Bangkok Mass Transit Authority Needs To Boost Safety For Bus Passengers

[webfact]

EDITORIAL

BMTA needs to boost safety for bus passengers

The Nation

Better, careful drivers will encourage more people to use public buses

BANGKOK: -- Bangkokians who use public buses risk their lives every day on the road. Statistics from the Consumer Protection Foundation show there were more than 900 accidents involving public buses in 2011.

The casualties of careless drivers were 6 people killed last year and 44 people injured. There were also around 4,000 complaints over the same period through the Department of Land Transport's 1584 hotline.

The complaints ranged from public bus drivers failing to stop the bus to pick up or let off passengers at bus stations, careless and dangerous driving, impolite manners by the bus crew, failing to take care of passengers' safety, and drivers forcing passengers to get off the bus before their destination.

The Foundation's latest statistics were unfortunate, as they ran counter to a desirable campaign to encourage people to use public transport. If passengers feel unsafe on public transport, they will try to use their own vehicles.

But even without this information, passengers have already felt unhappy with the quality of buses in Bangkok. There are many news reports about accidents involving careless drivers. Many have not even passed tests to ensure that they are qualified to be responsible for lives of hundreds of people who used public buses every day.

According to a Traffic Police report, the top four offences committed by bus drivers from 2003 to 2006 were, firstly, harmful emissions such as smoke and dust particles at a level higher than acceptable standards; secondly, drivers who refuse to stop to pick up passengers at bus stations; third, bus drivers who violate traffic rules; and fourth, driving vehicles that are poorly maintained and not of a standard suitable for public use.

The authorities have no excuse to let passengers risk their lives every day because of bad service. The BMTA has subcontracted many public bus routes to private operators, yet the organisation still runs a massive loss every year. Therefore, the BMTA has no excuse to offer poor service to passengers.

The BMTA and Ministry of Transport have to do a better job supervising and monitoring public buses. They should be setting standards for drivers to ensure the public is in safe hands when they have to commute by bus.

In addition, the authorities must ensure that private bus operators maintain the quality of vehicles sufficiently and constantly. Many public buses release hazardous smoke because their engines have never been checked or cleaned.

We see many "broken" public buses parked in the middle of the road. This not only risks the lives of passengers but also bystanders and other drivers on the road.

In fact, the use of public transport should be promoted because it would help save energy. Thailand is a net importer of fuel. In addition, the promotion of public transport should help curb pollution. If passengers turn to public buses, they would reduce the number of vehicles and the amount of emissions.

Unfortunately, public transport bosses don't always provide a safe means for people to commute in regularly.

-- The Nation 2012-11-05

[Thai at Heart]

he top four offences committed by bus drivers from 2003 to 2006 were, firstly, harmful emissions such as smoke and dust particles at a level

The drivers emit smoke and dust particles? Get that man a doctor.

[LucidLucifer]

"Bangkokians who use public buses risk their lives every day on the road"

It should read; Bangkokians who use any form of transport risk their lives every day on the road.

[ratcatcher]

Never mind the darned buses, high speed trains are this year's novelty for politicians.

[asiawatcher]

Idiots of drivers in buses are the main issue to solve - the boy racers who think it is funny to race in any lane and then cut in, block traffic in two lanes and have pax alight in the middle lane of roads where equal fools on motorbikes refuse to allow pax to walk to the kerb. The game of Russian roulette in Thai traffic is deadly dangerous and is NEVER policed by the B.i.B. unless there are bribes able to be obtained. In any 'civilised' (RHD) country buses remain in the left lane, start by enforcing that law and you will reduce the lane hopping antics Thai's enjoy so much, even in their cars, which will go a long way to reducing accidents bot personal injury and collisions.

[konfuzed]

Ban the minivans... They are the biggest pests of all time.

They drive like morons, are a danger to their passengers and other road users.

They are selfish, and cause excessive time to be taken by other road users.

[zig]

"...the organisation still runs a massive loss every year. Therefore, the BMTA has no excuse to offer poor service to passengers."

I find the reasoning somewhat strange. The public buses on most routes are quite crowded, so I would assume that the poor conditions of the buses and perhaps also the lack of quality bus drivers should be then attributed to insufficient financing and insufficient government subsidies since the bus ticket prices themselves are established by the government.

[fareastguy]

Mass transport murder.. T.I.T get used to it, it's not the sanitised system of the developed world.

Dangerous drivers, dodgy buses, micro missiles why take all the fun out of staying alive.. live a little bit before you croak !!

Put your hands up to Buddha in the morning & step out with confidence.

[EvilDrSomkid]

I'll sit in the relative safety and comfort of my German, fuel guzzling tank, thank you very much.

I do feel sorry for the people who have to use these buses.

I have stopped trying to understand why these van and bus drivers act so carelessly and put the lives of their passengers at risk.

My wife can't explain it either.

[dddave]

I use the local city buses a lot. Most of the drivers of the full size air-conditioned buses are pretty decent drivers and give a comfortable ride, not an easy task considering the motorcycles that swarm around them, passing them on the left side even as they try to pull into a bus stop. These drivers are also more conscientious about giving the off and on boarding passengers enough time to do it.

Unfortunately, the same can not be said of many of the non a/c Red and Blue bus drivers. They tend to weave lane to lane, slam on brakes and barely allow an off loading passenger's feet to touch the ground before taking off. Some are openly hostile to farang passengers and won't stop for them. I've had drivers of some of the free red buses tell me I couldn't ride it because it was only for Thai people. I actually had a good experience when one did that once; a Thai passenger who overheard it lit into him and harangued at him for 5 minutes, then apologized to me for the drivers rudeness.

As for the drivers of the small, half size buses...maniacs; one and all!!!