The Department of Land Transport has warned the operators of almost 6,000 natural gas-powered (CNG) buses they must present their vehicles for safety inspection before Nov 30 or be put off the road.
The DLT posted the warning on its Facebook page.
There are 13,426 CNG buses registered to operate on Thailand's roads and 5,925 have not undergone the inspections ordered on Oct 4 following the chartered tour bus fire that killed 20 students and three teachers in Pathum Thani on Oct 1.
The DLT said 59 buses had so far not passed the checks and had been temporarily ordered off the roads.
New Year travellers were advised to use only CNG-fuelled buses that display “passed safety inspection” stickers on the front.
The department warned operators who fail to have their buses inspected before the Nov 30 deadline they will be fined 50,000 baht and the vehicles will be taken off the road.
If any of the 59 defective buses detected so far were found to be still carrying passengers, the owner would also be hit with a 50,000 baht fine.
Many operators are expected to fail to meet the Nov 30 deadline.
Officials will send them a notice ordering them to take their buses for checks within 15 days.
The DLT said any operator who fails to do so will have their public transport licence revoked and they must return the licence plates to the department.
Anyone found continuing to operate a bus with a revoked licence will be liable to a maximum penalty of five years in jail and/or a fine of 20,000-100,000 baht.
