He continued by saying passengers seemed to be taking advantage of low fares on budget airlines and flying more these days. He noted that if passengers booked their tickets well in advance on key routes such as Bangkok to Chiang Mai or Bangkok to Phuket, prices were not too much dearer than travelling by bus.
Mr Saengnimnual added that passenger numbers on these main routes had declined by as much as 30 per cent. He remarked that time was also a factor and a 10-hour bus trip was usually equivalent to less than one hour’s flying time.
He also warned that if Thailand launched high-speed train services this would further impact on the number of travellers opting for buses. Mr Saengnimnual said the Transport Company would be staging a seminar later this month to define a long-term strategy for its survival.
The Transport Company was founded by the Thai government more than eight decades ago with the intention of making inter-city travel possible for all Thais. Nowadays, the advantage the company has over flying or the train is that its network does cover even the most obscure destinations in Thailand.
Thai public bus company to streamline operations
News in Asia
The chairperson of Thailand’s state-owned long-distance bus company says a review of its operations is necessary to stop it losing money. Anusorn Saengnimnual says the numbers of passenger travelling on Transport Company buses has fallen significantly in the past few years.