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LOCAL bus drivers who want to be given preference over off-island bus operators were waiting in a group at Phuket Provincial Hall to greet the Interior Minister, Anupong Paojinda, around 1pm today.
Original Report
PHUKET: Local bus drivers took their campaign against off-island buses to the Aphrodite Cabaret Show in Phuket City's bypass road yesterday.
A spokesperson for the cabaret admitted that the show uses about 20 off-island buses from time to time to bring patrons to the venue.
About 40 bus drivers joined yesterday's meeting, with Navy officials and local police looking on.
Discussions about whether local bus drivers deserve preference has led to tour companies emphasising that insurance for buses and passengers is essential, along with drivers wearing uniforms and giving good service.
The Tourism and Sport Ministry's director, Santi Palai, also made the point that companies were legally free to choose who to employ. ''It's a mechanism of the market,'' he said.
''I suggest the Phuket bus drivers negotiate direct with the agents and make sure they are competitive,'' he said.
Phuket Land Transport Department chief Teerayuth Prasertpon agreed that the drivers' future really rested with their own ability to be competitive.
''We can inspect the buses to make sure that the vehicles are safe but we have no control over their use or who hires them,'' he said. ''That is, as Khun Santi says, a mechanism of the market.''
An Aphrodite representative accepted documents from the drivers, led by Netiphum Chatreetup. The drivers have general support from the Andaman Travel Association.
Phuketwan believes that to improve traffic flow, end breakdown snarls and make the island's roads safer, all large buses except inter-provincial services should be banned, making the holiday island a mini-van only destination.
how does putting more mini-vans on the road make the island safer??
Posted by another steve on September 11, 2015 11:19
Editor Comment:
How many mini-vans have crashed on Phuket's hills lately? The buses crash. The buses break down and block traffic. Is it easier to pass a mini-van on a coastal road, as? Perhaps you need to be stuck behind buses more often.