Thailand to boost bus services to neighbouring countries

[Thaivisa News]

Bangkok: – Transport Minister Prajin Juntong has instructed relevant authorities to initiate talks with their counterparts aimed at expanding bus services to Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

By this month, Thailand will start negotiating with Malaysia in order to launch bus routes to the southern neighbouring country, said Pongchai

Kasemthavisak, deputy permanent secretary for Transport.

Presently, Thai authorities allow Malaysian bus to transport tourists across the border although Thai buses could not operate regular services to Malaysian destinations.

The upcoming negotiations will focus on opening bus routes to Malaysia from five southern provinces of Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani, Satun and Songkhla.

The bus routes between Thailand and Malaysia are expected to boost tourism as well as facilitate the linkage of Asean Economic Community.

In regard to planned talks with Cambodian counterparts, Thai authorities will propose to expand the quota for 400 passenger buses and trucks per day to cross border.

Cambodia has allowed 40 Thai bus services per day to enter the country.

Thailand is expected to hold talks for drafting the trilateral agreement designed to open bus routes linking with Laos and Vietnam.

The three-country bus services would facilitate the flow of visitors between Thailand and Indochina.

In another news report, 190 bus routes in Bangkok are to be revised in order to ensure seamless connections with other forms of mass transportation, such as commuter train and BTS and MRT services.

Bangkok bus routes will be equally split between Bangkok Mass Transit Authority and private operators.

The BMTA presently operates a larger share of 114 bus routes.

[jerojero]

Sure! Transport thousands more each day on the most dangerous mode of transportation the country. Make sure the drivers are fully qualified by carrying at least a dozen amulets. No accident then.

[khwaibah]

Everyday I see this bus taken passengers to the crossing.

[ratcatcher]

"Presently, Thai authorities allow Malaysian bus to transport tourists across the border although Thai buses could not operate regular services to Malaysian destinations."

I wonder why. Anyone else willing to speculate? I'll start, Brakes and maintenance.

[marko kok prong]

Unqualified drivers,who fall asleep and will not drive in any lane except the fast lane.

[trainman34014]

They can't even drive properly on their own side of the road, so how will they drive on the opposite side in Countries that drive on the right ? Recipe for further disasters.

[Tomtomtom69]

They can't even drive properly on their own side of the road, so how will they drive on the opposite side in Countries that drive on the right ? Recipe for further disasters.

Obviously you don't realize that Thai buses have been operating cross-border services between Thailand and Laos for years and Thailand and Cambodia for about 2 years. In fact, even the article mentions this. Although I'm not sure, but Thai buses linking Had Yai and Penang presumably also operate, because as my Norwegian friend who recently travelled from Penang into Thailand told me, he was travelling inside a Thai registered minivan that took him from Penang to Hat Yai. From there, he took another vehicle onto Krabi. Also, as Malaysia drives on the same side of the road as Thailand and is less protectionist than most other countries in the region, it would make sense that Thai vehicles could enter Malaysia more easily than any other neighboring country.

However, it will take the Thais quite a lot of convincing Vietnam to allow RHD Thai buses to enter their territory as they currently refuse all Thai registered vehicles from entering their country and back in 2013 even stopped tourists driving LHD vehicles from crossing the border with their own cars unless they first register with a tour agency and get an escort to guide them throughout their trip inside the country. RHD vehicles, which could previously enter on pre-arranged tours were banned altogether according to the ttrweekly article from November, 2013. The only exceptions, not mentioned by the article are Lao registered vehicles, but apparently they must now be driven by a Lao national except maybe if the vehicle is owned by the foreigner themselves, although this is unclear. Also, Cambodian registered vehicles can still enter Vietnam in most circumstances and indeed it now seems to be getting easier for both Lao and Cambo vehicles entering Vietnam and vice versa according to a new trilateral agreement on cross-border traffic signed by the three nations. This means that third party border crossings should now also be allowed, such as Vietnamese vehicles crossing between Cambodia and Laos directly or a Cambodian vehicle crossing from Vietnam into Laos. Previously this was not allowed.

I believe Vietnam rushed in this legislation in a last-ditch attempt to maintain their sovereignty and make sure their transport operators earn money from tourists, rather than having tourists drive themselves. Same thing with buses and trucks - Vietnamese ones take precedence so they don't loose money to foreign operators except on routes that are operated as part of bilateral agreements such as Ho Chi Minh-Phnom Penh-Siem Reap, where both Cambodian and Vietnamese buses operate, or the numerous Laos-Vietnam services, such as Kontum-Attapeu-Pakse or Danang-Hue-Savannakhet and many others that may be operated either by a Lao or Vietnamese bus.

[Tomtomtom69]

"Presently, Thai authorities allow Malaysian bus to transport tourists across the border although Thai buses could not operate regular services to Malaysian destinations."

I wonder why. Anyone else willing to speculate? I'll start, Brakes and maintenance.

Possibly, but I think that since the Malaysians are less protectionist than all of Thailand's other neighbors, there are no security concerns in Malaysia unlike in Myanmar for example and since they also drive on the same side of the road, there is little reason for preventing Thai buses from entering Malaysia. In fact, I think the information presented as fact is actually wrong. There may be some restrictions, but unless someone knows better than I do, I doubt there are blanket restrictions on Thai buses going to Malaysia. Perhaps only distance restrictions but that's about it.

Thai minivans continue to do the Hat Yai-Penang run. I think however there must be a lack of an agreement on long distance buses, for example Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur, which explains the lack of services between the two countries apart from short border hops like the former, yet a Chiang Mai-Luang Prabang service, reportedly taking 18 hours has been operating for like 2-3 years already. So if such lengthy cross-border services like that one can operate, surely Bangkok-KL, Phuket-KL, Krabi-KL or Hat Yai-Singapore can operate too? Besides, roads in Malaysia are much, much better than in Laos and Thailand too, the Malaysian north-south expressway even links the Thai and Singaporean borders via KL and they all drive on the same side of the road, unlike Laos and Thailand's other 2 neighbors.

[Xircal]

I travelled on bus number 9916 from Bangkok to Sakaeo once. The toilet had broken down and the stench of urine which permeated the vehicle was nauseating. Whenever I felt like yawning, I had to bury my face in my T-shirt and then take a deep breath otherwise I would retch and almost throw up.

The bus looked the same as the one in the picture and had airco, but that didn't help at all. The journey takes 3½ hours.

Edited March 9, 2015 by Xircal

[bendejo]

I travelled on bus number 9916 from Bangkok to Sakaeo once. The toilet had broken down and the stench of urine which permeated the vehicle was nauseating. Whenever I felt like yawning, I had to bury my face in my T-shirt and then take a deep breath otherwise I would retch and almost throw up.

The bus looked the same as the one in the picture and had airco, but that didn't help at all. The journey takes 3½ hours.

It is bus rides like this that helped me understand what those menthol inhalers are for.

Took the route from Chumphon to Hat Yai lots of times. It's a local bus, so a lot of stops. When the loo goes ripe it's the smell of the disinfectant (or whatever you call it) that is maddening. Some buses have cans of air freshener in mounted holders attached to poles, so that the conductor just has to push the top down to add a new smell to mix.

I've taken buses from Penang/Butterworth to KL more times than I can count. Buses breaking down is not unusual on that run, my guess 1 in 4 from my experience. Impressive is that we were never marooned at the roadside or rest area for more than 10 minutes or so before we were on our way in another coach.