Transport sector must learn from school bus fire, ministry says
More than 13,000 CNG-powered buses to be inspected as Transport Ministry gets tough on fire safety standards
The Transport Ministry has given the Department of Land Transport (DLT) two months to inspect all passenger buses equipped with compressed natural gas (CNG) cylinders to ensure that they pass fire safety standards, deputy minister Surapong Piyachote said on Wednesday.
Ministry executives met on Wednesday to discuss safety measures after the incident in which a gas-powered tour bus caught fire while transporting students in Pathum Thani province on Tuesday.
The accident resulted in 20 students and 3 teachers dying in the fire out of the total 39 students and six teachers on board.
The bus was among three chartered by Wat Khao Phaya Sangkharam School in Uthai Thani to take young primary students and teachers on a sightseeing trip to Ayutthaya.
The DLT reported that 13,426 passenger buses in Thailand are registered as using CNG as fuel, the same as the ill-fated bus. Of these, 10,491 serve regular routes while 2,935 are chartered.
Surapong said the inspections must be completed in two months or before the end of November.
He also ordered the DLT to draft a regulation requiring all bus drivers and staffers to undergo safety and crisis management training.
The DLT must coordinate with schools nationwide in ensuring that all buses used for school trips undergo proper inspection and pass safety standard checks before use.
The ministry ordered related agencies to consider revising the maximum years of service allowed for passenger buses to ensure road safety. The move is in response to a police investigation which found that the bus in the accident was first registered on February 19, 1970, or 54 years ago. It was re-registered on October 26, 2018, due to modifications made to its chassis frame and changes to its dimensions.
Surapong said the ministry is also considering mandating all chartered buses to demonstrate safety procedures to passengers prior to every trip as is done on flights.
DLT director-general Jirut Wisaljit told the meeting that the bus with the licence plate 30-0423 Sing Buri was registered to an individual named Panisara Shinbutr, whose public transport operator licence has now been suspended.
He added that the current law mandates CNG-fuelled vehicles to undergo inspections twice a year, as gas canisters are susceptible to leakage and damage from vibration and friction.
The law also sets the maximum number of service years at 40 for buses travelling under 300 km. per trip, 35 years for 300-500 km. trip, and 30 years for over 500 km. trip.
The Transport Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Chayatan Phromsorn said the ministry is setting up a panel to revise all regulations related to passenger buses. The committee will consist of representatives from the Council of Engineers and agencies involved in traffic and safety standards.
The discussions are expected to be concluded in 15 days, he added.
