Phuket Town inches closer to public buses

PHUKET TOWN: Public bus services are set to start next month on two routes in Phuket Town as soon as the vehicles are ready, says a senior member of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor). The proposed transport breakthrough follows years of promises and postponements. The biggest hurdle now faced by the project is opposition from tuk-tuk drivers and motorcycle taxi riders. Somchai Duangkae, chairman of the OrBorJor, told the Gazette today, “We plan to start the service in February. At the moment we are waiting for the buses to be assembled in Bangkok.” There will be two scheduled bus routes, which the OrBorJor plans to expand in the future. One will run between Baan Sam Kong School and the Phuket Vocational College. The other will run between Rajabhat Phuket Institute and the Laem Chan Health Office on Chao Fa Nai Rd. Buses will depart every 10 to 30 minutes from 6 am to 8 pm. The fare will be 10 baht. K. Somchai said he was certain that tuk-tuk and motorbike operators would be upset by the bus plan. “But we have to consider who will benefit from this service and who will lose,” he said. “I’m sure that the public will benefit, and this is much more important. “This is what the majority of people want. From our surveys, most people want public transport.” The OrBorJor took over the public bus service project 18 months ago after attempts by a private company to launch it failed because of soaring fuel prices. The company, PB Holdings, had planned to start its service in May 1999.