One route will link Mahidol University’s Nakhon Pathom campus and the Chatuchak area of northern Bangkok. The other will run from the Samut Prakan district of Bang Phli to Ramathibodi Hospital.
The Transport Ministry’s Somsak Hommuang told media representatives yesterday that the two routes were the forerunner of a network that would eventually see the city’s 5,000 passenger vans consigned to history. He claimed the larger microbuses would offer a higher degree of safety for passengers than the 10-passenger vans.
The death knell has already sounded for passenger van operators as the ministry has stated that no new licences for the vehicles will be issued. This means two-thirds of the vans will be banished from the city’s roads by 2022 at the latest.
Passenger vans are a popular option when travelling from Bangkok to the likes of Pattaya, Cha Am and Hua Hin. 12GO ASIA sells tickets for these services and notes they are generally faster than taking standard buses or the train.
Thai Transport Ministry okays launch of Bangkok microbus routes
News in Asia
The Thai Transport Ministry has given the green light to a proposal to set up two microbus routes to Bangkok. The services will utilise larger 20-person buses than the fleet of passenger vans currently on the streets of the capital.