Bangkok’s notorious No 8 bus service not quite tamed yet
The brand-new electric bus No 2-38 replacing the notorious No 8 service crashed against a Euro II bus No 509 at Victory Monument on Saturday.
The incident took place just one day after the service was resurrected. The accident resulted in the bus’s left side mirror being bent. Nobody was injured.
The operator, Thai Smile Bus Co Ltd, said the driver was not speeding or being reckless when the accident took place. The driver also has no record of reckless driving, it said.
“The company has warned the driver and instructed him to undergo training on safe driving again,” the statement said.
The resurrection of the No 8 service – once notorious for reckless driving, road accidents and bad-tempered staff – is part of electrified restructuring conducted by the Land Transport Department.
Earlier, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob had said that electric buses for Line No 2-38 from Memorial Bridge to Happy Land were equipped with technology to detect speed and staff behaviour to ensure passengers’ safety.
He believes more than 1,300 electric buses will be deployed in Bangkok’s 122 routes this year.
