Let's face it. Public transport in Thailand isn't safe, but unfortunately commuters have little choice but to take a risk.
Consider the case of Pattama Daengsame. Every day for more than a year, the 26-year-old returned to her home in Bang Yai district, Nonthaburi, from her office in Bangkok in the late hours. Alone in the middle of the night, she avoids taxis for fear for her safety.
This is, of course, the right decision for Ms Pattama as she, like so many other single women, is fully cognisant of the unenviable reputation of Bangkok's taxi drivers.
Therefore, catching a public van is a better choice because it usually means she won't be alone in a vehicle. The problem is, she underestimated the safety of commuter vans.
At 11pm on April 22, she caught a public van at a bus stop in front of the PTT Plc headquarters to Bang Yai. Once aboard Ms Pattama found she was the only passenger, and started to hope more people would be picked up along the way. She was wrong.
Driver Wanna Joysrikate did not pull the van over at other stops. Worse, he stopped the van at a deserted location, tying Ms Pattama's hands and threatening her with sexual harassment unless she gave him money.
Ms Pattama handed him 400 baht in cash and an ATM card that the driver used to withdraw another 1,500 baht from a machine in exchange for her release and safety.
Mr Wanna was arrested a day later after Ms Pattama went to the police. He said he needed money to pay for the rent of the van. What is even more shocking about this incident is that he had been arrested four times previously on four different accounts from theft to physical assault and drug trading going back to 1997.
He walked out of prison six years ago.
The driver was caught, and Ms Pattama is back to her commuting routine not knowing if it will happen to her again or to other commuters. But the story does not end there.
The public has heard so much about the Transport Ministry's grand plan to turn around the country's rail system by launching high-speed train lines under the 2-trillion-baht megaproject scheme. It sounds like that is the only thing the ministry cares about as other issues do not seem to appear on the radar screen of the minister and his deputies. The reality is there are many other basic transport issues which should be fixed, one of which is the safety of Ms Pattama and millions like her whose livelihoods rely on public transport every day and every night.
The condition of public buses, taxis and vans has greatly improved in recent years. Old vehicles have been removed from the streets as they were too dangerous for passengers. But these improvements mean nothing if the person behind the wheel presents a danger to passengers or is unreliable.
Talks have been suggested about better screening of drivers for public transport vehicles by the ministry. Yet little has been done. It is too easy to get a driver's licence for public vehicles as officials do not bother doing a background check on applicants or their driving capabilities. That is why drivers like Mr Wanna are allowed to insert themselves into the public service sector.
There are more rude, reckless and dangerous bus, mini-bus, van and taxi drivers out there roaming the streets of greater Bangkok and other cities. The ministry seems content to leave responsibility for taking or not taking certain transport to commuters. Many who are lucky today might not be so lucky tomorrow, as Ms Pattama's bitter experience shows.
The high-speed train project is still years in the making. It is "sexy" propaganda for the ministry and the government. But it is not the only thing that can be done to improve the commuting experience. Making grandiose plans would seem to be easier than tackling existing chronic problems.
Commuters do not care so much about such fancy projects in the here and now; they just want a safe ride on public transport. As the ministry still is offering no answers to this, a useful tip for commuters would be to pray before leaving home. That sounds trite, but what else can you do when you have to take care of yourself?
Saritdet Marukatat is Digital Media News Editor, Bangkok Post.