Transport News
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Sponsored Why is Bangkok's air quality so bad?
Imagine waking up early in Bangkok and you see all the beautiful morning fog from your balcony, but as you sip your coffee you realise it's just Bangkok's air pollution that's making the sun rise aesthetic. Ranked as the 36th...
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Public transport vehicles failing safety checks
PHOTO: National News Bureau of Thailand In the first week of new safety checks introduced by the Department of Land Transport (DLT), 1 in 7 public transport vehicles have failed. Drivers fared slightly better, with only 3 out of 10,236 failing their exam. DLT Director General Peerapol Thavornsubhajaroen says that as part of the test brought in to improve public…
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FAIL! One in seven public transport vehicles didn’t pass safety tests
One in seven public transport vehicles failed safety checks in the first week of a new program Vehicles failed the tests mostly because of a low-quality brake systems and excessive black smoke emissions In better news, only three of 10,236 drivers failed the exam About one in seven public Thai transport vehicles have failed safety checks in the first week…
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Phuket’s most expensive car number plate is ‘9999’ costing more than 700K
FILE PHOTO Following the auction for car license plates organised by the Phuket Land Trasport Office over the weekend, it’s been revealed that the number 9999 got the highest bid at 710,000 baht. This year’s auction was for the ‘ขก’ category, which represents ‘treasure, virtue and fortune’, and there were 301 numbers available. The Chief of Phuket Land Transport, Banyat…
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Three-airport high-speed train project stumbles forward
One of the delayed Thai high-speed rail projects is now closer to being inked by the State Railway of Thailand and CP Holding’s joint venture, once an agreement on some key details of the public-private partnership project are reached. The new railway service will connect Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang international airports, with U-Tapao in Rayong, serving Pattaya and the…
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Smile, you’re on red light camera
Bangkok’s new Red Light Camera Systems now in operation. The new cameras will be running 24/7 to protect against drivers running red lights at major Bangkok intersections. During trial period from August 1 – 14, 22,260 drivers were caught running the red lights, an average of 1,590 drivers per day. The punishment for such a violation is 1,000 baht fine…
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Changing Thailand’s helmet culture
by Patrick Mattimore On a recent trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, I was struck by an interesting phenomenon traveling from the airport to my hotel. I saw perhaps more than a thousand motorcycle riders and passengers, and only one person was not wearing a helmet. Yet, the entire two weeks I spent in that city, I didn’t see…
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More trains and more carriages for the Bangkok BTS fleet
Bangkokians will enjoy better services on the BTS Skytrain after the operator added an extra 27 trains into service, bringing the total number to 79. BTS Group Holdings MD Surapong Laoha-anya says they’ve taken delivery of 27 new trains out of a total of 46 it currently has on order, according to Thai PBS. He added that all the new…
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Red light cameras start fining Bangkok drivers from September 1
Smile, you’re on the new red light camera. The new CCTV and software systems to catch red light runners and jumpers will be ready this Sunday, September 1. There are 30 cameras now stationed at intersections around Bangkok. Pol Col Kitti Ariyanon reports that “everything is 100% ready” and the cameras are able to catch people violating the red lights at…
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Motorbike riders on Bangkok sidewalk told where to go
Internet users in Thailand are cheering a Japanese student, currently studying at Kasetsart University in Sakon Nakhon province, north-east Thailand, who stood up to two motorbikes trying to make her move out of the way so they could continue driving on a sidewalk whilst she was in Bangkok. On Wednesday, a Facebook video went viral showing the student waiting on…
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New Thai law means traffic police cannot confiscate driving licences
PHOTO: Pattaya Today From September 20, a driver stopped for a traffic violation under Thailand’s new Land Traffic Act can no longer be asked to surrender his or her licence to the police. However, the new law stipulates that drivers must carry a driving licence, a photocopy of the licence, or electronic information about the licence at all times and…
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Former finance minister says government shouldn’t bail out Thai Airways
Former Thai Finance Minister and current Democrat list MP Korn Chatikavanich is voicing his concerns over the financial crisis gripping Thai Airways and objects to any plan to use taxpayer money to rescue the ailing legacy airline. Korn says Thai Airways’ financial current troubles are similar to the situation in 2008, when the company struggled to find money to repay…
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Executives at Thai Airways asked to take pay cut
PHOTO: Thai Airways and Thai PBS World “An unnamed source in the Transport Ministry says the airline’s financial predicament is very serious and puts it at risk of bankruptcy.” The country’s national flag carrier, Thai Airways, could be in deep financial trouble and may need to delay repaying its debt or seek new loans. Thai PBS World reports tat the…
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Couple cry foul after ‘turbo switch’ found in Bangkok taxi – VIDEO
PHOTOS & VIDEO: Facebook/Kaew Nutnaree A Bangkok couple has complained to police about a taxi driver ‘turbo charging’ their fare with the flick of a switch. Their story was told on the Facebook page “Kaew Nutnaree”. The couple arrived at Don Muang International Airport on Tuesday and caught a cab to take them to On Nut (Sukhumvit Soi 77). They…
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Survey says: Thai taxi users disagree with fare hike
“35% agree with the fare hike, reasoning that it could reduce the problem of taxi drivers refusing customers.” A Nida Poll reports that 81% of respondents are unhappy with the new taxi fares that will raise the immobile rate (sitting in the traffic) from 2 baht per minute to 3 baht per minute. The poll reveals the results of a…
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New transport minister backtracks on previous government’s van upgrade policy
The previous government was hellbent on upgrading many of the country’s old vans to new buses and min-buses. The proposals, and the decline of August 13, was met with a lot of opposition with public transport operators who would have to take on the new investment in upgrading equipment. The previous government’s intentions were to improve the levels of safety…
