Phuket Opinion: Stop The Tour Bus Insanity

[Lite Beer]

Phuket Opinion: Stop the tour bus insanity
Phuket Gazette -

"The driver was unfamiliar with the road"; "the brakes failed"; and "it was raining" are not acceptable excuses for bus crashes. Image: Gazette Graphics

PHUKET: The latest crash of a tour bus descending into Patong highlights yet again the need for tour bus operators – and drivers in particular – to take personal responsibility for the safety of passengers under their care.

If it can be considered as such, the only good fortune in this latest tragedy is that no lives were lost and physical injuries were described by police as “minor” – though the people who suffered them might beg to differ (story here).

The mental stress suffered by the poor homeowner who had an out-of-control bus unexpectedly park in her living room for a second time this year must also be considered, along with other residents of the neighborhood who have to live with the constant dread that their property could be next.

The causes of this latest crash and all the others that have preceded it indicate that profit, not passenger safety, remains the primary concern of far too many tour companies.

We understand the need for tour companies to keep expenses down in such a competitive industry, but overworking underpaid drivers and skimping on the cost of regular and thorough vehicle-safety checks is not the place to start. The practice of throwing a set of keys to so-called "drivers" who have previous convictions for drunk driving and other serious infractions must also end, immediately.

Patong Hill road is intrinsically dangerous with its steep inclines and hairpin turns, but this can never be used as an excuse for even a single crash there – nor can any of the other meaningless escape responses, such as, “the brakes failed”; “the bus was old”; “the driver was unfamiliar with the road” or, perhaps our favorite, “it was raining”.

Due to continual refinement in the automotive industry, braking technology has made huge strides in recent decades. Standard factory-built vehicles now have braking systems on par with aircraft and the Formula 1 race cars of less than a decade ago.

The technology is there, but common-sense attention to safety continues lacking – even, if not especially, among so-called 'professional' bus, van, and taxi drivers here.

The ultimate responsibility for safety on any passenger vehicle must lie with the driver, so it falls to each and every tour company to not only employ truly professional drivers, but also to train them in emergency techniques and warn them of safety concerns along roadways they may be unfamiliar with. They must also do a better job of instilling a “captain of the ship” mentality.

For all these reasons, we fully support efforts by the Phuket Land Transportation Office to permanently revoke the licenses of tour companies with records of repeat offenses. Experience has taught us, however, not to hold our collective breath waiting for this to happen in Phuket's notorious transport sector.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/Phuket-Opinion-Stop-the-tour-bus-insanity-21271.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2013-06-09

[IMA_FARANG]

NO.

Make the Tour Bus OWNERS responsible for any accidents.

If the OWNERS or better yet the company that runs the Tour Bus business had to pay compensation from their own pockets things like

old busses

maintenance not done regularly and properly

owners hiring known bad drivers or unqualified drivers.

would come to an end.

Because now who is being punished.... the workers.

Make the high-so OWNERS pay for their companies mistakes right where they hurt .... in their high-so pockets.

[Pattaya28]

The reality is that no-one is responsible for anything.

That's the reality.

And that's at all levels.

Vague lip-service is meaningless.

All the western ideas mean nothing.

Accept what there is (or isn't).

Take it or leave it ...... Up to you !!!

[horsewell]

The owners should be responsible, it seems that no one is. You would think that the tuk-tuk / taxi mafia in Phuket would be able to leverage this sort of incident to push the tour buses out of Patong. It seems like they are just leaving money on the table.

[pistachios]

Pegas touristik is in deep sh*t if the last sentence is true... it must be the 5th accident this year that involves this crooked company.

[Shot]

Pegas touristik is in deep sh*t if the last sentence is true... it must be the 5th accident this year that involves this crooked company.

Agree. The Gazette Graphics would be more accruate with a Pegas logo on it.

[steveyinasia]

Responsibility is not in the language for Thai at any level, it is always someone else fault.

[thelegend]

Problem is easilly solved......Just give an exclusive operators licence to Nakon Chai Air.... they really do know how to run a bus service...as good as any anywhere IMHO.

[fiddlehead]

I would think the insurance companies here in Thailand should get involved in manufacturing some rules here.
After all, they are the ones who pay, right?

For example, they could get together and insist that brakes are inspected monthly or no insurance. (a general inspection that could include lights, wipers, mufflers, even exhaust) (yeah right)

Shouldn't be so hard to do.
Incentive is the problem.
We (westerners) seem to be worried about this a lot more than Thais.

[Sayonarax]

Heres an idea.. don't use the services.