Here we go again - more overcrowding on Thai public transport

 

Image: Daily News

 

BANGKOK: -- In a bad week for overcrowding on Thai public transport the latest case involved a minivan crammed to bursting. 

 

Filmed on a mobile phone for Facebook the van on its way to the airport area kept stopping for more passengers even though people were already standing, reported Daily News.

 

A minivan usually can only carry 16 seated people but there were 21 onboard.

 

The 30 second video entitled "packed like sardines" featured on the page of Tikky Ing Ing. 

 

Reporters caught up with the female poster named as Wachuda who said that she was on her way from Bang Na to work in a depot near Suvarnabhumi. 

 

She already had to stand but the van stopped twice more to pick up extra passengers.

 

She wasn't that surprised - she said it is like this every day on that route - there are not enough minivans for the number of passengers who want to travel.

 

She said that employees have no choice but to get on not wanting to be late for work. Wachuda and many who saw the video and read her post called for the authorities to act saying the practice was illegal and dangerous.

 

Sukree Jaruphum of the Land Transport department who oversee the activities of the minivans said that he was aware of the case. 

 

He said that the driver could face a 5,000 baht fine for a first offence and withdrawal of license thereafter. The company operating the service could be fined 50,000 baht and have their vehicle confiscated on a second offence.

 

No action against either the driver or the company has yet been reported.

 

Earlier in the week Britain's Guardian newspaper reported along with a YouTube video that 41 people were found crammed in a Toyota Commuter van. Those were thought to be foreign workers.

 

While on Sunday there was thought to be serious overcrowding on the boat that hit a berm and sank in the Chao Praya river killing at least 28 passengers.

 

Source: Daily News

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2016-09-23

 

 

I am inclined to believe this was a staged video.

 

Thais are very law abiding, from lowly drivers to board members of huge corporations.

It's a bit like the BTS at rush hour....sardines get it easy in the tin!

why was it staged when the land office are well aware of the situation, and have done jack shit about it, this person had no choice but to get on this vehicle. how do you think she would get to work otherwise. the bus was full when she got on it and still the driver stopped twice more for passengers to get on. it seems the only way to get things done in this country is via social media and shame the authorities into doing something

He said that the driver could face a 5,000 baht fine for a first offence and withdrawal of license thereafter. The company operating the service could be fined 50,000 baht and have their vehicle confiscated on a second offence.

 

 

 

but in this case nothing will happen and the next and next and next and......

An off-topic troll post has been removed.

why was it staged when the land office are well aware of the situation, and have done jack shit about it, this person had no choice but to get on this vehicle. how do you think she would get to work otherwise. the bus was full when she got on it and still the driver stopped twice more for passengers to get on. it seems the only way to get things done in this country is via social media and shame the authorities into doing something

I take it you didn't get his sarcasm.

Why aren't the owners of these companies

in jail for allowing such unsafe, criminal,

situations to continue on a daily basis.  Their

children should be compelled to ride on these

vans daily...that would be Justice.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Here we go again - more overcrowding on Thai public transport

... and while we are at it, there is also overcrowding on Thai private transport: from 6 persons on a motor bike to the back of pick-up trucks stuffed with grannies and babies or Cambodian construction workers. And why is there overcrowding? Because of these folks:

 

 

There is just no glory or photo op in combatting overcrowding, hence inaction

The record on a Baht Bus I have been on is 22, 2 in the cab with the driver, 12 sat down, 4 stooped inside and 4 hanging off the back.

Edited September 23, 20169 yr by jamie2009
Mis Quote

this is nothing compared to minivan that had 41 passengers. a little margin of overcrowding is understandable but security and  should not be compromised.

1 hour ago, little mary sunshine said:

Why aren't the owners of these companies

in jail for allowing such unsafe, criminal,

situations to continue on a daily basis.  Their

children should be compelled to ride on these

vans daily...that would be Justice.

surely they must be investigated but people tend to let life go on as if nothing has happened until something does.

He said that the driver could face a 5,000 baht fine for a first offence and withdrawal of license thereafter. 

I think the driver should have an arm removed for first offence and be publicly hung, drawn and quartered for subsequent offences... but hey, that's just me.

2 hours ago, whatproblem said:

He said that the driver could face a 5,000 baht fine for a first offence and withdrawal of license thereafter. The company operating the service could be fined 50,000 baht and have their vehicle confiscated on a second offence.

