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Home » News from Thailand » 954 minivans in Bangkok are taken out of service
954 minivans in Bangkok are taken out of service
AX SAYPLAY / Shutterstock.com
In Bangkok, all minibuses must eventually disappear and be replaced by midibuses. The current minivans are unsafe and relatively many accidents occur with them. One reason why they are banned in Europe, among others.
The Department of Land Transport (DLT) says that a quarter of all minivans will be taken out of service before the end of the year. There are now about 4.000 vans in Bangkok. The license of 954 vans will no longer be renewed. They are older than 10 years and can therefore no longer be insured.
The intention is that the minivans will be replaced by the safer midivans.
Across Thailand, the permits of 1.500 vans will not be renewed. That includes the vans that drive in Bangkok and the urban area. According to the DLT, Thailand has 12.700 minivans.
Source: Bangkok Post
Larger vans probably also mean more pollution.
This depends on whether those larger vans also carry more passengers.
The biggest problem, however, lies in the drivers, the often far too long driving times and the too tight time schedules, which means that people drive too fast.
I don't think it will reduce the number of accidents.
@ Ruud,
Quite right.
Those kamikaze pilots behind the wheel is the only factor that needs to be changed.
Better training and control follow-up.
Sometimes so stiff from what they swallow that even though they drive neatly, they are a great danger on the road.
Thank God only experienced it once.
Ok, throw old vans out, because we all know that the word maintenance is not in Thai, because everyone can read in the newspapers what happened to any kind of transport device.
LOUISE
Indeed, the number of accidents will not decrease, but the number of deaths will increase! There are twenty people in a midibus, so do the math! It is the drivers, with a few exceptions, who are no good!!!
Switch to driverless vans as soon as possible….
I can still understand revoking a permit for vans that are > 10 years old. But I don't understand the argument "unsafe because too many accidents". Most accidents happen because the drivers are not capable.
Putting these kamikaze types on midivans results in just as many accidents. Maybe even more, because you can go faster with it. And how many people can fit in a midi bus? 12-14? So the more casualties per hit.
Just googled on renting a minibus (9 persons) in the Netherlands. A wide offer. So why banned in Europe?
Of course there are 9 person vans for rent in Europe, but have you also checked whether they are the same minivans that drive around in Thailand? Do it anyway.
Might have something to do with crash testing. But when you see what those kamikaze pilots do here with those vans (head-on collision, overtaking where you're not allowed, driving way too fast, playing with your cell phone, taking pills, thinking they're all Verstappens, etc.) then even a good one helps. (?) crumple zone little.
In short. It's in the drivers. And if they come on midi buses, then with 12-14 passengers (and in practice even more) the consequences are correspondingly greater.
I read somewhere that they are not allowed in Europe because they are unstable, fall over quite quickly.
The whole problem lies with the drivers. When I see most of them driving I think what an idiot, if they see a hole they dive into it. Cutting off other traffic is also very common. And often they drive way too fast. calling while driving. And they work far too long. That should be tackled first. Larger buses do not solve that problem.
In connection. Toyota Netherlands has 9-person vans in its range. So those aren't midi vans.
Larger vans mean less pollution. Newer technology (so more economical and co2 friendlier) and more passengers per unit.
The first step in the right direction in terms of passenger safety. It would also be a good second step to periodically check the driver randomly for alcohol use while driving. A mandatory rest period should be considered for both passengers and the driver during journeys of more than 2 hours. And a mandatory 1 or 2 annual inspection of the midi vans.
As Ruud already pointed out, the problems are mainly in the drivers. Not only the driving times, but also the lack of quality, sense of responsibility, driving in convoy at great speed, lack of training and insight, etc. Larger vans simply seem to cause (even) more victims. In short, there is still a lot of work to be done.
No, IF new vans are really new, including the engine, then they will be much cleaner air, the size has very little to do with me. What does have a lot to do with it is that they drive less as stationary BKKs traffic, and it is even more necessary that a large proportion of the drivers are driven by skilled personnel (janee - they are mostly self-employed drivers, who get those bitches a day from hiring the wealthy Chinese) that is not just fixated on the receipts, is being replaced. Although: given the Thai labor market, that means that there is no replacement.
By the way: they almost only run on longer lines from distant suburbs to the edge of the center - for urban transport the average tourist will not have to deal with it.
Unfortunately, since a few years they also drive what used to be the 2nd class regional bus - to Pattaya, HuaHin etc and many other places. The same goes for that.
What is unsafe now, the minibus or the driver?
If it's the driver, there's little point in replacing the bushings….
Since everyone here on the blog knows that and the vans and drivers are not safe, we don't have to worry about it.
I think since we all know this we should just avoid them.
If you are in the Netherlands or anywhere else, you don't get into the car with an alcoholic.
Oh and those 9 person buses in the Netherlands are of the same size as the midi bus here, not the mini.
Dear people, have you ever thought about the fact that in the Netherlands we have to deal with the fact that something is stated on the driver's license and that it is simply too expensive for employers to hire people with a “large driver's license” is such a “ midi bus”? In the Netherlands B driving license 8 persons + driver! I think that is more the reason why these beautiful midi vans do not drive in Europe/the Netherlands! Well, the Netherlands, land of rules and always with the best boy in the class!
johan.