Transport News
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Sponsored A healthy tomorrow starts today: Celebrate the great American Smokeout day
The Great American Smokeout, held this year on November 17, is a nationwide event that encourages smokers to take their first steps towards a smoke-free life. If you’re an expat in Thailand, this day could be a timely reminder to...
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Thailand’s perilous roads claim the lives of 75 foreigners so far this year
Thailand’s deadly roads have claimed the lives of 75 foreigners so far this year. A further 2,886 foreigners were injured, according to data from Thai RSC, an accident information centre. Foreigners getting into road accidents in Thailand regularly make headlines but much more go unrecorded by the media. Data recorded from January 1 – February 15, 2023, reveals that 2,099…
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Group of 33 Thais to return home from Turkey, one deceased as death toll surpasses 40,000
A group of 33 Thai nationals are scheduled to fly back from Turkey tomorrow with one deceased person also being returned home. The Thai USAR (search and rescue) team will continue to stay and help in Turkey until their 10-day mission is complete. The returnees and deceased person will arrive at Don Mueang Airport and will be sent to an…
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Bangkok’s number of train passengers reaches all-time high
Bangkok‘s number of train passengers reached an all-time high on Friday, February 10. The number of people travelling by rail in and around Thailand’s capital city climbed to 1,577,330 that day, according to the Department of Rail Transport. The department’s numbers revealed that the BTS Green Line served the most passengers, with 916,390 people using the service, followed by the…
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Phuket taxi busted gambling online while driving
In a tough economy, it’s not unusual for people to work two jobs to make ends meet, sometimes even overlapping and working both at the same time. But a van driver in Phuket learned that the two jobs that don’t mix are driving a taxi while gambling online. The Phuket van driver received a 2,000 baht fine and had his…
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Sufficient life jackets on HTMS Sukhothai – RTN
The Naval Supply Department insisted that there were 130 life jackets on HTMS Sukhothai when it sank in December, more than enough for the 105 crew. Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), Admiral Choengchai Chomchoengpaet yesterday said that the RTN is finding out why some of the survivors claimed that there were not enough life jackets on HTMS Sukhothai. Regarding…
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PLTO meets with taxis from outside Phuket over crackdown
The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) and the Phuket Provincial Police have recently held discussions with a group of taxi drivers and tour operators from outside of Phuket who have been banned from working on the island. The talks were focused on finding a solution to the continual problem of green plate taxi operators facing difficulties, including arrests and bans…
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French Consul meet Patong Police over motorbike incident
The Head of the French Consulate in Phuket met with Patong Police and Phuket Tourist Police to address the issue of French motorbike racers causing a public nuisance. The meeting on Friday was prompted by the recent arrest of 20 French racers who were caught breaking traffic laws in Patong. This incident and footage of their reckless behaviour caused a…
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Disability rights investigated for flyer in wheelchair
In 2019, an Israeli tourist booked a flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. He sent information about his wheelchair battery 48 hours before the flight, however, upon arrival at Chiang Mai airport, he was informed that the airline did not allow passengers with electric wheelchairs to fly. Now the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken up the…
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Thai Airways rehabilitation ahead of schedule
Thai Airways expects to exit its rehabilitation plan ahead of schedule. The airline is already looking for new aircraft as the recovery in global tourism bolsters earnings. CEO Chai Eamsiri said Thursday that the carrier will be able to leave its court-supervised debt plan “much earlier” than the late-2024 target, according to Bloomberg. The company is also in talks with…
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Land Transport Department will collect traffic fines
The days of blowing off traffic tickets and fines left on your car or motorbike may be coming to a close. At least if you drive legally and pay your taxes. The Royal Thai Police (RTP) and the Land Transport Department (LTD) have joined forces in a landmark agreement aimed at tackling the problem of unpaid traffic ticket fines. Under…
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PLTO focuses on foreigners using rental cars as illegal taxis
The crackdown on illegal taxis – those operating outside their jurisdiction or without proper licenses or permissions – continues in Phuket. Authorities have turned their attention to a new target: foreigners using personal rental cars as taxis. In response to numerous complaints, Phuket officials launched an investigation into reports of foreign tourists acting as illegal taxi drivers. A joint team…
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PLTO continues crackdown on illegal taxis
The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) and Sakhu Police have apprehended four more drivers for illegally operating their vehicles as taxis in Phuket. The joint operation took place at a checkpoint set up at the Sakhu-Nai Yang intersection on Thepkrasattri Rd in Mai Khao and resulted in the stop of two taxis registered in Bangkok with green plates and two…
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No one responsible for Service Hall collapse at Don Mueang Airport, confirms AOT
No one is responsible for the partial collapse of the newly-built Service Hall at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport in April last year, confirms Airports of Thailand (AOT). Excessive rainfall was blamed for the incident. Tomorrow, February 8, the repaired Service Hall will open for use, some ten months after its collapse. On April 17, 2022, parts of the roof and…
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Car fire stops traffic on central Bangkok motorway
A car on the Ploenchit exit ramp of the Chalerm Maha Nakhon Expressway in Din Daeng, Bangkok, briefly caused traffic to come to a halt in the bustling central business district when it burst into flames. The Expressway Authority of Thailand Police and the rescue unit of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department were prompt in reaching…
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Thai customs end intrusive frisking of designer-brand wearers at airports
The Thai Customs Department has officially put an end to the embarrassing and intrusive practice of frisking travellers passing through border control with designer-brand items at airports. The department said the searches were a burden for travellers. According to the deputy director of the Customs Department, Phanthong Loykunlanan, the department has abolished frisking tourists to make travel more convenient. However,…
