The vehicle is one of what residents of the town called Rot Ban Rao. It was made redundant when the Phitsanulok Service Company closed down after 50 years of operating bus services here.
At the handover ceremony, the founder of the museum, Bancha Vajasuwat, thanked bus company proprietor Narinsak Buranakett for the bus. Mr Vajasuwat said the museum would preserve the exterior bodywork and livery of the vintage vehicle, but might adapt the interior so that it could function as an interactive learning centre for youngsters.
Mr Buranakett said he was happy that such an important part of Phitsanulok’s heritage was being preserved for future generations. He continued by saying he felt a sense of pride that the bus would be on show in the museum.
The bus company was established in the early 1960s by Mr Buranakett’s father and served five urban routes. Citing the ever-increasing cost of fuel, Mr Buranakett announced early in November that it was no longer economically viable to operate Ban Rao buses.
Vintage Thai town bus rolls into museum
News in Asia
A fleet of buses in a northern Thai town was so old that one of them became a museum exhibit as soon as it was taken out of service. Last weekend, the Bancha Museum in Phitsanulok took delivery of a vintage bus that only made its final passenger run on 30 November.