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	This means that the BMTA will only be the operator, not regulator, of public buses. This new set up will not just make the bus operation process more efficient but will also ensure road safety, Kobsak Pootrakool, vice minister at the Office of Prime Minister, said.</div>
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	He pointed out that the BMTA had so far not covered all routes, but had given the operation job in some routes to private bus firms, depending on requirements.&nbsp;</div>
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	Apart from being the operator, the BMTA was also the regulator, acquiring buses operated by private firms, sometimes, to run along the same routes as BMTA buses do. This, Kobsak said, resulted in poor-quality buses and unsafe driving.</div>
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	&ldquo;The Cabinet meeting has decided to cut BMTA&rsquo;s role to that of an operator by terminating its 1983 resolution allowing the BMTA to be the sole bus operator in Bangkok and the suburbs,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;</div>
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	The Cabinet meeting yesterday also agreed in principle to amend the Land Transport Act in relation to power transfer, fees on the licences for transport operation as well as rules and regulations on licensing.&nbsp;</div>

BMTA no longer in charge of bus operation

In yesterday’s meeting, the Cabinet gave the Department of Land Transport the job of regulating the operation of public buses in Bangkok and its outskirts instead of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA).