Yup.

To get a Bus driving license in Thailand they just need to have a full Thai Driving license, be over a certain age (20 if I recall), and do a 2 day course which does involve driving a bus on a track. It does not involved driving any vehicle outside of the track. ie, on the public road.

To get the required full driving license you need to drive around a course and do 3 things - reverse park etc. But no driving on the road. I'm sure most reading this have one.

So Thai Bus Drivers can be fully licensed to drive a bus full of people, without ever having driven on the public road in their entire life.

And often it seems that is the case.

Just thought I'd post this little bit of Thainess.

Who's off to Morchit for the over-night express to Krabi tonight?

Whats worse is you can get FULL driving licence using an automatic car, the go drive what ever MANUAL you like including a BUS ,

Whats worse is you can get FULL driving licence using an automatic car, the go drive what ever MANUAL you like including a BUS ,

or even more dangerous to young guys

get a FULL motorcycle licence from 1 min driving around a carpark on a yamaha fino automatic 115cc

buy a race ready superbike like a yamaha R1 the next day and get killed on it ..........

All sounds about (Thai) right to me. But, whats left out is the back hander to fix stuff...................

My Thai friend got his full licence for 2500 baht. He'd never driven in his life. The first drive we took was quite exciting

THere should be a licence to drive a public service vehicle, or a heavy good vehicle, that what we get in the UK, which is right, how some of them get the licence in the UK is amazing, here it is not, it comes within the pages of a borrowed book, an envelope or a gift, sounds a bit like .....................007..............licensed to kill,,,,,,,,,,, unfortunately that was in films, this, is real life.............good luck to all on the roads, go slow and drive defencibly, if you are driving, if not, hope you have a driver who is aware and lucky.

^ The difference with this though is that it is all above board. No 2500 baht backhanders etc. To go fully and legally through the system to get a bus driving license is done in a manner such that the driver has never needed to have driven any vehicle of any sort on any public road.

^ The difference with this though is that it is all above board. No 2500 baht backhanders etc. To go fully and legally through the system to get a bus driving license is done in a manner such that the driver has never needed to have driven any vehicle of any sort on any public road.

I can`t argue with this because I cannot find any information regarding bus and truck driving tests in Thailand.

Although you have not given any credible source of your information, considering that there is no need to take a car or motorbike test actually on the road, than why shouldn`t the same apply regarding buses and trucks? And in fact I can believe it.

So this means that every-time we become passengers on a bus or even a taxi our safety involved is like a lottery. Yes, this thread is a real eye opener and something I never thought about until now.

What happens during an horrific bus crash? This video taken in China. Warning, contains graphic content:

Wonder how much Butler had to pay, back in the 1970's?

But in all seriousness, do they have a skid pad training facility in Thailand?

As far as I've understood it LoS have licenses for heavy vehicles etc.

One lic for motor bikes, any size

One lic for cars with 4 wheels

(I think I have seen a special lic for taxi drivers)

One lic for vehicles with more than 4 wheels

the last one covering buses, heavy weights etc etc

In ChonBuri DLT explained to me that for the many-wheel lic you would need to read/write and speak Thai,

in order to pass a written and an oral exam (without interpreter help)

following that you would have to pass a practical driving test

this is probably in the rule book

however, I guess the local offices handle the rules as they please

While we're talking Thai driver's licensees ................I heard several years ago that foreigners can't get a license to drive a vehicle a vehicle with more than 4 wheels and that put a stop to a fantasy I had of converting an old bus into a mobil home [camper]. Any truth to this??

Does this mean a farang with a Thai driver's license can also get a bus driver's license with a couple of days tuition? Not looking for a career change, just interested to know.

While we're talking Thai driver's licensees ................I heard several years ago that foreigners can't get a license to drive a vehicle a vehicle with more than 4 wheels and that put a stop to a fantasy I had of converting an old bus into a mobil home [camper]. Any truth to this??

I have heard the same, and several have written the same here on TV

However, when I have approached DLT offices with some knowledgable people they say that there is nothing

in the rules preventing a foreigner from getting a many-wheel license,

but speaking, reading and writing Thai is required in order to pass the tests.

They also said something about Tabian Baan, something which I have forgotten.

Whats worse is you can get FULL driving licence using an automatic car, the go drive what ever MANUAL you like including a BUS ,

or even more dangerous to young guys

get a FULL motorcycle licence from 1 min driving around a carpark on a yamaha fino automatic 115cc

buy a race ready superbike like a yamaha R1 the next day and get killed on it ..........

