Gas Stations Allowed To Be Open Round-the-clock

[george]

Gas stations to be open 24/7

BANGKOK: -- Petrol stations around the country will be able to open around the clock from December 1, following Cabinet's decision Tuesday to lift the order for their closure between 10pm-5am, according to Government Spokesperson Yongyuth Mayalarp.

Mr Yongyuth told reporters that the order, enforced since July 12 as part of the government's drive to reduce domestic petrol consumption, has inconvenienced drivers and disrupted long-distance road travel, especially overnight transport.

The Energy Ministry, which proposed that the measure be lifted, said it will continue to encourage the public to conserve energy through other means. So far, the campaign has been successful and the public has been aware of the need to reduce its energy consumption, Mr Yongyuth added.

-- TNA 2006-11-28

[Buckwheat]

That's great news.

Common sense prevails!

[rodcourt49]

You missed the point..So far, the campaign has been successful and the public has been aware of the need to reduce its energy consumption, Mr Yongyuth added. ..this was the Thaksinism that did work.....

[VanZam]

You missed the point..So far, the campaign has been successful and the public has been aware of the need to reduce its energy consumption, Mr Yongyuth added. ..this was the Thaksinism that did work.....

It only worked becasue it forced people to save petrol, you should not confuse education with forced saving.

[markg]

Well........if that's what it takes to save the world. So what.

One of the downsides of the night time closures though was the huge proliferation of roadside whisky bottle petrol vendors. Ever so slightly unsafe!

I dont understand WHY closing at night cut down on petrol consumption, but apparantly it did. So thats a good thing in my view.

[Plus]

According to both the Energy Minister and PTT president, 10 PM closure didn't reduce gasoline consumption, other measures did.

Generals are not taking over state enterprises, they are keeping watch on them. One board member doesn't make a policy, he makes it more difficult to push through some nefarious scheme to benefit private shareholders of the state entrprise, usually politicians.

[zakk9]

Well........if that's what it takes to save the world. So what.

One of the downsides of the night time closures though was the huge proliferation of roadside whisky bottle petrol vendors. Ever so slightly unsafe!

I dont understand WHY closing at night cut down on petrol consumption, but apparantly it did. So thats a good thing in my view.

Of course it didn't reduce consumption. What reduced it was the dramatic increase in petrol prices during the same period. Thaksin subsidised petrol at will to generate the effects that he wanted.

[Oliver Reed]

Great news....what about extended bar openings

[cclub75]

Great news....what about extended bar openings

ah ah ah ! that's a good one.

Maybe "as a new year gift", like General Sonthi said regarding the lift of martial law.

[booma]

Good news!

That'll save me having to find a Thai with a syphon tube and a tank with enough available fuel to flog me!! When I forget to fill up myself of course!!!

[p1p]

This ridiculous measure of closing the petrol stations at night certainly did not save fuel. In fact the opposite was true. Our truck, which previiously drove Bangkok - Chiang Mai - Bangkok overnight, on mostly empty roads, was forced to travel in trafic instead. Our fuel consumption increased by between 12-18%. If this is true over the entire trucking fleet, the overall effect can not possibly have been a saving.

[wilko]

Without a doubt...common sense has prevailed...all the other comments about it "working" are in essence just face saving exercises. The amount of damage it did to commerce, transport etc will probably remain undisclosed.

It was a classically stupid idea and it has had to wait far too long to be repealed, but any earlier and people would have lost face...this is a classic example of "kreng jai".

[konangrit]

About time this ridiculous idea was scrapped, that it took a coup to enable this says a lot about the previous government.

I had the misfortune to run out of fuel near a gas station in Rayong province in the early hours several months ago, and I wasn't alone in having to wait until 5am before being able to continue on my journey. How did that save fuel? It just resulted in inconvenience to me and many Thais for no good reason. I had a flight to catch the next morning too, fortunately I still had enough time to make it, but could have quite easily not.

[seadoo]

I agree, common sense finally applies. My wife recently had to be medivac from Pattaya to BKK around 2am in the morning, I had to go back to our house to collect our kids, whilst a friend went up with her in the ambulance, in my car with the kids, I got stuck at the service centre, no fuel till 7am, and I had to abandon my car and convince another person to take me and the kids to BKK.

I could not understand why at least the service centre was not open, needless to say, my wife is fine now.

[kmart]

About time this ridiculous idea was scrapped, that it took a coup to enable this says a lot about the previous government.

I had the misfortune to run out of fuel near a gas station in Rayong province in the early hours several months ago, and I wasn't alone in having to wait until 5am before being able to continue on my journey. How did that save fuel? It just resulted in inconvenience to me and many Thais for no good reason. I had a flight to catch the next morning too, fortunately I still had enough time to make it, but could have quite easily not.

Happened to me coming back to Rayong from the Oasis concert in Bangkok.

Had to spend the night in the car at the "service area" on the new motorway. A service area with no accommodation; motel; etc.

[Bruce1]

Good riddance to a stupid idea.

It's actually smarter to travel at night than during the day, since its cooler and there is less need for aircon and fewer vehicles, so less fuel is used. So, using the logic of the previous night fuel ban, to save fuel the govt should close service stations during the day and force all motorists to travel at night!!!!!!!

Logical - NOT!

Now, what is the logic behind closing liquor shops in the afternoons? How does that actually reduce alcohol consumption? Makes no difference to my drinking habits.

[wilko]

an Oasis fan!.....in this country that's called instant kharma

[ozymandious]

Supposed to be closed at 10PM!!!

My locall PPT in Phuket closed at 7pm

I was usually screwed for diesel if i didn't get it durring the working day.

