Foundation joins 2-deck bus ban call

Foundation joins 2-deck bus ban call

The Foundation for Consumers has joined calls to ban double-decker buses on high-risk routes.

The foundation insisted legal requirements for stronger buses and better qualified drivers are not enough to ensure bus safety.

Roads which pass through dangerous terrain can cause accidents, regardless of how strong and sturdy the buses are, said Sawani Chamchaliao, co-ordinator of the foundation’s public bus safety project.

The foundation's call came as the Department of Land Transport (DLT) is enforcing stricter rules on driving and safety standards of double-decker buses, following an accident in Tak on March 24 which left 29 people dead.

Ms Sawani said it was time the buses were banned from high-risk routes, especially on steep hills.

Studies have shown accidents not only result from the poor condition of buses, but due to drivers' abilities, she said.

The Tak crash, which also left dozens wounded, occurred on a hillside road. Thanaphong Jinwong, manager of the Academy of Road Safety at the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, suggested the DLT ask interprovincial bus operators to stop using vehicles on mountain roads.

Caretaker Minister Chadchart Sittipunt earlier expressed concern over seven highways that may be unsafe for double-decker buses to drive on.

They are the Tak-Mae Sot, Phitsanulok-Phetchabun, Kabin Buri-Pak Thong Chai and Ang Thong-Sing Buri-Chai Nat sections of the Asian Highway, and the Rangsit-Saraburi, Krabi-Phangnga and Chiang Mai-Mae Hong Son routes.

After the Tak tragedy, the DLT has also asked the Highways and Rural Roads departments to survey roads nationwide to determine those which are most dangerous for double-decker buses.

The department has published two manuals giving advice on safe double-decker driving and listing 85 routes across the country where careful driving is required, department chief Asdsathai Rattanadilok said.

About 200,000 manuals will be handed out to drivers of double-decker buses and bus operators.

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