BANGKOK (NNT) - The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) will cut the number of bus trips on routes with few passengers from Wednesday in order to contain the surge of Covid-19 infections.

 

By Paphamon Arayasukawat

 

BMTA director Surachai Iamwachirasakul explained that the Land Transport Department asked transport operators to reduce services in red-zone provinces as much as possible. A partial lockdown was also imposed in Bangkok, with 31 types of business ordered to shut for two weeks as daily infections in Thailand rose past 2,000.

 

He said since many government and private agencies have allowed staff to work from home, while many educational institutions have organized online courses, the BMTA will reduce the number of bus services where passenger numbers have dropped.

 

He added that BMTA had imposed Covid-19 controls to gain confidence among travellers, including temperature checks on all staff, frequent cleaning of buses, social distancing onboard and use of the ThaiChana and MorChana apps. Meanwhile, passengers can pay their fare via BMTA electronic tickets, contactless debit or credit cards, state welfare cards, or mobile banking apps.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-04-29

 

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BMTA director Surachai Iamwachirasakul explained that the Land Transport Department asked transport operators to reduce services in red-zone provinces as much as possible

 

Reduce services?  

 

All services should be canceled in red zone provinces especially with the upcoming 4 day long weekend.

26 minutes ago, anchadian said:

All services should be canceled in red zone provinces especially with the upcoming 4 day long weekend.

Another holiday???.......Will people be allowed to travel again like during Songkran.......surely not?

Should of been done long ago before mass exodus from highly populated areas, instead of the extra 5000 buses per day that were put in service

Or do the opposite: increase the number of buses in service! 

 

Decreasing number of buses can create a larger group of riders standing by to ride without any social distancing (especially when it rains and limited shelter). I bet most current riders don't have a choice for alternate travel means, ie., taxi.

Increasing number of buses on a route can continue to serve current ridership levels without riders backlog at stops while maintaining social distancing inside the bus..

13 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Or do the opposite: increase the number of buses in service! 

 

Decreasing number of buses can create a larger group of riders standing by to ride without any social distancing (especially when it rains and limited shelter). I bet most current riders don't have a choice for alternate travel means, ie., taxi.

Increasing number of buses on a route can continue to serve current ridership levels without riders backlog at stops while maintaining social distancing inside the bus..

Yes: fewer buses = higher passenger density = .more COVID cases.

 

Bus science is not rocket science.

1 hour ago, Surelynot said:

Another holiday???.......Will people be allowed to travel again like during Songkran.......surely not?

Surely yes Surelynot.

It is obvious that they are cutting service to lower the losses of driving empty buses around. Just that nowadays COVID is the quoted reason for any decision taken, and convenient to blame for pretty much anything that goes sideways.

6 hours ago, Surelynot said:

Another holiday???.......Will people be allowed to travel again like during Songkran.......surely not?

Of course they will, just like Songcran, there is a lot of money to be made when lots of people travel, but wait! Maybe with the unelected "PM" in personal charge of how to manage the Chinese virus, these holiday weekends may not go ahead now.

5 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Or do the opposite: increase the number of buses in service! 

 

Decreasing number of buses can create a larger group of riders standing by to ride without any social distancing (especially when it rains and limited shelter). I bet most current riders don't have a choice for alternate travel means, ie., taxi.

Increasing number of buses on a route can continue to serve current ridership levels without riders backlog at stops while maintaining social distancing inside the bus..

I noticed this while riding the BTS last week.  I got on a train at Phrom Phong that was headed southeast at around 3pm on a Monday.  I could not believe how crowded it was and figured that it was due to a reduction in service. I couldn't help but wonder "how many infected people are in this train car?" I got off one stop later at Thong Lor and caught a cab for the rest of my commute.

 

I took this as another example of lack of foresight by health authorities.  A missed opportunity to reduce the opportunity for spread.