By Chawala Kongsang
And considering the way some of their drivers maneuver the roads – the number of accidents that can be linked to negligence, excessive speed or sub-standard maintenance of the vehicles – one often has to wonder if there is any order governing the island’s traffic.
While one recent announcement of stricter enforcement of public transport rules in Bangkok comes as welcome news, there has so far been no such announcement for Phuket. Here, we take a look at the rules and regulations in place for transport vehicles and their respective drivers on the island.
At this time, minivan and taxi drivers in Phuket are not subject to the same stricter processing ultimatums as those in the capital. However, the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) told The Phuket News, that its approach, at least initially, will be to use persuasion tactics.
The department recently announced a simplified registration process for a new category of vans recently introduced: minivans that can carry up to 10 passengers – those typically used for VIP limousine services.
One of the incentives of the campaign included reducing the amount of paperwork required for registration, namely the requirement for a driver to have a private transport employment contract.
The two-week registration period for VIP minivans (November 5-21) resulted in only 20 applications. Said minivans have been assigned white license plates with blue characters, starting with the number 36.
Vehicles used as public transport for more than 10 passengers, have yellow license plates with black characters; the first pair of characters being the number 30.
According to the PLTO, there are more than 9,000 such vans (yellow plate, black characters) registered as operating in Phuket.
Asked if the the laws would be enforced more strictly in Phuket, the PLTO spokesperson told The Phuket News that strict laws are already in place and that drivers found not to have registered correctly will be subject to fines of between B20,000 and B100,000 and could also face prison sentences.
Schooling School Transfer
On a school day in Phuket, possibly hundreds of minivans can be seen ferrying school children across the island, but the official number on record at the PLTO is well below what one might expect, given the sheer volume of traffic.
In Phuket, vehicles used as school buses do not have to register as public transport vehicles. However, their drivers have do obtain a permit from the PLTO, which requires a safety inspection of the vehichle, and for the driver to sign an agreement, which has a six-month validity, and must be renewed upon expiration in order for the permit remain valid.
Surprisingly, only 87 vans are currently registered in this way with the PLTO.
The Phuket News contacted several schools on the island to see if they were following or at least aware of the legal procedures pertaining to school transport.
None of the schools we contacted were aware that drivers transporting students needed to be registered for six months at a time, and each school seemed to have their own student transport arrangements, that were not directly tied in with the PLTO, if at all.
Like many schools in Phuket, Dara Samut Phuket School, a large primary-secondary school near Central, does not oversee or operate its own school bus service, but leaves this to free enterprise.
Freelance van drivers are simply allowed to ferry students to/from school. The school told The Phuket News that the school does not have any business or dealings with these freelance drivers, and does not vet or monitor them in any way.
Many other schools, like Phuket Wittayalai School and Satree Wittaya School in Phuket Town for example, do have their own transport vans, but are only used for staff and on some occasions to transport students and faculty to competitions and other school related events.
Both schools don’t have any freelance transport operators transporting their students (which would explain the high volume of traffic of parent escorts coming to/from the schools every day during rush hour).
Like the two schools, most on the island tend to manage their own driver and vehicle inspections without any oversight by the PLTO.
Some schools, particularly the better funded international schools, do have exclusive contracts with student transfer service operators, using their own dedicated vans.
The head of transportation at one popular international school in Mueang district, told The Phuket News that his contracted operator was registered with the PLTO.
However, the manager was under the false impression that the permit was for a lifetime validity. Therefore, he said his school did not need to check whether the operator’s PLTO permit was up to date.
According to the PLTO, this is not the case, and all school transfer operators need to renew their permit every six months.
So how safe is it to have your kids pile into a van for the trip to school and what rules and regulations do those van drivers have to follow?
While it is clear that there is little if any standardization and accountability by many Phuket school administrators, let alone enforcement by local authorities, as a parent or caretaker, you can vet the driver and his/her vehicle.
Here are some of official guidelines issued by the Phuket transport office regarding school transport.
As well as having a valid driver's license, basic requirements for school bus drivers include obtaining a driver's license endorsement to drive for the purpose of public transport for up to 20 passengers or up to 3,500kg in gross vehicle weight including cargo.
This endorsement requires specified training, and will be stated clearly on the driver’s license. Ask your van driver to look if you’re in doubt. If it only says “For private car”, it means he/she does not have the correct training/endorsement.
The orange license plates on these vehicles have to be at least 60cm by 25cm. The vans must have clearly written on them, in black letters no less than 15cm tall, “Transporting Students” (รับส่งนักเรียน in Thai), both on the back and front.
The vehicles are required to have amber or red turn signals, back and front, and they must have the necessary first aid and safety equipment to assist students in case of an accident or other emergency, including a fire extinguisher and secure, easily-accessible hammers to break the windows to create emergency exits.
Though Phuket Transport officials have yet to issue any firm warnings similar to the clampdown in Bangkok, it is clear that due to much negative publicity in recent times, Thailand’s transportation regulations are currently being targeted for reform, slowly albeit surely.
Few will question whether the PLTO is sincere in its drive to standardize Phuket roads; however, anyone who has been here long enough knows that the issue is not about a lack of strict regulations and standards, but about a lack of enforcement of the respective regulations and penalties by local authorities.
Additional reporting by Steven Layne