Passenger van services to be regulated by the Army: Thailand

[webfact]

Passenger van services to be regulated by the Army

BANGKOK, 14 July 2014 (NNT) - The Department of Land Transport (DLT) and the 2nd Cavalry Division (King’s Guard) will call a meeting of passenger van operators, drivers and queue managers during July 15-17. The meeting aims to improve van service operations across the country.

Director-General Adsathai Rattanadilok Na Phuket revealed that starting on July 21, all passenger vans must display a sticker certifying that they are properly licensed to operate van services. Vans without these stickers will be suspended from service.

All passenger vans must not be older than 10 years and should only be able to carry 14 passengers at the maximum. Van drivers are required to have a valid driving license before they take on the road.

The DLT is set to inspect van services nationwide to check whether they are properly licensed by July 21st and have complied with the regulations.

Van operators who do not have a valid sticker must terminate their services immediately. Violators will face up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 20,000 to 100,000 baht.


-- NNT 2014-07-14

[tifino]

can see it now: van driver has wife and six kids, and gets delayed every day going shops, going school - having to prove he's not carrying a van of screaming passengers...

[Pib]

Van drivers are required to have a valid driving license before they take on the road.

Yes, I think that should be a requirement....even in Thailand.

[fobuff]

[Cuchulainn]

Shouldn't they be governed as well? Say a max of 80kph?

[ginjag]

Van drivers are required to have a valid driving license before they take on the road.

Yes, I think that should be a requirement....even in Thailand.

Does this mean a PSV license as opposed to a valid driver license ??

Why not adopt the private hire plate/hackney plate ??

If the mini coach has 12 passenger seats, the maximum you can carry is 16 ???

[djjamie]

A valid drivers license and a road worthy van should be the norm anyway. I would hope that all 14 seat belts are checked and work as well.

This Junta are making me look forward to democracy like I would look forward to a funeral. Lets hope after reform the next government keep up the commitment and good work.

Edited July 14, 2014 by djjamie

[jaltsc]

"All passenger vans must not be older than 10 years and should only be able to carry 14 passengers at the maximum. Van drivers are required to have a valid driving license before they take on the road."

Great innovation. Who knows, maybe this will catch on in the west. Thailand, always at the forefront.

[Chicog]

You reckon the General peeps at TV occasionally?

[UbonRatch]

"All passenger vans must not be older than 10 years and should only be able to carry 14 passengers at the maximum. Van drivers are required to have a valid driving license before they take on the road."

Great innovation. Who knows, maybe this will catch on in the west. Thailand, always at the forefront.

Maybe all passenger van drivers must be older than ten years of age, and act like it as well?

[angsta]

You reckon the General peeps at TV occasionally?

Him and Jeremy Clarkson.

How to keep miserable, old, white men happy must keep him awake at night

[WhamBam]

At least they are doing something to help control this menace on the Thai roads.

[Thai at Heart]

This is a country, where you can drive your vehicle out of the showroom without proving that you have insurance or a license.

[TimCM]

maybe test them for Yaba as well. That will reduce some traffic

[JesseFrank]

How are those speed limiters working that were installed after the Chachoengsao accident

[Lockind]

This is a country, where you can drive your vehicle out of the showroom without proving that you have insurance or a license.

You can do exactly the same thing in the UK, it's optional to input your license number on the V5 registration document there, not compulsory.

[salavan]

they should also stop the driver using mobile phones as well, i got a van from bkk 2 hour trip the driver was on the phone the whole time he drove the whole trip with one hand on the wheel swerving in and out of traffic

[Emster23]

Is it still possible to buy a license without any testing? Seems half of this is just to raise some money. Sorry if I am cynical. Spot checks, drug testing. Special licensing of Van drivers, with testing done at military sites. If there is a way to weasel around the regulations, the drivers and van companies will find it.

[ldnguy]

they should also stop the driver using mobile phones as well, i got a van from bkk 2 hour trip the driver was on the phone the whole time he drove the whole trip with one hand on the wheel swerving in and out of traffic

So what did you do about it? Ask him to stop? Report him? Get off the van?

Or did you just let him carry on breaking the law and not bother doing anything? How does the driver know that anyone cares if no-one says anything.

[salavan]

they should also stop the driver using mobile phones as well, i got a van from bkk 2 hour trip the driver was on the phone the whole time he drove the whole trip with one hand on the wheel swerving in and out of traffic

So what did you do about it? Ask him to stop? Report him? Get off the van?

Or did you just let him carry on breaking the law and not bother doing anything? How does the driver know that anyone cares if no-one says anything.

you ever try arguing with someone that doesnt speak you language

[englishoak]

to check whether they are properly licensed by July 21st and have complied with the regulations.

Van operators who do not have a valid sticker must terminate their services immediately.

