Minivans out minibuses in! Face of the future of Thai travel revealed

[webfact]

Minivans out minibuses in! Face of the future of Thai travel revealed

 

Image from Facebook James PapaSierra

 

BANGKOK: -- The face of future travel in Thailand has been revealed on a Facebook page.

 

The new vehicle is a minibus and will be used for journeys out of Bangkok over 150 kilometers long.

 

The vehicles can seat 21 and feature an auto-pay station for the convenience of the travelling public.

 

Image from Facebook James PapaSierra

 

The first vehicle of its kind was featured on the Facebook page of "James PapaSierra" where it met with the approval of many netizens.

 

Many felt that the bigger and more spacious vehicles would be safer and more convenient.

 

The one in our picture will use the Bangkok to Cha-Am route.

 

The Thai government have announced they want to phase out minivans after many accidents. But minivans will still ply routes out of Bangkok of distances less than 150 kilometers.

 

Source: Manager Online

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-01-31

[Thaiwrath]

It will just mean more people injured per accident.

How about looking into the drivers, as well as the vehicle ?

[oldgent]

yes what can one say... bigger buses bigger casualties.. need to put a speed limiter in them

and keep brainless drivers out of them it just makes one very sad that Thailand has such

useless people in government positions

[z42]

It could have a swimming pool, a spa, or a michelin starred restaurant inside, yet it won't stop deaths if it's the same degenerate drivers as before behind the wheel and the utterly useless traffic enforcement mechanisms in place.

It is sad and pathetic that this elephant in the room continues to neither seen or even ackowledged in ANY meaningful way ?

[jaywalker]

2 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

It will just mean more people injured per accident.

How about looking into the drivers, as well as the vehicle ?

Yes.

 

How about out w/ the psycho, drugged up/sleepy drivers, and in with sane, trained drivers?

[jaltsc]

“Many felt that the bigger and more spacious vehicles would be safer and more convenient.”

 

They tried using the minibuses up north with the same drivers who drove the minivans., Due to the larger size and higher center of gravity, there was a rash of increased crashes and deaths occurring where there were sharp curves. They stopped using the minibuses and are back to using minivans exclusively. Unless the drivers are properly trained and consistently monitored for safe driving, we can expect the same results with this plan. For some reason, it appears that in Thailand, there are a lot who believe that wishing is enough to make things happen.

[impulse]

Wonder who's getting the commission on the sale of thousands of these things.  And how many zeroes that will be?

 

[thai3]

will these have the seat belts disabled as well? can't actually see any in the photo

[Sphere]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

But minivans will still ply routes out of Bangkok of distances less than 150 kilometers.

 

Of course, those are the most exciting road races......apart from the 6.30 - 7.30am school bus races.....

[LennyW]

Wont be long before they are all chipped and running along at 140Kmh with the window licker drivers grinning through their teeth like demented muppets!!

[CelticBhoy]

I don't use these very often, but may I be the first here to say something positive 

about the new vehicles. As a 6' 2" bloke I am delighted to see that I may finally

get some legroom and that I won't have to break my back bending over due to the

low roof space.

[ramrod711]

Will the aisle still be full of freight? Will all the luggage and freight stacked to the ceiling behind the rear seat still fly forward on the rare occasions the brakes are applied? Speaking of brakes, will there be maintenance of these vehicles?

[Jeremy50]

They really haven't a clue.

[ChrisY1]

These vehicles are used extensively throughout the Pacific, Africa and etc.....

Best to increase the size of the emergency rooms and ICUs in the hospitals, coz' when these smash at speed, they disintegrate!

[maewang99]

bigger vans and bigger buses are the thing.  is it really only about accidents?

I would like to be hopeful that some folks running things are becoming more sober and rational.
 

aviation was exempted last last December from COP21...... only for 2016. in 2016... the aviation meetings agreed to a mix of biofuels and price incentive plans (end of subsidizing aviation).  this is an easy one to get done as aviation is heavily subsidized in a thousand different ways.

flying through the air is not cheaper than land travel.  only if you believe in magical thinking.

what's gonna replace cheap aviation?

 

bigger vans and buses.... and trains.

maybe it has begun. it makes me hopeful. for whatever reason,.... it seems to be going that way... ie new excise taxes on aviation fuel..... in Thailand.... now going into effect at the same time as this.......

 

  

[samsensam]

 

there's non so blind as those who dont want to see.

[Lupatria]

A maritime saying comes to mind: Its not the size of the ship - its the motion of the ocean.

[AhFarangJa]

Look on the bright side......you can get three motorbikes in the aisle instead of one...

[Krataiboy]

The biggest safety risk is not the vehicle - it's the driver. Plus ca change.

[George Graham]

But many netizens approve, so bring 'em on.

[MichaelJohn]

Same driver

Same mentality

Same bus company management (or lack of)

Same preventative maintenance (or lack of)

Same accidents; just more people killed per accident.

 

Same same ...... 

 

 

 

 

[wayned]

Most likely will be built in Malaysia to avoid high import duties!  Customs will need to increase the size of their "parking lot"!

[Lammbock]

They should make some modifications to the engine to reduce max speed to a 100 kmh.

[cracker1]

" The vehicles can seat 21 and feature an auto-pay station for the convenience of the travelling public. "

Can anyone please tell me what an "auto-pay station" is ?

[JaseTheBass]

Welcome to 1982!

[Jonmarleesco]

A minivan can seat, what, 10, 12? But might typically take 18, 20 ... more?

 

A minibus with seating for 21. No doubt the norm will be upwards of 30.

[WhizBang]

Don't mean to flog a dead horse here, but the REAL problem is not the vehicle, it is the brain dead retard who is driving it.   If they don't sort that out, then nothing is going to change.

 

That said, I would rather travel in one of those minibuses than those god awful vans.  However, for a long distance, it is likely to be just as uncomfortable.
 

[steve73]

Another problem I foresee is that they are much wider than the minivans, but the drivers will still expect them to fit into gaps that are too narrow even for the vans... and when overtaking and then cutting back in they'll need a longer gap.....

[toofarnorth]

4 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

there's non so blind as those who dont want to see.

When it comes to the Minister of Transport as Del Boy would say There are none so blind as them what don't listen .

[SABloke]

These vehicles are used extensively throughout the Pacific, Africa and etc.....

Best to increase the size of the emergency rooms and ICUs in the hospitals, coz' when these smash at speed, they disintegrate!

So they're amphibious vehicles? Blimey >_>