Private Minibuses To Face Safety Checks

[george]

Private minibuses to face checks

BANGKOK: -- The Transport Ministry will next Wednesday start checking more than 1,000 privately-owned city minibuses with the aim of weeding out those in bad condition. Deputy Transport Minister Chainant Charoensiri said yesterday that he agreed with the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA)'s plan to terminate its concession contracts with all private minibuses operating in Bangkok within six months from now.

Gen Chainant said he has ordered an inspection of all 1,118 city minibuses. Those found to be in bad condition must halt service immediately, and will be permanently banned if they are not properly repaired within 15 days.

The city bus agency's contracts with minibus operators are due to expire on May 31 next year and will not be renewed, Gen Chainant said.

In the case of private regular buses whose concessions are also due to expire on the same day, their contracts will be revised by the Transport Ministry with the aim of improving the quality of their services and staff.

``All city buses are expected to be replaced in 2007 in line with the government's plan to reform the entire transport system. Bus operators who want to keep their concession routes must come up with new vehicles that meet the standards set by the BMTA including use of natural gas as fuel,'' he said.

The BMTA and the Land Transport Department will negotiate with the private bus operators to get them to improve their services.

The operators will also be asked to end the current practice of giving their drivers commissions based on the number of bus trips made.

This encouraged bus drivers to go as fast as possible, frequently resulting in accidents, said Gen Chainant.

Instead, the operators will be told to guarantee a minimum pay rate for their staff as of Jan 31 next year.

--Bangkok Post 2005-11-11

[Jai Dee]

THE TRANSPORT MINISTRY WILL COMPLETE INSPECTIONS OF GREEN MINI-BUSES BEFORE NOVEMBER 16

The transport ministry will finish inspection of green mini-buses within November 16, adding that the buses will be ordered out of the street temporarily if their conditions are terrible.

Deputy Transport Minister General Chiayanan Charoensiri (พลเอกชัยนันท์ เจริญศิริ) said that the Ministry has agreed in principle to the plan by Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) to scrap mini-bus service within six month. He said the BMTA has been ordered to inspect the conditions of green mini-buses within November 16. If the buses are found to be unserviceable, they will be ordered out of the street temporarily to improve their conditions within 15 days. If there are no improvements, the buses’ licenses will be taken away permanently.

However, General Chaiyanan said that if the operators would like to operate on the same route, they must bring in new buses with good condition to serve the people. The buses must meet the BMTA standards and must run on NGV gas.

The Deputy Transport Minister commented on the concession contract with bus operators which will expire May 31, 2006 that the Ministry will draft a new contract focusing more on service standards. He said that the contracts will not be renewed for the mini-bus operators, so that new buses with better conditions will be brought in the mass transit system.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 11 November 2005

[TAWP]

I'm lost...they are not going to renew the contracts of these cheap minibuses but force them to upgrade their standard of vehicles until they do...wich is just 6 months away?

Someone bought a new car-part-company?

[thailien8]

How will the unbarfined bargirls get home after 1 am. if there is no #2 minibus running? The green tin cans, though a lousy way to travel, have for years been about the only option for late-night transportation for those who cannot afford a taxi. Personally, I have been hoping to see Bkk.'s bus system upgraded for a long time, starting with getting the green minibuses off the streets permanently. Still, the BMTA will need to replace them with some kind of comparable service, as there are a lot of people who stay up past midnight and need to get home cheaply. Let's hope a little thought and planning is involved here.

[Joey Boy]

its not the buses that are the problem, the drivers are. 2 times in the last month i've seen full size buses nearly kill people on silom road.

The first time the driver of a motocycle managed to dive out of the buses path as his bike was hit from behind and dragged along the road.

The second time I was stood at the central reservation of the pedestrian crossing outside holliday inn when a bus driver decided to use the extra width of the cross road to overtake @ about 50mph, if I had been lookin in the other direction he'd have cleaned me up along with the 10yr old kid I pulled to safety who was going to be nothin more than a rabbit in the headlights

[Jai Dee]

TRANSPORT MINISTRY ADAMANT ON DEADLINE ON INSPECTIONS OF MINIBUSES DESPITE PLEA FROM OPERATORS

Deputy Transport Minister CHAIYANAND CHAROENSIRI (ชัยนันท์ เจริญศิริ) has insisted that all minibuses will have to undergo inspections tomorrow, despite yesterday's request by minibus operators to postpone the deadline.

Gen. CHAIYANAND yesterday affirmed that on Wednesday November 16th all minibuses will have to receive inspection. Buses that do not pass the check will receive a red sign, and will be allowed 15 days to make adjustments. Clear measures will be issued after the 15 days, on how to deal with the problematic buses. The Department of Land Transport and the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority have been told to quickly erect concise criteria for the check, where emphasis will be put on the brakes and the wheels' alignment. Minibuses that fail the checks will be allowed to use the BMTA's garage for maintenace operations, but they will have to pay fees.

The BMTA is not yet planning any change in minibus routes. As for the shift towards NGV gas, the SME Bank will provide minibus operators with the capital required for engine modification.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 15 November 2005

[Heng]

These drivers really are accidents waiting to happen. It's only a matter of time before someone important is killed and then it's really gonna hit the fan.