The crew of an interprovincial bus have been fined and may face further action for forcing a poor family and their two young sons off the bus late at night because the 2-year-old kept crying loudly.
Sanit Promwong, director-general of the Land Transport Department, told Thairath Online on Tuesday that the two bus drivers and the bus attendant were fined 5,000 baht.
They had offended the passengers and violated the land transport law, he said.
The family was travelling on a Bangkok-Koh Samui bus operated by the state-run Transport Co.
They were ordered off the bus in Cha-am district, Phetchaburi province, late on Sunday night.
Further disciplinary action was being considered, and the family would be compensated for the extra costs incurred for accommodation and onward transport, Mr Sanit said.
Bus attendant Wanchai Kaeocharoen reportedly said he told the family get off because the boy had cried continuously from Samut Sakhon province onward. Neither the other passengers nor the relief driver could sleep and some foreigners had complained.
He had the family leave the bus at a petrol station in Cha-am district where there was a hotel and a passenger van stand. The place was not deserted, he said.
Mongkol Thongboran, the father, said his family was from Prachin Buri province and were travelling to Koh Samui in Surat Thani province to take up a job.
His family had four bags with them and two young children and were made to leave the bus. He had 500 baht and after paying for accommodation had only 25 baht left. He had to ask a relative to transfer money to him before they could continue to Koh Samui.
He said his son had cried for only about 30 minutes and foreign passengers had talked to him and understood his explanation that his young son was afraid as it was his first long trip.
If the bus had waited for 5-10 minutes at the petrol station, his son could have been taken from it. He would have quickly calmed down and been ready to board the bus again, Mr Mongkol said.