Complete solution to old van service in Greater Bangkok expected soon

BANGKOK, October 3 (TNA) - The Thai government, through the Ministry of Transport, is expected to soon find a complete solution to issues related to old passenger vans that have been totally banned from their public service as of October 1, 2018. Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha told journalists on October 2 that he has ordered the Department of Land Transport, under the Ministry of Transport, to discuss with relevant parties to find a suitable and complete solution to the issues as the law enforcement is needed on the off street-ban against passenger vans older than 10 years. "There should soon be a suitable conclusion involving all relevant parties, including passengers, operators of the decommissioned public vans, newly-regulated van routes and existing state-run passenger bus services in the capital and its peripheral provinces", the prime minister suggested. The prime minister's remarks were in response to reports on a disagreement among operators of the old public vans to replace their vans with mini-buses to serve passengers on the same routes in Greater Bangkok. Meanwhile, the Department of Land Transport has reported on the sufficient supply of public vans to serve passengers in Bangkok and its surrounding areas, after the official ban on the over 1,000 vans older than 10 years took effect as of the beginning of this month, stating that there has been more supply than demand of public vans running in Greater Bangkok and the legal decommissioning of the old vans has not, thus, much affected the public transport service provided to passengers. (TNA)