Chiang Mai develops comprehensive bus routes

[Thaivisa News]

Chiang Mai:- The Chiang Mai University has joined hands with local government agencies and private sector to develop 14 routes of buses to cover all major areas of the northern city as part of a preparation for the ASEAN Economic Community.

Prof Dr Poon Thiangburanatham, a lecturer of Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Engineering, said four of the 14 routes have been being operated on a pilot project since February 2015.

He said the bus operators use a flat fare of Bt15 throughout the route and the four routes have received warm welcome from Chiang Mai residents because the northern city earlier lacked regular buses that are reliable.

The lack of buses with reliable services prompted local people to use private vehicles that caused heavy congestion in Chiang Mai downtown, he added.

Poon said the university decided to cooperate with the Nakhon Chiang Mai Municipality, the Chiang Mai Land Transport Office, Lanna Bus Cooperatives and private firms to develop reliable bus services because the northern city is expected to be visited by more tourists after the AEC integration is completed later this year.

Poon said earlier bus services in Chiang Mai are notorious for uncertainty of frequencies and the bus routes do not cover all important areas.

Poon said the buses are equipped with GPS devices and the university has developed an app for commuters to check the current location of their bus.

He said the bus fare will be paid by coupons which have been printed in four languages – Thai, English, Chinese and Shan.

Once the AEC integration is completed, there will be a type of coupon that allows tourists to use one coupon to take al buses during the day, he added.

[worgeordie]

If this happens it will be great for Chiang Mai, especially if the routes service

areas where people actually want to travel,this has been tried before and was

a failure,because of severe opposition from tuk tuk and red pickup bus drivers,

and the buses seemed to travel on routes that were not viable.lets hope this

time it works,as a comprehensive public transport system is very badly needed

in Chiang Mai.

regards worgeordie

[Mcffee]

Very good, and why they gonna start planning a car and motorbike-free city center?

[Beng]

And again,the article is missing out on the 2 most interesting facts.

What are the routes ?

Where to get the 15 Baht coupons ?

[khwaibah]

And again,the article is missing out on the 2 most interesting facts.

What are the routes ?

Where to get the 15 Baht coupons ?

Its only details.

[Deez]

Reliable, bus routes and cutting the tuk tuk/songtaew population by 50% would do wonders to help traffic woes here

[connda]

"Develops" has components such as planning, funding, and implementation. Like most grand ideas that we hear about in the LOS, this one will probably not get beyond the initial planning stage. It might get to the funding stage to line a few pockets. Implementation?????

"You're such a pessimist!!!"

Nope. I'm an unbridled realist. There's a difference.

Edited April 10, 2015 by connda

[Cpkt8]

Hope the relevant authorities have foreseen the possible troubles created by tuk tuk/songtaew hooligans, and made preparations to tackle this issue.

[cnx355]

And again,the article is missing out on the 2 most interesting facts.

What are the routes ?

Where to get the 15 Baht coupons ?

I agree, another fine exemple of local news. A lot of text but not a single useful details of the project !

[Beng]

What kind of bus would that be ?

[maderaroja]

I would like to see something like this put into place. Also, it would be helpful if all the tuks and red pickups and yellow pickups and blue pickups were electric, by fiat.

[beau thai]

This has been in operation as a pilot project since February 2015- and yet none of us know about it?? it has had 'a warm welcome from Chiang Mai residents' ???

How can you test anything in a pilot unless you publicize it- or has it only been publicized in, and to, thai??

Be great to know the routes/times if anyone has that info.

[elgordo38]

And again,the article is missing out on the 2 most interesting facts.

What are the routes ?

Where to get the 15 Baht coupons ?

Yes where I am interested it is obviously Chiang Mai's best kept secret. I doubt if the taxi mafia will sit still for this.

[Johnny S]

Hot air in more than one way

[sawadee1947]

What kind of bus would that be ?

oh, I guess equipped with leather pullman seats, TV, Internet, and hostesses....exactly according Thainess....Why you asked?

[sawadee1947]

I would like to see something like this put into place. Also, it would be helpful if all the tuks and red pickups and yellow pickups and blue pickups were electric, by fiat.

electric is too expensive unless you use solar power. I'm happy already that they use mainly gas, LPG.

[CMfoodie]

Would the most powerful "union" in Chiang Mai sacrifice 100's of songtaew drivers in favor of buses? No.

This has been attempted before - with the city purchasing buses only to sell them, scrap them, months later due to the "union" demands.

Only an invoke of the Article 44 could possibly create a civil mass transportation in this city.

[connda]

This has been in operation as a pilot project since February 2015- and yet none of us know about it?? it has had 'a warm welcome from Chiang Mai residents' ???

How can you test anything in a pilot unless you publicize it- or has it only been publicized in, and to, thai??

Be great to know the routes/times if anyone has that info.

I've asked my Thai wife. She's already heard about it, so Thai residents must have got the news.

[elgordo38]

Do they start these projects with the explicit purpose of making them fail. I have seen no advertising, buses, nothing but the blurb here on TV. Looks more like lip service than bus service to me. It is truly a shame how this wonderful idea will never get off of the ground.

[mr chow]

Very good, and why they gonna start planning a car and motorbike-free city center?

Mcffee... Yeah we'll all walk all the time too!! Get real!

[T_Dog]

They tried this back around 2007 and for a few months it was great. Slowly people started reverting back to Songtaews and then the buses just stopped rolling on any kind of schedule. Hopefully this time around it will work out.

[northernjohn]

Reliable, bus routes and cutting the tuk tuk/songtaew population by 50% would do wonders to help traffic woes here

why is it peoples only answer is to cut the tuck tuck and songthaew's down. common sense tells us that they keep the number of private vehicles on the rod down.

Why do people not say learn to walk.

Travel with more than one in the vehicle. If every one used a tuck tuck or a songthaew it would mean a decrease in traffic on the roads.

[beau thai]

This has been in operation as a pilot project since February 2015- and yet none of us know about it?? it has had 'a warm welcome from Chiang Mai residents' ???

How can you test anything in a pilot unless you publicize it- or has it only been publicized in, and to, thai??

Be great to know the routes/times if anyone has that info.

I've asked my Thai wife. She's already heard about it, so Thai residents must have got the news.

Oh that's good. So can she help us to find the routes and times please? Thank you.

[jonwilly]

A friend of mine has been reviewing the paper to be submitted for another friends Doctorate.

The subject is a Transportation system for CM.

There are dozens of Papers that have been submitted to the Ampure and the candidate says they all come to an end on account of the One highly influential person who 'Runs' the Songthaws.

john

[konjianghai]

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=th&u=http://www.hedlomnews.com/%3Fp%3D2337&prev=search

[beau thai]

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=th&u=http://www.hedlomnews.com/%3Fp%3D2337&prev=search

Belated thanks.

The translation is quite amusing bur refers to a scheme from August 1 last year, and not the pilot in February this year referred to above.

So the routes and times remain a mystery, to me at least, unless anyone can fill in the gaps.....

[elgordo38]

Chiang Mai's best kept secret. Doomed to failure from the gitgo.