The state-run Transport Company is to increase bus and van services during the long Songkran holidays to about 3,700 daily trips out of Bangkok on April 11^th and 12^th and a similar number back to Bangkok on April 16^th through 18^th.

The Transport Company’s Managing Director Sanyalak Panwattanalikhit said today (Tuesday) that he anticipates the number of people travelling by bus during Songkran will be about 30% higher than during the New Year break, because more COVID-19 restrictions have been eased.

The company will be able to serve about 40,000 passengers a day on services heading out of Bangkok and about 38,000 passengers a day on the return trips.

Although oil prices have increased, Sanyalak said that the company will not increase fares over the Songkran period.

To prepare the fleet needed to serve the passengers, he said that the company has approached bus service operators, who do not operate fixed routes, to arrange for 700 buses to support the Transport Company’s Songkran service on April 11^th and 12^th.

As far as safety is concerned, he said that all bus and van drivers must undergo drug and alcohol tests before driving, adding that this measure will also be applied to the 700 independent bus drivers.

All vehicles must be in a working condition and equipped with GPS, to ensure that they do not exceed the 90km/hr speed limit. For trips of more than 400km, there will be two drivers on each bus, taking turns to drive.

Regarding COVID-19 safety measures, all drivers and attendants on board a bus must be subjected to rapid antigen tests once every three days and all the seats and contact points must be sprayed or wiped with disinfectants.

Passengers are required to wear face masks at all times on board a bus and register their presence via the Thai Chana app every time they use a bus service.

Complaint centres will be set up at Bangkok’s five bus terminals on April 11^th and 12^th, and a first aid room will be available at each terminal.