Thai Transport agencies serve New Year exodus

BANGKOK, December 28 (TNA) - Transport Company Limited and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) under the Ministry of Transport have deployed more buses and trains to serve travelers during the ongoing New Year festival. Transport Company Limited Managing Director Wuthichart Kalayanamitr assessed that the number of passengers on inter-provincial buses should peak on Friday; so, his company is operating 7,000 bus trips to serve some 250,000 passengers. Wuthichart asked New Year travelers, especially those who are leaving Bangkok, to reach bus terminals with public transit services to relieve traffic congestion at bus terminals and sought cooperation from 70-80 police and military police to guard each bus terminal at a time to guarantee safety. The SRT, on the other hand, has also deployed more trains at the Hua Lamphong railway terminus in Bangkok, which are running on highly demanded routes, namely Bangkok-Sila Asana in Uttaradit province in the Lower Thai North, Bangkok-Ubon Ratchathani province in the Thai Northeast, Udon Thani and Si Sa Ket provinces in the Thai Northeast, which are expected to serve all 120,000 passengers at Hua Lamphong, on December 28 alone. Meanwhile, Deputy Transport Minister Prasert Chantararuangthong has launched a road safety campaign, stressing that drivers of passenger buses are totally banned from drinking alcohol, with violators being liable to up to three months in jail and/or a fine of 2,000-10,000 baht, and that bus passengers are also banned from drinking or they will face up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to 10,000 baht. (TNA)