​Do they really think people are going to cease their business overnight ? Why the heck dont they ever make it so there is a proper window of notice for compliance and THEN come down hard after the deadline is passed and make it a routine obligation ?

This will just lead to a few token weeks of crackdown and then the usual backhanders and illegal licence stickers, same with the lack of drivers licence.

More immediate implementation that will be watched for a few weeks then collecting tea money thereafter.

[Tomtomtom69]

How are those speed limiters working that were installed after the Chachoengsao accident

I was also going to ask, where are the speed radar traps? I see plenty of "warning" signs in Thai, but always laugh them off. Despite many claims there are now fixed speed radar traps (or speed cameras as they are known in Australia) I have only ever received one ticket this way and I suspect the camera might have been mobile rather than fixed (I believe it was on the southern outer ring road), which was sent to my address. As I generally do 20-40km/h over the speed limit on that road and other expressways, there can't be any fixed cameras because otherwise I would have received a lot more fines in the mail.

It's quite amazing how low a priority stopping speeders seems to be in Thailand. In Vietnam, the police set up radar traps all over the country at regular intervals. On any given road trip you're guaranteed to see at least a couple such traps. The Vietnamese police strike fear in the hearts of motorists over there. The Thai police merely strike up an attack of laughter. Consequently, I generally drive whatever speed seems to be reasonable for the conditions because 1) there's hardly any speed limit signs in Thailand anyway, so how is one supposed to know the speed limit and 2) speed limit signs, where they exist are contradictory (such as a 90km/h side on the left and a 120km/h on the right on the Bangkok-Chonburi motorway) and since there is almost no enforcement, chances are you'll never get caught anyway. So speed on I'd say, lol.

[surangw]

A valid drivers license and a road worthy van should be the norm anyway. I would hope that all 14 seat belts are checked and work as well.

This Junta are making me look forward to democracy like I would look forward to a funeral. Lets hope after reform the next government keep up the commitment and good work.

" I would hope that all 14 seat belts are checked and work as well."

seat belts are usually in good shape, as they are unused, and 'stored" crammed under the seat back.

[Tokay]

Fake stickers will be for sale very soon, just like everything else that is fake and for sale. They even sell fake car stickers to get into the military base here in Chiang Mai. Slap one on your car and in you go, no problems.

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

If Thailand get attacked by foreign forces right now there will be no personnel to repel the attack, they are all very busy with chasing Motorcycle taxis, Mini vans, encroachers of public beaches and readers of George Orwell books.

[ricklev]

Every single one of the safety controls implemented on the Victory Monument to Thammasat Rangsit van after the tollway accident have been abandoned. No seat belt inspection, no GPS tracking, no buzzer over 90 kph, no sign with complaint number etc. All gone after the 2nd month.

You wouldn't think safely driving 30k down a half-empty straight highway at 90 kph would be so damn difficult, but it's beyond most of the drivers' emotional capabilities.

Edited July 15, 2014 by ricklev

[robblok]

Every single one of the safety controls implemented on the Victory Monument to Thammasat Rangsit van after the tollway accident have been abandoned. No seat belt inspection, no GPS tracking, no buzzer over 90 kph, no sign with complaint number etc. All gone after the 2nd month.

You wouldn't think safely driving 30k down a half-empty straight highway at 90 kph would be so damn difficult, but it's beyond most of the drivers' emotional capabilities.

They are loosing money when they only go 90. Its crazy I mean putting in gps tracking and some software would catch them all.

[englishoak]

Every single one of the safety controls implemented on the Victory Monument to Thammasat Rangsit van after the tollway accident have been abandoned. No seat belt inspection, no GPS tracking, no buzzer over 90 kph, no sign with complaint number etc. All gone after the 2nd month.

You wouldn't think safely driving 30k down a half-empty straight highway at 90 kph would be so damn difficult, but it's beyond most of the drivers' emotional capabilities.

They are loosing money when they only go 90. Its crazy I mean putting in gps tracking and some software would catch them all.

Dont give them more ideas they arnt capable of using properly for god sake...

[harrry]

can see it now: van driver has wife and six kids, and gets delayed every day going shops, going school - having to prove he's not carrying a van of screaming passengers...

Better passengers screaming than dead. He would have my vote if I had one.

[robblok]

Every single one of the safety controls implemented on the Victory Monument to Thammasat Rangsit van after the tollway accident have been abandoned. No seat belt inspection, no GPS tracking, no buzzer over 90 kph, no sign with complaint number etc. All gone after the 2nd month.

You wouldn't think safely driving 30k down a half-empty straight highway at 90 kph would be so damn difficult, but it's beyond most of the drivers' emotional capabilities.

They are loosing money when they only go 90. Its crazy I mean putting in gps tracking and some software would catch them all.

Dont give them more ideas they arnt capable of using properly for god sake...

Its not my idea.. it was an idea floated after a previous accident of high speed vans. It was proposed by Thais.