Transport News
Thailand transport news, infrastructure updates, public transit, and traffic reports—stay informed on groundbreaking developments and real-time travel updates. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for transport news in Thailand.
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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Thailand pays 3.8 billion baht for first train hub in hospital
A budget of 3.8 billion baht has been approved to build Thailand’s first train station inside a hospital. The train station is intended to serve as a transportation hub with a medical centre at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok. The deputy spokesperson of the Prime Minister’s Office, Ratchada Thanadirek, reported yesterday that the very first train station for health and public…
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Knife-wielding tuk tuk driver says he is the victim in brawl over passengers
An 84 year old tuk tuk driver claimed that he was attacked by younger drivers because of a row over passengers. The alleged offenders defended themselves saying they were threatened by a knife first. The elderly tuk tuk driver, Pichit Sawanwijit, filed a complaint at Mueng Udon Thani Police Station saying he was attacked by three younger tuk tuk drivers…
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Plane PA system emits moans ‘between an orgasm and vomiting’
If you are a frequent flyer, you are probably used to tuning out the plane PA system. You know how to fasten your safety belt and put on an oxygen mask, right? But what if it was entirely different – and extremely awkward – sounds coming over the PA? A passenger recorded a now-viral video on a flight from Los…
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American told to stop riding go-kart in Chiang Mai
Police and residents in Chiang Mai urged an American man to stop riding his yellow single-seat go-kart on a public road after highlighting the danger he poses to himself and others. A dash cam video of the yellow single-seat go-kart was uploaded to Thai social media on September 21. The kart is seen dashing down the left lane of the…
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BMTA bus driver brawls with motorcycle rider in Bangkok
A bus driver and a motorcycle rider got into a brawl on Phetchaburi Road in Bangkok last week after the former honked his horn at him. A video of the scrap between the driver from the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) and the motorcycle rider started circulating on Thai social media last Tuesday, September 20. The video shows a male…
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VIDEO: Taxi drivers fistfight in front of customers at Phuket shop
Several minivan taxi drivers got into a fistfight over customers outside Khun Mae Ju, a popular souvenir shop in Phuket. One man struck another in the head with an axe, and it was all caught on video. The video clip went viral on social media after people inside the shops filmed the taxi drivers exchanging punches and kicks through the…
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THAI expects bankruptcy court to approve revised rehabilitation plan
Thai Airways International (THAI) is expecting its revised rehabilitation plan to be approved by the Central Bankruptcy Court. The submitted revision comes after the ailing carrier bounced back better than expected after its Covid-19-induced downfall. But, its rehab plan hasn’t come without pushback from some creditors. Chai Eamsiri, the airline’s acting chief financial officer and senior chief, says once the…
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Six airlines offer 300 baht discount on domestic flights in Thailand
Get 300 baht off domestic flights in the Land of Smiles under the project “Discounts All Over the Sky, Fly All Over Thailand.” The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Thai Airlines Association jointly launched the special offer in the hopes of stimulating the economy through domestic tourism this high season. Six airlines joined the scheme to offer 300…
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Tour bus incentive by TAT hoped to spur domestic tourism
In their latest effort at pumping up domestic tourism numbers, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is teaming up with bus operators to send out convoys of coaches around the country. The TAT hopes commissioning over 500 tour buses will not only put to work bus drivers and other associated workers but also spur interest for Thai people to hop…
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Nok Air suspends new domestic route in Thailand after just six weeks
Nok Air has temporarily suspended all Chiang Mai – Korat flights just six weeks after the route’s inaugural flight on August 2. The suspended route was the only commercial flight going in and out of Isaan’s Nakhon Ratchasima Airport, which is now a ghost town and at risk of closing again. The service had high potential, linking the capital of…
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Electric vehicles may need long-term solar power plan
As popularity rises with electric vehicles (EVs), future charging options may include solar power. Long-term planning is being pushed by Delta Electronics (Thailand) Plc., as a result of the need to ensure adequate power supplies. One idea is that of using microgrids at charging stations. The electronics manufacturer is suggesting that each charging facility should act as a microgrid that…
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US rail companies reach initial agreement to stop strike
After all night deliberations, US President Joe Biden announced that a crippling railroad union strike has been avoided. The president says a tentative agreement has been reached to avert disruptions to US supply chains in the run-up to midterm elections. Biden says he was personally calling into the negotiations as late as 9pm on Wednesday. The result of those negotiations…
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Thai VietJet to increase frequency of Japan and Taiwan flights
Thai VietJet announced the addition of flights to both the Bangkok – Fukuoka route to Japan and the Bangkok – Taipei route to Taiwan. The airline commenced the Bangkok – Fukuoka route, their only service linking Thailand and Japan, back in July. Initially, the route between Suvarnabhumi Airport and Fukuoka Airport operated three times a week. The route turned out…
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Stingy foreigner pays Thai taxi rider 20 cents for 450-baht ride
A motorcycle taxi rider in Samut Prakarn province near Bangkok warned other riders to be aware of a tight-fisted foreigner who duped him, handing over a 20 cent euro coin, about 7 baht, for a 450 baht fare. The 63 year old motorcycle taxi rider, Subin Waitook, yesterday revealed to the media that a foreign passenger agreed with him to…
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Man complains after 23 taxi drivers in Bangkok refuse to serve him
An angry Thai man slammed Bangkok taxis on his TikTok account for favouring foreigners after 23 cab drivers refused to take him on a journey that was less than 15 minutes. The man said that taxi drivers in the Asoke area only wanted to serve foreign passengers because they can rip them off with expensive fares. The Thai TikToker, @iceprapadang,…