 

 

 

but in this case nothing will happen and the next and next and next and......

and why is that?

1 hour ago, klauskunkel said:

... and while we are at it, there is also overcrowding on Thai private transport: from 6 persons on a motor bike to the back of pick-up trucks stuffed with grannies and babies or Cambodian construction workers. And why is there overcrowding? Because of these folks:

 

 

There is just no glory or photo op in combatting overcrowding, hence inaction

So overcrowding has only begun in the last few years?

3 hours ago, trogers said:

I am inclined to believe this was a staged video.

 

Thais are very law abiding, from lowly drivers to board members of huge corporations.

 

Love your sense of humour  

3 hours ago, BSJ said:

It's a bit like the BTS at rush hour....sardines get it easy in the tin!

Like public transport in many other countries in the world, including western.

The bloody vans are a shame.

Normal line buses, while not ideal, have been taken out of service everywhere in the country for short and very long distances, while most, if not all, drivers of the vans border on a not too healthy state of mind.

Of course, who must shoulder the blame is not my business, but more control on the antics of "drivers" is very much necessary.

 

But, why are we complaining?

Ever saw trains in India?

The driver has to switch on the window wiper to remove some human passengers to be able to look ahead.

Edited September 23, 20169 yr by hansnl

28 minutes ago, halloween said:

So overcrowding has only begun in the last few years?

Huh?

3 hours ago, whatproblem said:

He said that the driver could face a 5,000 baht fine for a first offence and withdrawal of license thereafter. The company operating the service could be fined 50,000 baht and have their vehicle confiscated on a second offence.

 

 

 

but in this case nothing will happen and the next and next and next and......

We have to admire their consistency because as soon as something like this happens there's always an official ready with the ' could ' scenario although that's often as far as it goes.

Ready with answers but action's a different story. 

Two threads running on TVF at the moment:

 

1.Overcrowding on Thai public transporting, and     2. Bangkok traffic.   There are just too many cars.

 

Solving either one of these problems would seem to exacerbate the other.  

 

 

 

 

4 hours ago, mercman24 said:

why was it staged when the land office are well aware of the situation, and have done jack shit about it, this person had no choice but to get on this vehicle. how do you think she would get to work otherwise. the bus was full when she got on it and still the driver stopped twice more for passengers to get on. it seems the only way to get things done in this country is via social media and shame the authorities into doing something

We are all captives of our environment especially the worker bees. Big business leaves you few options today show up for work on time or hit the road. 

1 hour ago, sahibji said:

and why is that?

 

Because for the government ,people who's lives are important don't travel by public transport ,you not know this?

The government might, one day, decide enough is enough - but I shall neither be holding my breath, nor travelling in a mini van for the forseeable future.

6 hours ago, little mary sunshine said:

Why aren't the owners of these companies

in jail for allowing such unsafe, criminal,

situations to continue on a daily basis.  Their

children should be compelled to ride on these

vans daily...that would be Justice.

What???? You don't seem to think much of the poor innocent children.

9 hours ago, trogers said:

I am inclined to believe this was a staged video.

 

Thais are very law abiding, from lowly drivers to board members of huge corporations.

Are you Serious?    Law Abiding,No Law Abusing ,Yes.

An off topic post has been removed. 

6 hours ago, Doc46 said:

Are you Serious?    Law Abiding,No Law Abusing ,Yes.

As a doctor, I am surprised you could not diagnose trogers' acute case of sarcasm.

I've been on Esarn van trips with 23-25 people on board. They were packed but the people are small. That was 10 years ago. Since then they've got new vans and most people have someone who drives in the family. Bangkok is a mess created by bad planning. It's going to be jammed just like all the other Asian cities including Tokyo. They eventually have pushers for the Skytrain. Society will suffer all for the high property prices of the landowners. Traffic and overpopulation makes the people at the top even richer.

Reminds me of what my Balinese friend said when I asked about their government's unconcern about public safety, "our government doesn't care because there too many of us".

Maybe it's an unspoken, subconscious response by the authority to overpopulation(?).

On 9/23/2016 at 11:11 PM, ratcatcher said:

As a doctor, I am surprised you could not diagnose trogers' acute case of sarcasm.

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