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Russian plane engine catches fire on Phuket runway
A Russian tourist plane bound for Moscow faced a terrifying moment when its engine caught fire before takeoff at Phuket International Airport. The 309 passengers and 12 crew on board the 26 year old Boeing 767-306ER, operated by Azur Air, were forced to evacuate the aircraft. Footage from the scene shows flames bursting from the right engine of the Russian…
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Thailand’s taxi troubles: Tourists slam overpriced rides and shoddy service
Thailand‘s taxi services have received a poor rating in a recent survey conducted by the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), with foreign tourists slamming the country’s taxis for overpriced fares and shoddy service. The survey, which was conducted on 200 foreign tourists during the final quarter of 2022, showed a rating of just 3.5 out of 5 for taxi services…
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Commuters criticise ‘dangerous’ Bangkok Apiwat Station’s lack of lights
Commuters took to social media to criticise officials involved with the construction and opening of the “dangerous” Bangkok Apiwat Central Station. Two weeks after the official opening of the station, formerly known as Bang Sue Grand Station, roads around the station remain dark due to the absence of street lights. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) promised that street lighting…
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Survey reveals tourists in Thailand worried most about taxi scams
A recent survey in Thailand revealed that tourists are worried most about taxi scams when moving about in the country. The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) conducted a quarterly survey, which polled 200 Western tourists in Thailand during the last quarter of 2022. According to Bangkok Post, the survey saw respondents rank taxi service satisfaction as the lowest (3.5 out of…
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‘Unruly’ Italian passenger tied to her seat on Vistara flight
Vistara cabin crew tied an ‘unruly’ Italian passenger to her seat after she allegedly became violent on a flight from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai in India on Monday. Airline staff alleged in a police complaint that 45 year old Paola Perruccio of Italian nationality assaulted a member of the cabin crew and spat on another mid-air. The complaint alleges that…
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Grab Thailand reveals foreign tourist trends
Grab Thailand saw a 45% increase in foreign users between Q2 and Q3 in 2022, suggesting a positive outlook for the recovery of the tourism industry. The top five countries foreign Grab users came from are… Indonesia Malaysia Singapore United States Vietnam To meet the needs of foreign users, the ride-hailing super-app focussed on perfecting three key aspects of service:…
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Bangkok public bus condemned by Singaporean tourist
A Singaporean tourist condemned Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) public buses after the driver of a bus in the capital closed its door and drove off as she was about to climb onboard. A Singaporean woman posted a video on her TikTok account, njwah, complaining about the service of a public bus in Bangkok. She wrote captions in Thai and…
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Government of Thailand give green light for Eastern Aviation City takeoff
Construction on the Eastern Aviation City is ready for takeoff this year after the Government of Thailand gave the green light for work to start on the 290 billion baht (US$8.8bn) project. No official date has been confirmed but work is scheduled to start before June. The original project was officially signed in June 2020. An agreement was made between…
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Thailand’s ‘new’ Airbus A350 spotted with Thai Airways livery
Thailand’s “new” Airbus A350 was spotted with Thai Airways livery last week in France. At the end of October, Thai Airways announced an agreement to lease two Airbus A350-900s to enter service this month. We’re almost in February, and while it doesn’t appear that the aircraft will be in service on schedule, plans are being made, albeit a bit late.…
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British Bentley plugs into Thailand’s luxury car market with record sales
British elite motor vehicle maker Bentley plugged into Thailand’s luxury car market last year and recorded record sales. Most orders (81) placed in the Land of Smiles were for hybrid vehicles. The Flying Spur Hybrid was the most sought-after model, making up 49% of orders in Thailand with 40 cars sold. The Bentayga Hybrid followed closely behind with 35 orders and…
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Singapore to examine Nepal plane crash flight recorders
Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau flight recorder readout facility is performing the data retrieval of the black box in the Nepal plane that recently crashed. According to Channel News Asia, the data retrieval from the black boxes of Yeti Airlines flight 691 will help Nepalese authorities in their investigation of what caused the plane to go down. The crash on…
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Thailand to spend US$250 million on private VIP jets
The Cabinet approved an 8.8-billion-baht (US$270 million) budget to procure private VIP jets for members of the Thai royal family, ministers and honoured guests. Proposed by the prime minister’s secretariat and approved on Tuesday, the plan includes the procurement of new aircraft and components and the training of personnel. It’s just the latest of many curious budget decisions we can…
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Bolt vs Win motorbike taxi gang violence continues in Pattaya
Violence between rivalling motorbike taxi operators continues in Pattaya, eastern Thailand, where three ‘Win‘ drivers were injured after being beaten with a baseball bat and an iron bar, allegedly by Bolt drivers. Yesterday evening, a brawl broke out between three Bolt drivers and three Win drivers at Thappraya Soi 7, South Pattaya, Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri province, near Jomtien…
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10,000 Bangkok taxis have adjusted meters to match recent rate hikes
Almost 10,000 Bangkok taxis have reportedly adjusted their meters to match recent rate hikes. The Department of Land Transport (DLT) made the announcement, saying that since Monday, January 16, taxis have been visiting the Krung Thep Aphiewat Central Terminal to have their metres adjusted. The taxi’s base fares have risen from 35 to 40 baht with drivers being required to…
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Bidding method for train station redesign project inappropriate
An investigation into the 33-million-baht redesign project for Bang Sue Grand Station revealed that the selection method to choose a nameplate and logo designer was inappropriate. The probe, headed by Sorapong Paithoonpong, a deputy interior permanent secretary, revealed its findings yesterday. After His Royal Majesty King Vajiralongkorn decided to rename the station “Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal” in September last…
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