Mo Chit happens: Transport minister warns over Bangkok bus stop rubbish

A large accumulation of rubbish behind the Bangkok Bus Terminal, commonly known as Mo Chit 2, in Chatuchak district, sparked outrage from Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit, threatening to revoke public bus operating permits should the problem persist.

Suphanat Meenchainan, an MP for Chatuchak, Bang Khen, and Lak Si from the People’s Party, highlighted the issue by posting a photo of the waste on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, October 13.

The image, taken the previous day, depicted stacks of garbage on Kamphaeng Phet 6 Road. Suphanat criticised the transport minister for failing to adequately oversee the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and the Department of Land Transport (DLT), both of which fall under his ministry’s jurisdiction.

Transport Minister Suriya responded by stating he had received reports from the Transport Company and the SRT. These reports indicated that the excessive waste was from public buses parking in the area. The situation was exacerbated by a long holiday weekend, leading to an influx of passengers, and compounded by an unauthorised mo lam (Isaan folk music) concert, which contributed to the littering.

The minister confirmed that all rubbish had been cleared by 6pm on Monday, October 14. He also issued directives for the Transport Company and SRT to restrict the use of the location and implement measures to prevent future incidents.

“If there is a violation, the DLT will issue a fine and suspend the operating licence, including revoking the entire concession if necessary.”

To prevent further issues, the ministry plans to collaborate with the Royal Thai Police (RTP) to ban vehicle parking on Kamphaeng Phet 6 Road. The road’s curbs will be painted red and white to clearly mark the no-parking zone, and violators will face penalties in accordance with traffic laws, reported Bangkok Post.