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Police had a laugh but urged students to wear helmets next time
PHOTO: Facebook/Thanit BunBong The photo has been a favourite floating around social media. Police called these three students to the side of the road on Thursday after the young driver decided to wear a cooking pot as a helmet on his head. The incident was shared online by a Thanit BunBong saying that the police were initially confused by the…
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Thai transport minister agrees to taxi fare hikes in Bangkok
The Ministry of Transport has given approval for taxi fares in Bangkok to go up within a month. Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob met with representatives of four Bangkok taxi groups and officials of the Land Transport Department to discuss demand by taxi drivers to hike taxi fares. Taxi drivers have been pleading for an increase for years and have staged…
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Shortcuts on the way for motorists to bypass Lam Salee intersection in Bangkok
PHOTO: The Nation The BMA (Bangkok Metropolitan Administration) is looking for help from the Metropolitan Police Division 4 to find suitable shortcuts so motorists could avoid the notorious Lam Salee intersection. The Nation reports that BMA deputy governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul says the intersection has long been notorious for traffic snarls and the situation has just become worse with delays caused…
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Minister books meeting to discuss 120 kph speed limits on Thai motorways
PHOTO: Thai Residents The new Thai Transport Minister Saksiam Chidchob will be chairing a meeting in the middle of August to discuss the proposal to raise the speed limit of private cars on Thailand’s four-lane highways to 120 kilometres per hour. Part of the proposal says that cars travelling in the far-right lane of a four-lane highway must also keep…
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Most Thai motorcycle riders don’t wear crash helmets
Only 45% of Thai motorcycle users wear crash helmets, that includes riders and pillion passengers. With young people under 18 the results are a pitiful 22% of users wearing any head protection, even less for children. Dr. Werapan Supanchaimart, vice chairman of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, said at a seminar yesterday that the Thai Roads Foundation and Road Safety Watch…
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National police chief is going to war with street racers
PHOTO: The almost weekly crackdown on motorcycle street racing around Bangkok. So far measures haven’t worked to curb the activities of the fast & furious Bangkok youth – Bangkok Post Despite weekly reports about late night weekend street racing around parts of Bangkok, and the sophisticated use of social media to promote the events, the national police chief Pol General…
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Report motorcycles riding on footpaths today for a 1,000 baht reward
PHOTO: Daily News Bangkok motorcyclist, riding on footpaths, will be fined 2,000 on-the-spot from today. If someone reports a motorcyclist riding on the footpath they’ll get 1,000 baht fine. Officials doubled the fine and offered the reward after the previous 1,000 baht fine didn’t appear to act as a deterrent. Reports can be made through a Line application, a government…
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Proposal being prepared to raise the speed limit on Thai motorways up to 120 kph
Saksayam Chidchob, Thailand’s new transport minister, wants to raise the speed limit on main roads in Thailand to 120 kilometres per hour The proposal, just an idea at the moment, would mean four lane motorways and expressways would have an upper speed limit of 120 kilometres an hour, according to an article in Manager Online. Saksayam says he believes the…
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Two years of construction hell – residents on Rama II Road, Bangkok
Local residents living along the road upgrades to Rama II Road (Highway 35) are having to cope with worsening traffic congestion and air pollution. The construction works started in June and are expected to be completed by the end of next year. Piyaphong Jiwattanakulphisal of the Bureau of Planning, Department of Highways, said that the 11 kilometre Rama II Road upgrade…
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Thai Airways needs restructuring to survive
Store your tray table and buckle up. It’s going to be a bumpy ride at Thai Airways. The airline’s president Sumeth Damrongchaitham say Thai Airways needs complete restructuring if it is to survive in the highly competitive aviation business. Sumeth said that under the restructuring, Thai Airways will focus more on the international market and link up with other members…
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Australian pair’s ‘misunderstanding’ puts Phuket Airport taxis and van services in spotlight
When Australians Kate Chipperfield and Lauren Meinties filed their complaint about a 3,000 baht van fare from Phuket Airport to Kata, they had no idea of the chain of events that would follow. Even the Thai PM got involved ordering Phuket officials to clamp down on rorts, and taxi and van drivers to stop ripping off tourists. As the central…
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Power bank explodes in backpack at Chiang Mai Airport – VIDEO
Thankfully the passenger wasn’t on a plane at the time. The woman had just arrived at the Chiang Mai International Airport. The first explosion was in her backpack which she quickly shrugged off and it fell to the ground. (Watch the video, bottom left at the beginning) Then, as security came to get a quick video of the incident on…
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BTS 15 baht flat rate fare is nothing new
The ’15 baht flat fare’ proposal for the BTS is nothing new. But the proposal has surfaced again as the new Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob offered the flat fee to be set for the BTS Skytrain service across Bangkok. The BTSC operates the BTS services – the Sukhumvit line from Mor Chit to Kheha and the Silom line which serves Silom and…
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Bangkok council to raise fines for motorbike footpath riders
Bangkok’s deputy governor says he has received approval from the BMA (Bangkok Metropolitan Administration) to raise fines imposed on motorcyclists caught driving on Bangkok’s sidewalks from 1,000 to 2,000 baht, starting next month. He said he was unhappy that a number of motorcyclists are still using the city’s footpaths as shortcuts, despite the existing 1,000 baht fine. The BMA says…
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Thailand’s taxi and tuk tuk scams and annoyances
“Where are you going?”, they shout from across the road. A Tuk Tuk driver wants to help you get to your next destination but the willing smile and lure of a ride in a local jalopy may have switched off your trusty scam-detector. Tuk Tuks and taxis, and the motorbike taxis too, are a convenient, safe and reasonably cheap way…
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