Thailand introduced a legislation on Friday which requires passengers to sit down down when travelling on a songthaew, a well-liked type of public transport. However, songthaew drivers say the law is detrimental to their livelihoods and are apprehensive it might result in extortion.
A songthaew is a passenger vehicle converted from a pickup truck with two rows of seats. Songthaews have been used as a cheap form of transport for decades in Thailand, and are sometimes packed out with passengers standing or hanging off the again.
The new law, printed within the Royal Gazette, aims to make the songthaew experience safer for everyone involved. But Classified say it’s impractical and uneconomical.
Songthaew drivers spend 800-1000 baht on gasoline per day so that they want as many passengers as attainable since most journeys price eight baht, or somewhat more relying on the province.
A songthaew driver from Bangkok voiced his concerns…
“Normally, there’s a rush hour in the morning and evening. My route runs from Siriraj Pier to Phutthamonthon. The new regulation will make me earn far much less cash because previously, the Department of Transport ruled that songthaews can seat as much as eleven folks and an additional seven folks can match standing.
“Sometimes, in rush hour, there are traffic jams and much more passengers, that means many extra end up standing.”
Songthaew drivers additionally said that the Department of Transport can’t count on songthaew drivers to be able to enforce the model new rule since they are driving and cannot management the number of passengers hopping out and in of the vehicle.
If drivers charge eight baht per journey – and are allowed solely 11 passengers, they’ll make 88 baht per journey solely – if the vehicle is full that is.
But most drivers predominantly earn their income in the two busy periods of the day, with way over eleven passengers on each journey, so the model new regulation will cut back their revenue significantly.
Drivers expressed concerns that after the songthaew is full, they would either displease passengers by rejecting them or should risk breaking the regulation and being arrested if they accepted them.
Some have been apprehensive that police would use the model new regulation to extort songthaew drivers..