Bus firms lament suspension of school trips

Tour bus operators have been badly affected by a Ministry of Education order to suspend field trips by public schools following a tragic bus fire that claimed the lives of 20 students and three teachers on Tuesday.
Thawatchai Wongwanitkanwarn, an operator in Nakhon Ratchasima, said his company was very strict about safety. It regularly inspected the condition of buses, drivers, staff and safety equipment on buses to ensure that they met the standards set by the Department of Land Transport.
Passengers were given basic knowledge about the location of emergency doors, vehicle fire extinguishers and a glass-breaking hammer, he added.
Mr Thawatchai said the suspension of student field trips would affect many tour bus operators.
His firm has 10 tour buses, mostly double-decker models, and all are fuelled by diesel not gas. The company provides general tours, as schools are not supposed to use double-decker buses for their outings — if they follow the rules.
His fellow operators had single-decker buses that were used for school trips, he said, while his customers were mostly state agencies or private firms seeking to take their staff on excursions to various places.
The bus involved in Tuesday’s tragedy in Pathum Thani had been in service for more than 50 years and had been modified multiple times. It had been refitted to use gas but the installation, involving 10 tanks, was reportedly not up to standard. The licence of its Sing Buri-based operator has been suspended pending further investigations.
Authorities on Wednesday responded to the tragedy by announcing a host of measures, including inspections of thousands of gas-powered buses nationwide, standard requirements for buses used on school field trips, and better safety training for teachers and students.
Education Minister Permpoon Chidchob announced a temporary ban on study trips by state schools while officials re-evaluate safety measures.
The bus that caught fire on Tuesday was carrying 39 students, from Kindergarten 2 to Mathayom 3, and six teachers from Wat Khao Praya Sangkharam school in Lan Sak district of Uthai Thani. Five days of funeral rites began on Wednesday evening in Uthai Thani for the 23 victims.
Mr Tawatchai said that during the Covid-19 outbreak, bus operators everywhere saw a sharp drop in the number of passengers using their services. Since the pandemic ended the recovery has been slow, with passenger numbers still only about 50% of pre-Covid levels.
The ban on school field trips will just add to operators’ woes, he added.
Chamroon Wannapas, 53, the owner of Ae Transport Co in Khon Kaen, said about 80% of his customers had cancelled contracts following Tuesday’s horrific bus fire. His firm has eight tour buses, both double- and single-decker models.
“Bus service fees for each trip are different depending on many factors such as the distance and itineraries for travelling to various locations,” he said.
“Normally, the rates are 5,000 to 15,000 baht a day. About 50% of our customers are schools, 40% are state agencies and the remaining 10% are general customers hiring tour buses for merit-making trips.
“Now, many customers, mostly schools, have cancelled tour bus services following Tuesday’s tragedy. We understand the reason for cancellation and express our condolences to the victims’ families.”