I'd be happy with 10

[wilko]

Well, when the new regs come into effect you can refuse to allow yourself to buy diesel after 10 pm...and still be happy! And the rest of us will buy it as and when we need it.

[BigSnake]

That's great news.

Common sense prevails!

Right on!! Buckwheat you got it 100% right. Let's hope the same commom sense prevails in other matters, such as: 25 years old to buy booze, etc

[kmart]

an Oasis fan!.....in this country that's called instant kharma

Serves me right, eh? Fair enough.

[samran]

For the next 9 months, you'll be getting as common sense a government that is possible in Thailand. They have gotten some really smart people and independent thinkers who were sidelined by Thaksin and put them in the position of power, basically to right some wrongs. Pity is that they won't be around for longer, to actually do some good things for the longer term.

After the next elections...it will be business as usual.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Supposed to be closed at 10PM!!!

My locall PPT in Phuket closed at 7pm

I was usually screwed for diesel if i didn't get it durring the working day.

I'd be happy with 10

PTT in Chiang Mai closed early too.

[radhamaska]

atlast good sense prevails . actually i didnt understand the logic behind keeping the petrol stations closedbetween 10 to 5. it made the lines at gas stations longer and i think actually it didnt save any petrol. WHY DONT THEY SHUT ALTERNATE LIGHTS AT THE EXPRESSWAYS I THINK THAT WILL SAVE THEM A LOT MORE ENERGY THAN HARASSING CITIZENS WITH ABSURD RULES. PLEASE GIVE IT A THOUGHT THE MOTORWAY FROM BKK TO CHONBURI , EXPRESSWAYS IN BANGKOK ARE ALL DAZZLING WITH LIGHTS EVEN IN THE WEE HOURS OF NIGHT.

[seadoo]

From One Ridiculous Rule to another.

Can someone tell me why when you buy a new car in Thailand you cannot drive it after sunset because of its red number plate, I got stopped at the toll gates on the motorway last weekend on the way home to Pattaya (from BKK) and I had to park my car and wait till sunrise or pay the guy and under-the-clipboard fine.

When I buy a new car, I want to drive it all hours, just like the pick-up that has a white plate and is so old and bent out of shape that a scrap yard would reject it.

Can someone explain the rule behind this - as they promote - Amazing Thailand

[aonangkrabi]

I am amazed to read that gas stations really closed during the night. I live in Krabi Province and I could always fill up after midnight; no problem whatsoever. So I always thought that it was one of these Bangkok imposed things that never trickle down to the provinces.

[mitrapaap]

You missed the point..So far, the campaign has been successful and the public has been aware of the need to reduce its energy consumption, Mr Yongyuth added. ..this was the Thaksinism that did work.....

Who missed what exactly? The quote says: "The Energy Ministry, which proposed that the measure be lifted, said it will continue to encourage the public to conserve energy through other means. So far, the campaign has been successful and the public has been aware of the need to reduce its energy consumption, ...."

What is meant by the campaign? Thaksin's enforcement of a measure or the encouragement to the public to conserve energy? I woul guess an enforcement is not a campaign. Therefore the closing had no effect, becuase whether you go to Chiang Mai in daytime or over night uses the same amount of petrol. I haven't driven a km less since this useless rule. But encouraging the people to safe energy can be a campaign and it is useful if it is successful.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

You missed the point..So far, the campaign has been successful and the public has been aware of the need to reduce its energy consumption, Mr Yongyuth added. ..this was the Thaksinism that did work.....

Who missed what exactly? The quote says: "The Energy Ministry, which proposed that the measure be lifted, said it will continue to encourage the public to conserve energy through other means. So far, the campaign has been successful and the public has been aware of the need to reduce its energy consumption, ...."

What is meant by the campaign? Thaksin's enforcement of a measure or the encouragement to the public to conserve energy? I woul guess an enforcement is not a campaign. Therefore the closing had no effect, becuase whether you go to Chiang Mai in daytime or over night uses the same amount of petrol. I haven't driven a km less since this useless rule. But encouraging the people to safe energy can be a campaign and it is useful if it is successful.

I have driven less at times - if I forgot to fill my tank and the pumps were all closed.

Stupid and pointless law...

[mitrapaap]

From One Ridiculous Rule to another.

Can someone tell me why when you buy a new car in Thailand you cannot drive it after sunset because of its red number plate, I got stopped at the toll gates on the motorway last weekend on the way home to Pattaya (from BKK) and I had to park my car and wait till sunrise or pay the guy and under-the-clipboard fine.

When I buy a new car, I want to drive it all hours, just like the pick-up that has a white plate and is so old and bent out of shape that a scrap yard would reject it.

Can someone explain the rule behind this - as they promote - Amazing Thailand

I had the same and even the policeman did not know where that rule is written - another policeman told him and we found it. It was true. Whether it makes sense or not is discussable, I'm sure it at least did make sense once upon a time when they implemented the rule. Now wether to get a coronar about it or not is up to each individual. Once again, if we want to live here, we have to accept the rules. They are valid for the Thais as well.

[wpcoe]

What about the other "energy saving" edict issued about the same time as the no-gas-after-10pm? The banning of 24-hours stores/malls like Tesco, Big C, Carrefour, etc.

When grocery stores in the US first started being open 24-hours it was explained that the minimal cost of keeping cashiers on duty was the only signifcant increased expense. They needed to keep the coolers and air con on anyway, and the lights were on while the stock boys did their stuff, etc. I never quite bought into the fact that the stock boys were slaving away all the way through the night, but the point was it did not increase electric/energy bills significantly to let customers in all through the night.

So, when can I resume my shopping at Tesco at 0200h when it is blissfully quiet?