Clearly Drunk Bus Driver!

[WoopyDoo]

I was at Korat main bus station this afternoon with the wife as we were sending some goods via the bus couriers service.

While we were waiting to check our parcels onto the system, a bus driver turned up at the office, allegedly to start his shift.

The wife was the first to notice him and pointed him out to me with the comment he looked 'very drunk'. I looked across to him who seemed to be slurring at one of the staff. His face was quite red, his eyes were red and he didn't seem to be steady on his feet.

It appears that we were not the only ones to notice this as a woman came into the office and started talking to him a little abruptly, and proceeded to go to a cupboard and remove a breath testing kit. To this the driver seemed to get quite animated. But the woman who I can only assume to be some sort of manager insisted he give a sample.

By this time a few people had noticed and were watching with interest and seemed to be laughing and joking at the situation.. They seemed to find it more entertaining than anything else.

The driver took the tester and proceeded to give a tiny little puff not lasting more than a second, and the 'manager' was trying to explain that he had to give a long 5 second sample of breath and not a silly little puff as the meter would not work.. The driver continued with little puffs and totally ignored people in the office who were all clearly trying to explain to him how to give a real sample... The driver was basically just taking the piss and annoying everyone in the office.

Anyway, this seemed to go on for a few minutes and people in the office started to walk away annoyed at this prat.

I was totally convinced this guy was three parts pissed and no way was he going to be allowed on a bus, but eventually the woman just gave up on him and he signed his bit of paper (whatever it was) and proceeded to walk out of the office and into the driving seat of a BKK bound bus.

I said to the wife to call the police, and that this was unacceptable, and she just said that there was no point, the police won't come. I said to do it anyway.. But she didn't want to get involved. I wasn't happy with that.

I was frustrated that my Thai was not up to scratch to do it myself, I am quite ashamed of myself that I have let this occur now that I think back on it... It has really boosted my intention to put in a lot more effort to hone down my Thai skills so that I can actually make a coherent phone conversation.

But even so.... There were plenty of Thais there that don't have my disability and are more than capable of being able to make a simple phone call to the police, but none seemed to bother so much as me about it. Maybe they all know that the police are so bad at their job, they are all of the common consensus that it was pointless and better to not get involved at all.

Thainess at its best.

[Hedghog]

Woopydoo

[Scully]

A few years ago I got on a bus that went over a mountainous area, about a mile into the journey the driver must have had his yaba hit kick in. If we weren't in the middle of nowhere I would have got off but there was no place to stop without sleeping by the roadside.

He overtook on blind bends, basically drove like he was in a Ferrari.

That is the only time I could actually see fear in the eyes of Thai people but as ever nobody said a word, at the first stop where there was life I got off and sought a hotel.

Driving up north I have seen several buses on there sides often more than once in one journey. Drug tests, alcohol tests tachographs all need to be implemented in Thailand for the death rates to start dropping.

Also the buses are made in warehouses with no safety in the manufacture just a case of welding bits of metal into a bus shape then add some groovy paintings and the jobs done.

Always get the government buses, they do 8 hours driving Max and the buses aren't made of recycled corrugated roofing.

[guzzi850m2]

Sadly this is part of the deal when moving to a 3rd world country like Thailand, the climate is nice and so is the people and food but traffic laws are not really taken seriously.

The driver will only get into trouble if he are involved in an accident and if somebody is killed he will go to jail for a couple of years.

I can understand your wife didn't want to call the police, it's part of life here, don't get involved if you can avoid it.

One have to make up your mind before moving here permanently, nanny state at home or more freedom here.

Well don't get me wrong, I think drunk drivers should be stopped/punished before they kill somebody and they are slowly changing peoples behavior towards this but it will take years before we will see some major improvements.

[Neeranam]

Alcoholism is a terrible disease, I hope he gets some help.

[evadgib]

Woopydoo

Spare a thought for those who's wives & kids have yet to return from Songkran/Easter though eh?

[arthurwait]

My wife has a petrol station with a coach park, 90% of the drivers are Esarn, 90% of the drivers are permantly drunk. Some get off the coach to fill up with a can of chang in hand. They have no respect for anyone let alone women. The coach operators have already paid the police to operate the route.

All the 90% of the drivers care about is getting drunk, gambling, muay Thai and womanizing. If one of their wifes asks them to stop (most are drunks as well) they will get slapped about in front of everyone.

The female coach staff knows the man has no respect for her or anyone and she would probably be in trouble if a shifts money was lost and that the police have already been paid.

Welcome to Thailand. Most coach, bus , taxi , tuk tuk, motor bike taxi , pick up and male Mercedes drivers are drunks.

[nottocus]

Wow….a drunk bus driver in Thailand. Move long please.

[benalibina]

My wife has a petrol station with a coach park, 90% of the drivers are Esarn, 90% of the drivers are permantly drunk. Some get off the coach to fill up with a can of chang in hand. They have no respect for anyone let alone women. The coach operators have already paid the police to operate the route.

