Transport Ministry’s bus number shuffle leaves Bangkok commuters in chaos

[webfact]

 

The Transport Ministry announced a major overhaul of new bus route numbers, leaving commuters in disarray. Amidst the chaos, the ministry stands firm on its decision, sparking a wave of criticism from disgruntled passengers.

 

Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit revealed today that he instructed the Land Transport Department to make modifications to all new route numbers, eliminating the dash between zone and route numbers. The move aims to address the confusion that has plagued travellers since the recent changes to buses serving Greater Bangkok, part of a broader effort to reform the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA).

 

The controversial alteration, implemented this month, irked commuters, with bus No.59 now transformed into the perplexing 1-8, adding the first number to represent the service zone and incorporating the letter E for expressway routes. Critics argue that the adjustment, based on a 2017 study by the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), has failed to consider the practical implications for daily passengers.

 

by Puntid Tantivangphaisal

Photo courtesy of 12Go Asia

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2024-02-03

 

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[2baht]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

leaving commuters in disarray

All sounds normal!

[Burma Bill]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

major overhaul of new bus route numbers, leaving commuters in disarray.

 

Amazing Thailand - picture from The Nation (3/2/24) showing first day of new numbering system. A bus arrives with the new number (B44) with the destinations pasted onto the side of the bus!! Imagine the delay in departure (especially during rush hours) whilst all the passengers try to check the list before boarding!

I wonder if new timetables with amendments were also released on the same day and posted at bus stops - I bet not!!!

Typical Thai bureaucracy and stupidity.

 

 

Edited February 3 by Burma Bill
additional information

[hotchilli]

Thais don't like change.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

What a bunch of nonsense from these bureaucrats...  Even if their re-numbering scheme was a good idea (which is up for debate), there's no debate that they've utterly failed to meaningfully give the public clear advance notice of these changes.

 

It's already hard enough to use the bus system in Bangkok, with routes that often follow no logical path or necessarily travel the length of major streets without diverting off in various places. But now they're making the route numbering system even more unfamiliar and complicated.

 

As an example, there was this additional clarification of how their renumbering scheme is supposed to work with what was originally bus route #150:

 

The route number first was gonna be changed to #1-15. And now it's going to be changed to a double route number of  115 (150) [with the first number reflecting the new route number and the second number reflecting the old/original route number].

 

Perfectly clear now???   Yeesh!!!!

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

35 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

 

Amazing Thailand - picture from The Nation (3/2/24) showing first day of new numbering system. A bus arrives with the new number (B44) with the destinations pasted onto the side of the bus!! Imagine the delay in departure (especially during rush hours) whilst all the passengers try to check the list before boarding!

I wonder if new timetables with amendments were also released on the same day and posted at bus stops - I bet not!!!

Typical Thai bureaucracy and stupidity.

 

 

 

 

The source BKK Post report explains that some routes will have the "E" letter added to designate "express" routes.

 

No mention in their report of what a "B" letter is supposed to designate....

 

Bull****???

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

One of my longtime go-to sources for BKK bus route info is the following website:

 

https://www.transitbangkok.com/bangkok_buses.html

 

But the website doesn't appear to be regularly updated, and I see no sign that they've incorporated any of these recent numbering changes.

 

https://www.transitbangkok.com/lines/bangkok-bus-line/150

 

And the BMTA's current website, at least in English, appears to NOT show either a 150 or a 115 line:

 

http://www.bmta.co.th/en/bus-lines?page=1

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 3 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The Via Bus app in the Google Play Store for Android devices appears to be incorporating at least some of these latest changes in their routing info:

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.indyzalab.transitia&hl=en_US&gl=US

 

[dddave]

Where oh where is former TV poster FKA: "Asanee"??  He had an encyclopedic knowledge of Bangkok's bus routes presented with an always dry sense of humor.  I hope he is still out there.