero baht tours led remotely from China, now gone like an irrational fart into the Sahara of logic.

When you put all your eggs in one (Chinese) basket, and then the basket has the bottom fall out.......

26 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

Weren't the Chinese supposed to be "FIT"s, where are all the "independents" now. Or could it be, gasp, that it was all still zero baht tours led remotely from China, now gone like an irrational fart into the Sahara of logic.

I am in the business there was or is some nice F.I.Ts from China well heeled educated folks they dont mind paying for a good quality product

However 99% is Zero Dollar stuff hence these people complaining of course they paid all their taxes in the good times.. if you look closely i imagine the bus companies are also chinese owned in some way!

Always wondered what Sulu did after Star Trek !

Relief on the roads, finally

This would be a good time to hold driving tuition and have the bus drivers take appropriate tests e.g. driving test, road safety tests, drug tests anger management etc...........LOL

5 minutes ago, Geoffggi said:

This would be a good time to hold driving tuition and have the bus drivers take appropriate tests e.g. driving test, road safety tests, drug tests anger management etc...........LOL

And to ensure the buses are in good enough condition to be on the road.....double check on the braking systems.

 

Noticeable that all the crappy old buses are off the road. Now only the slightly more modern Pegus buses on the road with Russians.

What exactly, apart from an obvious attempt to get free money, do they actually want somebody to do?

There are no tourists - there is a major world-wide problem. 

Use your brains - do something else.

3 hours ago, keith101 said:

Some experts are saying that the infection from the virus in China is more likely to be 4 to 5 times higher than what the Chinese government is saying which in affect could mean the death toll might be as high as 4,000 to 5,000 very scary if true .

Yesterday, infections rocketed skyhigh with 14,000 additional cases.

I wonder what the real figure is?

This is escalating.

I am of the opinion that you have made many mistakes, the first one, that of not putting money aside for things like this and then allowing so many buses to do the same job.
You certainly thought it would go well forever ....

5 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

Wonder what'll happen to the accident rate

It’ll go up to compensate for the lack of vehicles...Thai style ???? 

2 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

This would be a good time to hold driving tuition and have the bus drivers take appropriate tests e.g. driving test, road safety tests, drug tests anger management etc...........LOL

Don’t forget the all important Amulet burnishing 

Falling asleep in a stationary bus will be a novelty for them 

Now, where did I leave my heart pumping purple p!ss since the last lot of lazy scrounging Thai wasters declared they were in crisis and needed the government to bail them out because of their stupidity ? 

 

Zero sympathy for these morons 

Good to know. I can now go to Patong from Kathu without fears of break failures. Tired of going through Chalong!

Time for staff training 

23 hours ago, keith101 said:

Some experts are saying that the infection from the virus in China is more likely to be 4 to 5 times higher than what the Chinese government is saying which in affect could mean the death toll might be as high as 4,000 to 5,000 very scary if true .

"...

For as long as I can remember now, we've been saying 36,000 people die each year from the flu.  When we've asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for updated figures, they told us 36K was the best they had.

Didn't seem quite right that it never changed year after year.

Now it turns out the 36K was calculated way back in 1999, when flu deaths hit a peak.

A new analysis of the past 31 flu seasons, put out by the CDC this afternoon, shows that 36K might have been a third too high. It's more like 23,607 per year, on average. But it all depends on how you slice the data.

The new average is an average of the past 31 seasons. It goes all the way back to 1976. But if you were to look at just the past 10 seasons, the average per year is higher -- 32,743.

Or you can look at this way: In some years as few as 3,349 have died (back in 1986-7).  But the highest annual average toll was 48,614, just seven seasons ago (2003-4)....

MORE HERE: Common flu in USA ... 1/4 the pop. of China. Huge tightly/highly populated mega cities in China. Epidemic/pandemic? Numbers will have to continue to rise exponentially before the need to panic.

 

CDC: 80,000 people died of flu last winter in U.S., highest death toll in 40 years

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

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Vials of flu vaccineMATT ROURKE/AP

NEW YORK — An estimated 80,000 Americans died of flu and its complications last winter — the disease’s highest death toll in at least four decades.

21 hours ago, webfact said:

PHUKET: More than 1,200 tour buses in Phuket now lay idle as operators and drivers yesterday appealed to the Phuket Governor for assistance

Good time to get some well needed maintenance done.... being idle is what causes most of the accidents!

22 hours ago, keith101 said:

Some experts are saying that the infection from the virus in China is more likely to be 4 to 5 times higher than what the Chinese government is saying which in affect could mean the death toll might be as high as 4,000 to 5,000 very scary if true .

Some experts prescribed thalidomide to pregnant women, careful which experts you pay attention too. 

22 hours ago, DrTuner said:

Weren't the Chinese supposed to be "FIT"s, where are all the "independents" now. Or could it be, gasp, that it was all still zero baht tours led remotely from China, now gone like an irrational fart into the Sahara of logic.

Look at the bright side.  All the double-priced trinkets in the shops they took them to are now 40% off.  What a deal!

16 hours ago, madmen said:

Falling asleep in a stationary bus will be a novelty for them 

But they'll awake bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning.  First time in years!

22 hours ago, keith101 said:

Some experts are saying that the infection from the virus in China is more likely to be 4 to 5 times higher than what the Chinese government is saying which in affect could mean the death toll might be as high as 4,000 to 5,000 very scary if true .

Other experts say there's nothing to worry about since only 2! victims of the virus have died outside of China so far.

My mate told me Chalong is empty no buses

2 hours ago, ChipButty said:

My mate told me Chalong is empty no buses

 

There are still Pegas buses with Russians. I still see plenty coaches coming over the hill Chalong Kata. But no clapped out old coaches with Chinese.