Phuket bus drivers caught under the influence
Phuket Gazette -

PHUKET: Law enforcement officials are randomly testing bus drivers for drugs and alcohol during the 10 Days of Danger, and in two days have found three drivers working under the influence.

Within Phuket, Thung Thong Police and Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) staff are stopping buses at the Thung Thong checkpoint on Phra Barami Road (map here) before they head over the hills to Patong.

“Since Wednesday, we’ve tested 18 bus drivers headed to Patong and found one that had more than the legal limit of alcohol,” PLTO Chief Terayout Prasertphol told the Phuket Gazette yesterday.

“At the bus station we have tested 88 drivers, and two tested positive for drugs,” he said.

“One was the driver of a Phuket-Haad Yai van, and the other was the driver of a Phuket-Bangkok bus. Each was fined 5,000 baht and sent to a rehab center,” he said.

“A lot of people are traveling to and from Phuket during this holiday period. We want to make sure the drivers carry them safely to their destinations,” he said.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/Phuket-bus-drivers-caught-under-the-influence-23124.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2013-12-28

Keep looking......bet you will find many, many more.

Yes, let's worry only about the "ten days of danger." Forget the other 355 days.

Tip of the iceberg! the jails are not big enough, to take that amount of criminals!

Finally something is happening !!

This they could do with increasing frequency.

At last - some good police work. That bus crash off the bridge up north must have prompted this big shake down.

Finally, the authorities have understood, to close their eyes brings no change....

5,000 Baht fine is nothing. Should be loss of license for a year. Especially if a commercial driver with other peoples lives in their hands.

At last - some good police work. That bus crash off the bridge up north must have prompted this big shake down.

Well I guess it got them away from their televisions for a couple of hours. This country is going from bad to worse every waking hour.

Some countries have their road deaths dropping every year but these people are incapable of doing anything meaningful.

I have told my GF that they can kill every last one as long as she and her family do not become statistics.

You can help to save some from themselves BUT, you cannot save all of them.

It's akin to 'forgive them for they know not what they do' The sad thing is that many of the young will never know what it is to grow into full maturity.

5,000 Baht fine is nothing. Should be loss of license for a year. Especially if a commercial driver with other peoples lives in their hands.

I have also found the guy with the bad hangover, lack of sleep, texing, one handed steering (If you have a blowout your in deep kimchi) and of course driving way to fast, I'm basing this on the van drivers...

Obviously should be running these kind of checks year round.

hands up who is suprised?

“Since Wednesday, we’ve tested 18 bus drivers headed to Patong and found one that had more than the legal limit of alcohol,” PLTO Chief Terayout Prasertphol told the Phuket Gazette yesterday.

“At the bus station we have tested 88 drivers, and two tested positive for drugs,” he said.

You have to laugh.

5000b is a nice hit for them. Hopefully this should be done around the country 365 days a year. Seems an okay earner.

At last - some good police work. That bus crash off the bridge up north must have prompted this big shake down.

Hmmmmm ...and which bus crash up north you referring to ??? I,ve lost count they,ve been so many!

5,000 Baht fine is nothing. Should be loss of license for a year. Especially if a commercial driver with other peoples lives in their hands.

Don't be silly ! There would be no one left to drive the busses

I'M SHOCKED!!!!!!!!!

I wonder how many others tested positive and told the police to get f##ked and drove off?

The joys of being connected to the highest power on the island, the mafia clans.

5,000 Baht fine is nothing. Should be loss of license for a year. Especially if a commercial driver with other peoples lives in their hands.

If he has one !

...how about seizing the drivers' licenses and putting them on a list....

...what is the follow-up of sending them to a 'rehab center'.....

they are playing with lives

and all they get is 5000 baht fine (maybe with installments) and free rehab ?

better to avoid pirate island

They should make Phuket a hub of testing drivers for 10 days a year

The police at last being something less than worthless. One would think perhaps the bus companies would do some self policing, as they are the ones who pay insurance fees (assuming they have insurance), repairs, replacements, etc. But apparently concepts such as capable responsible drivers and maintenance are beyond their mental abilities.

Its no wonder there are so many road accidents here, also what does it have to do with 10 days? Every single day these guys should be tested as people are putting there lifes in these guys hands. I had a driver on a VIP bus coming from Udon Thani who we had to stop at a 7/11 to sober up as he was swerving more than the chocolate in a curly wurly bar !

5,000 Baht fine is nothing. Should be loss of license for a year. Especially if a commercial driver with other peoples lives in their hands.

Should be loss of licence and a ban from ever again obtaining employment with any public transport service provider. Who on earth wants to get on a bus driven by someone over the limit...?!

5,000 Baht fine is nothing. Should be loss of license for a year. Especially if a commercial driver with other peoples lives in their hands.

Should be loss of licence and a ban from ever again obtaining employment with any public transport service provider. Who on earth wants to get on a bus driven by someone over the limit...?!

....er.....Thai people!!!

found one that had more than the legal limit of alcohol...? The legal limit should be absolutely ZERO for bus drivers...ANY transport drivers!