This is my concern, they can die as they want, but for driving a bus and killing innocents they should be injected...

I bet it's the same story for boats and planes for passengers.

The pilots can't even speak proper english so how can they conversate with the control towers?

In BKK the big bus drivers are not the most dangerous drivers though, that card goes to the mini-bus and taxi-drivers. Then the bahtbus and then the big buses.

Wonder how much Butler had to pay, back in the 1970's?

But in all seriousness, do they have a skid pad training facility in Thailand?

Yes, but they call it Bangkok-on-a-rainy-day.

And why am I not surprised ... ?

not much to driving a truck in thailand tho so it must be an easy test to pass as the throttle just goes 'on......off, on .......off' and the horn goes 'on......off, on.....off' and as for driving on the road.........'on.......off, on......off' how simple is that?

lol...knowing what we already know from the evidence about Thailand I don't see what the surprise is

What's worse is a Thai can be responsible for killing an entire bus of people & only lose his license. More worse is that the guy would complain miserably about the loss of income.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Wonder how much Butler had to pay, back in the 1970's?

But in all seriousness, do they have a skid pad training facility in Thailand?

I think Butler was a "Clippie" wasnt he? He had a Randy driver, can't think of his name!

Stan Butler (Reg Varney) was the bus driver and Jack Harper (Bob Grant) was the conductor (Clippie)

I think Butler was a "Clippie" wasnt he? He had a Randy driver, can't think of his name!

If you watch the video with the sound on you can hear Blakey saying "Butler, i'm going have yer" around 0:24

Sorry

Was just thinking that a training centre with a skid pan would be a good idea for learner bus/truck drivers.

I know, i think too much

You (thai's and Foreigners) can buy any type of drivers licence you require at Khao San Road for 200 - 300b a piece

The thai guy sells them from a small cart just inside the top end of KS Road.........he also sells University degrees, Certificates, Test results.....all printed with your name on them and any other detail your require......ready in 15 minutes.

I have stood and watched the local Plod walk right past his stand many times...

For the hell of it I asked the guy for a Degree in Veterinary Science from Victoria University Wellington New Zealand......got it in 20 minutes....amazingly Victoria Universitys coat of arms was on the top of the Degree in colour...I instantly recognised the coat of arms as my son gained his degree there.

For one...Victoria University does not offer a degree in Veterinary Science.......as I say I did it for the hell of it

Amazing Thailand

I also don't understand why a Thai with a Thai driverslicense can drive a car in Europe! It is legal to use it in Europe. We have to take at least 40 hours personal lessons with the instructor.

And why am I not surprised ... ?

Because accepting hearsay from an unreliable source is good enough for you when it supports the overall framework of biased opinion which you prefer to embrace?

Getting a license for a bribe is certainly universal so don't put it down to a Thai thing. It would be pure speculation to make a general statement about the amount of actual training and skills that the drivers have. Maybe I have been lucky with good bus drivers. No frightening moments during years of travel.

And what about the "sightseeing" trips, organised in this period by the schools, where they force 3 children in 2 seats in a bus? The teachers seem to enjoy this and make the studens pay for this. The children don't enjoy this but for the idiot teachers it is real fun!!!

Getting a license for a bribe is certainly universal so don't put it down to a Thai thing. It would be pure speculation to make a general statement about the amount of actual training and skills that the drivers have. Maybe I have been lucky with good bus drivers. No frightening moments during years of travel.

The BKK busdrivers stop on the middle of the road, very annoying but they don't drive very agressive/bad.

The Coach-drivers though is a whole different story, take the nightbus to Surat Thanee for example and you will think it was your last day on earth.

I didn't use those coaches for 20 years though but still remember how scared i was, since then i always fly or go by car.

Well, just yesterday I noticed that they have repainted the cement barrier at the bottom of Patong hill.

It is now looking rather resplended in white with red arrows.

Ready for the next out of control bus to hit it and kill some more innocent people.

Talk of proper licencing for heavy vehicle drivers here in LOS in entirely facile.

Who would police whether or not the appropriate licences are held?

Yes the minibus drivers are complete knobs.

But my vote for the most deadly vehicles on the roads of Phuket is the cement trucks.

I was doing 130km per hour one evening on my big bike on Thep Krassatri road. I was overtaken by a cement truck.