DLT to inspect all CNG and LPG fuelled vehicles
Order applies to all tour buses as well as non-public and public transit buses, vans and minibuses fitted with gas cylinders
Operators of vehicles equipped with compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanks nationwide have been ordered to bring their vehicles for inspection by the Department of Land Transport (DLT).
This move follows the tragic death of 20 primary school students and three teachers in a bus fire outside Bangkok on October 1.
The Uthai Thani-based Wat Khao Phraya Sangkaram School had chartered three tour buses to take young primary students and teachers on a field trip to Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi. However, one of the buses, which was fitted with more gas tanks than officially allowed, caught fire and killed 23 of the 44 people on board.
DLT said on Tuesday that the department has stipulated that operators of vehicles equipped with CNG or LPG tanks should bring their vehicles for inspection without charge by making an appointment with Land Transport Offices nationwide.
Vehicles should pass the department’s standard, which covers gas cylinders, safety equipment, emergency exits, doors, safety belts, safety hammers and fire extinguishers.
Those that fail to meet the standard, such as expired cylinders, broken components, gas leakage or overweight, will be banned from usage until they meet the department’s requirements.
In a bid to tackle traffic jams in Bangkok, operators of non-public transit buses, vans and minibuses equipped with CNG tanks in the capital should be inspected by October 31.
Operators who wish to visit Bangkok Land Transport Office Area 5 can park their vehicles at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal while waiting for inspection, the department said.
Meanwhile, public transit buses equipped with CNG tanks and vehicles equipped with LPG tanks should be inspected by November 30 this year.
To ensure safety among students and school staff, DLT also asked the Education Ministry to avoid using vehicles equipped with CNG or LPG tanks for a field trip until the department’s inspections are completed.
The department will collaborate with the Education Ministry and educational institutions on vehicle inspection and safety drills before organising field trips, it added.
