Double-decker coach licences not renewed, says Prawit
Following on the heels of a major accident involving a double-decker coach, Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan has confirmed that starting in 2015 licences for the giant buses have not been renewed as they expired.
The Land Transport Department was also tasked with ensuring double-decker coaches already on the road met a good standard of safety, he added.
Prawit, in his capacity as the chairman of the Road Safety Policy Committee, made the comment prior to the start of a Friday morning meeting at the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department in Bangkok.
The meeting was to consider a master plan for road safety for 2017-2020 and discuss road safety measures for the upcoming Songkran holidays. Prawit said the authorities would implement various measures, including the seizure of vehicles driven by drunk drivers. Passengers might be allowed in the cargo beds of pickup trucks, as long as they did not sit on cargo bed’s edge and the trucks were travelling at a low speed.
Public concerns are again rising over the use of double-decker coaches after Wednesday night’s tragic crash involving one of the vehicles in Nakhon Ratchasima. The crash killed 18 people and wounded 32 others onboard the bus.