All the 90% of the drivers care about is getting drunk, gambling, muay Thai and womanizing. If one of their wifes asks them to stop (most are drunks as well) they will get slapped about in front of everyone.

The female coach staff knows the man has no respect for her or anyone and she would probably be in trouble if a shifts money was lost and that the police have already been paid.

Welcome to Thailand. Most coach, bus , taxi , tuk tuk, motor bike taxi , pick up and male Mercedes drivers are drunks.

Drunk whilst driving you mean, i guess. What a load of BS. Not doubting there are drivers that are drunks but in all my years i have never driven in a bus/taxi or tuktuk where the driver was apparantly drunk. I always blamed it on lack of drivingabilities.

[chrisinth]

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Quote

Alcoholism is a terrible disease, I hope he gets some help.

Whereas it is a terrible disease, I don't think an alcoholic should be driving busses.

Still, wouldn't think he would have that bit in his CV. Even if the manager had the slightest doubt, and the driver wasn't complying with the breath test, this should have been taken to a higher level if the manager couldn't deal with it.

All the above is assuming that the driver was drunk, and not suffering from heat stroke, salt deficiency, etc, etc...............

[samran]

This is a greater problem than Thailand. I think it goes with any form of long distance for driving, drugs etc are an insidious part of it all. Watched a recent four corners investigation on the use of amphetamines in the trucking industry in Australia, in part, due to the stupidly short windows for delivery of products. They evade police, get proxies into do breath tests and fake log books.

Not trying to justify here or anywhere else. I drive on Thai roads and give busses pickups and trucks as wide as berth as possible, as well as just about any other car.

[seajae]

many times in taxis you can smell the booze on the driver, if they are not able to drive safely I just tell them to stop and get out. Like your wife, mine also does not want to get involved, when i try to explain that people lives are at risk she still will not do anything, seems face and not starting anything is too high a price for some thais to change. I would love to see a thai person actually do the right thing but will not hold my breath waiting but saying that there are some that will stand up for what is right even if its only a small amount of people.

[dogleg]

.. my wife gets upset if I even remind a driver to put his lights on at night!

[VocalNeal]

Sadly this is part of the deal when moving to a 3rd world country like Thailand, the climate is nice and so is the people and food but traffic laws are not really taken seriously.

As someone said on "another" forum "It was the three wheels on the wagon approach to life that brought me to Asia"

It is no different and maybe worse in Indonesia/Philippines. Where we live is not like EU/US

[arthurwait]

My wife has a petrol station with a coach park, 90% of the drivers are Esarn, 90% of the drivers are permantly drunk. Some get off the coach to fill up with a can of chang in hand. They have no respect for anyone let alone women. The coach operators have already paid the police to operate the route.

All the 90% of the drivers care about is getting drunk, gambling, muay Thai and womanizing. If one of their wifes asks them to stop (most are drunks as well) they will get slapped about in front of everyone.

The female coach staff knows the man has no respect for her or anyone and she would probably be in trouble if a shifts money was lost and that the police have already been paid.

Welcome to Thailand. Most coach, bus , taxi , tuk tuk, motor bike taxi , pick up and male Mercedes drivers are drunks.

Drunk whilst driving you mean, i guess. What a load of BS. Not doubting there are drivers that are drunks but in all my years i have never driven in a bus/taxi or tuktuk where the driver was apparantly drunk. I always blamed it on lack of drivingabilities.

Witness it all day long.

[daveAustin]

Welcome to Thailand. Most coach, bus , taxi , tuk tuk, motor bike taxi , pick up and male Mercedes drivers are drunks.

Can't say I've noticed myself, but then again I've only been here 15 years, driven couple 100k and ridden in hundreds of buses, taxis, tuk tuks, motorbike taxis etc. Not doubting there are drunks driving public transport, but it ain't wholesale or 90%. Bit of bs baffles brains methinks.

[NamKAheng]

My friend own a hotel in Phuket and the last 3 security gards were drunk all night so I said to him hire a women for security gard, problem solve so maybe it will be a good idea to have women driver on those buses.

Took a bus Khrungtep to Surin, it was for round trip, we came back by train, never again with those nuts drivers.

[speedtripler]

My friend own a hotel in Phuket and the last 3 security gards were drunk all night so I said to him hire a women for security gard, problem solve so maybe it will be a good idea to have women driver on those buses.

Took a bus Khrungtep to Surin, it was for round trip, we came back by train, never again with those nuts drivers.

theres a picture somewhere of a train driver smoking yabba with a pipe in his uniform

responsibiklity is just not in the culture

an accident has to happen first ,usually fatal before anyone looks into the causes .....

even then its more a compensation culture than a what can we do to make sure it doesnt happen again culture....

[Thongkorn]

Alcoholism is a terrible disease, I hope he gets some help.

Alcoholism is self inflicted,