Baht bus ban Pattaya. Last year on December 9th, 2016 Colonel Lungpanuwat, deputy chief of Military Circle 14, announced that City Hall’s Officials are to control more rigorously Pattaya’s transport operators that have illegally utilized public areas and roads because the operators and their operations are causing traffic congestion because of their illegal operations. He also added that some drivers are charging too expensive fares and are parking their vehicles on prohibited public areas of land.
The Army Chief in Pattaya Colonel Lungpanuwat said that all public areas will be taken back and that he wants to make Pattaya accessible for everyone who wishes to explore the city and that local and national transport companies that operate in Pattaya must abide by his rules.
In a further meeting on December 14th, 2016 the Colonel said that the crackdown on public transport operators is continuing on a daily basis with motorcycle taxis, private hire taxis, minibus vans, and baht buses all included in the sweeping changes. The Colonel clarified some of the rules in that the motorcycle taxi, baht buses, and other forms of transport vehicles can no longer pick up customers wherever they want and must stop in designated areas – ‘bus stops’ clearly marked on the road in red & white. The Colonel also banned ‘flat rate’ fares and that meters must be used, all taxis have to use the taxi meters. The Colonel also announced that Baht buses will only be allowed to stop at designated areas and that the buses may only use one side of the road. A brief outline of the new regulations that came into force on December 24th last year is as follows:
- Baht buses can load and unload passengers only at designated stopping points (bus stops).
- Hiring or to charter, a baht bus is not allowed.
- Queuing of baht buses such as on the left on the second road near boys town is not allowed.
- There will be 4 new routes, marked lines 4, 5, 6, and 7, these will replace the existing routes
Under the new regulations, baht buses do not operate on Pattaya’s Soi Buakaow or the second Road.
Due to the initial shortcomings of the regulations and the implementation of new bus stops the Colonel postponed the implementation of the new regulations until February 2017. The new regulations are now enforceable and indeed anyone who has traveled along Soi Buakow recently will see the new regulations in force and the absence of baht buses.
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