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New draft act to make one joint ticket for all Bangkok transport
Travelling around Bangkok may get a little bit easier if the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning has its way. The OTP is planning to propose a joint ticket that would be created to be valid on all public transport in Bangkok to make commuting around the city using public transportation much more streamlined. Bringing all the different transport…
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Japan donates cute trains to Thailand, ready for public use next month
On Tuesday, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) conducted a trial run of a cute white and purple locomotive donated by Japan. It is one of 17 Kiha 183 passenger trains donated by the Hokkaido Railway Company, which will be used for short tourism routes as soon as next month. Governor of the SRT Nirut Maneephan said the trains will…
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AirAsia X disagrees with government’s proposed tourism fee
AirAsia X’s chief executive disagrees with the Thai government’s proposal of a tourism fee on flights. Tony Fernandes, the acting group chief executive of AirAsia X says, instead, that the government should bank on the influx of travellers as aiding the economy. He says the tourism fee would be a smaller impact on the economy than an increase in tourism.…
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Hike on traffic fines delayed, but ticket prices will be consistant
Writing news in Thailand frequently means announcing something and then the next day announcing the opposite. And true to form, the new major hike in penalty fines for traffic violations announced before the weekend and scheduled to go into effect yesterday… have been retracted. But when they do go into effect, repeat offenders will be further penalised, and a new…
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Driver who blocked van at Phuket pier: “We are NOT taxi mafia”
A scuffle between taxi drivers at the Rassada Pier in Phuket on Friday, with three female and one male tourist trapped in the middle, has taxi drivers at the pier arguing that they are not mafia. The travellers had just returned from Koh Phi Phi just after 10am and chose not to use their transportation from the stand at the…
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Inaugural Vietnam Airlines flight lands in Phuket, Thailand
Yesterday at 11am, Vietnam Airlines’ inaugural flight from Ho Chih Minh City landed at Phuket International Airport with 161 tourists on board. Passengers on flight VN9625 were given a warm welcome from the Director of Phuket Airport Monchai Tanod, and the Deputy Director of Phuket Airport’s Business Support Line Kanyarat Suthipatanakit. With Thailand’s monsoon season in full swing, all passengers…
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Taxi fares in Thailand to increase for the first time in 8 years
The Ministry of Transport plans to increase taxi fares in Thailand for the first time in eight years but insists drivers must improve their service and can’t refuse to serve passengers no matter where they want to go. Today, the Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Sorapong Paithunpong, revealed that the taxi drivers lobbied the government to adjust taxi…
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Korean Air to resume flights to Chiang Mai and Phuket
Korean Air will resume direct flights from Seoul to both Chiang Mai and Phuket this October. Both routes were suspended in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The airline’s Phuket flights are scheduled to depart from Seoul Incheon Airport four days per week on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 5.55pm and land in Phuket at 10pm. Phuket to…
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Budget airline Thai AirAsia X to launch two Thailand – Australia routes
Budget airline Thai AirAsia X will launch two direct routes between Thailand and Australia in December. The airline will fly from Bangkok to both Melbourne, and Sydney, beginning December 1 and 2 this year, respectively. The Bangkok to Sydney route will fly four times per week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The Bangkok to Melbourne route will fly thrice…
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Fake flight tickets: woman scammed 100+ out of 11 million baht
After a streak of more than a hundred victims being bilked out of over 11 million baht, a 61 year old woman has been arrested for selling fake airline tickets. The Consumer Protection Police took the woman into custody for a bogus ticket scam dating back to 2014. The suspect was arrested yesterday in Bangkok after police tracked her down…
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BTS offers assistance to victims but says escalator crush was “out of their control”
The BTS Skytrain is offering “assistance” to anyone who was injured in the escalator crush which occurred at BTS Surasak Station in Bangkok on Saturday night. The statement was made yesterday by the Chief Operating Director of the BTS Sumit Srisantithum, who said the incident was “beyond the BTS’s control.” As a crowd of people crammed into BTS Surasak Station…
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China’s new battery charges EV revolution in Thailand
Great news for Thailand’s commuters as they get on board with the electric vehicle (EV) revolution. A new battery has been developed to ensure travelers can get to their destination faster and uninterrupted. Chinese car manufacturer Great Wall Motor (GWM) has developed a new 20Ah sulfur-based solid-state prototype battery that could expand the range of electric vehicles to 1,000km per…
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Thailand Transport Ministry seeks foreign loans for new bridges
The Thai Transport Ministry revealed it is seeking foreign loans to build two new bridges in the southern provinces of Pattalung, and Krabi. The Rural Road Department, under the Transport Ministry, reported yesterday that they met with the Public Debt Management Office, and the World Bank, about the budget for two huge bridge projects in the south of Thailand. The…
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Daily trains begin between Malaysian border and Bangkok
With Covid-19 policies winding down in Thailand, many expats may be faced once again with the dreaded border runs that many types of visas require. A little good news though – the State Railway of Thailand is adding two new trains running from Bangkok to the popular Malaysian border crossing town of Padang Besar. The route kicked off yesterday. Last…
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Bangkok gets 20 new electric buses next week
Finally, some good news for commuters as the government delivers its promise to introduce electric buses in Bangkok a week tomorrow. Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob yesterday announced that the department plans to introduce 20 electric buses for Line No 2-38, previously known as the No. 8 route from Memorial Bridge to Happy Land. Saksayam revealed the buses will start operating…
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