Thailand forum

Our thoughts are with your son and friends, Delia.
And thanks for the reminder that road travel in Thailand is considerably more dangerous than in western countries. Something to consider when weighing the option of flights vs long distance buses.

Yes o/n buses are terrible. For a lousy $20-30 extra you can fly and planes over 20 years have very few crashes, especially the bigger airlines.

I had a scary ride from North Thailand to Udon Thani on the top deck of one of these buses. The drivers are freaking nuts, passing trucks on blind curves in the mountains, and the like. For the north of Thailand the bus company Nakhonchai Air has a very good safety record and is like flying business class, except in a bus, and costs a mere 20% more than the "shady" bus companies. They follow the speed limit, have a free meal stop included in the price, have good new buses, etc. For the south of Thailand, the train works well.

Good luck to you and your son. Hope the recovery is quick and smooth.

Even the VIP buses which Madmac mentioned are inherently dangerous. One of those en route to Phangan was involved in a tragic accident which killed 10 and injured another 17 in July last year. The news report with an image of the mangled wreck of the bus can be seen here: http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phangan-full-moon-party-bus-crash-killed-hurt-16263/

I only travel by bus in Thailand if there's no airport close to where I'm proposing to go. Flying adds to the cost of your vacation and you also miss some beautiful scenery, but it's infinitely safer than going by road, especially at night.

With a basic wage of only $10 a day and no driving test to pass before getting behind the wheel of such a large vehicle, accidents are inevitable. Drivers often use the drug Yaba which is a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine to keep themselves awake and the drug is easy to come by for Thais. But it's highly addictive and can impair judgement which is a recipe for disaster. It's probably the main reason most drivers who escape injury in a crash run off leaving the victims to fend for themselves.

"Even the VIP buses which Madmac mentioned are inherently dangerous. One of those en route to Phangan was involved in a tragic accident which killed 10 and injured another 17 in July last year. The news report with an image of the mangled wreck of the bus can be seen here: http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phangan-full-moon-party-bus-crash-killed-hurt-16263/"

The VIP buses can be okay, some companies such as Nakhonchai Air and the government-operated Transport Company have good records and reputations. Their primary customer base is middle class Thais (the poor might take less costly buses, the rich fly, presumably).

The reason this is crucial is they have to maintain their reputation to keep people buying their slightly more expensive tickets - maybe 2-300 baht more than the basic buses, but 100% worth it. The bus companies that specialize in taking foreign tourists to popular destinations such as Koh Phangan or Koh Samui or Phuket, or between Khao San Road and Chiang Mai, on the other hand, don't have to maintain their reputation since their primary customer base is one-off tourists. Theft and accidents are far more likely to happen on these buses.

I don't know of a reputable southern bus company, so the train is the best option IMO for long-distance travel around the south. Around long-distance routes in between Bangkok and the north and northeast I use Nakhonchai Air, which is worth it IMO, if nothing else, simply for the experience of traveling like a rockstar. Of course there's always the chance of another bus flying around the corner, but it seems like part of the reason the country is still fun is that it is less regulated than, say, the UK.

The VIP buses can be okay, some companies such as Nakhonchai Air and the government-operated Transport Company have good records and reputations. Their primary customer base is middle class Thais (the poor might take less costly buses, the rich fly, presumably).""

I second this. God knows I hate the bus, but we have no airport here and if I want to fly out of Ubon then I have a four hour bus ride or can take the van for two and a half hours at 300 baht. Air travel is another 2,400 last time I checked (although NKP might be looking good). So that's some three times the price to fly. I do ride sometimes, but I doubt riding my motorcycle in Bangkok is any safer than taking the bus.

Without intentionally making light of this terrible tragedy I would have thought taking amphetamines actually improves concentration so making for better driving. If they made a habit of smoking ganja or smack I think I' d be a lot more worried. I find after my experiences on Cambodian and Vietnamese buses the Thai level of driving is much better.

Squarethecircle
Don't get me wrong I don't think drivers should be taking ANY drugs but various studies have shown amphetamines improve concentration. You are right though if a driver is using this stuff on a regular basis it can certainly lead to aggresion and unpredictable behaviour.
This drug is used a lot in Thailand by taxi drivers not for recreation but to put in the long hours in order to make a living.
The fact that vehicles aren't properly maintained is also a massive factor in causing vehicle crashes particularly bald tyres. Check the condition of the tyres next time you travel.
Go ahead with the web site idea, sounds a good idea and hopefully would save lives and injury.
Question is how can we get through to these companies that these bad practices are causing loss of life. A black list?

Well, I don't really know how much they (yaba or ice) cost but I have seen the eyes of some taxi drivers.

Are they really that expensive?
I can remember a time when this stuff was sold in pharmacies. The Thai version (Acta) or the more expensive German ones (Captagon).
I'll have to ask around, just hope I don't get arrested.
As far as naming companies I can't see any legal problems with making statements such as
Company A had X number of crashes per Y number of journeys last year with Z number of fatalities. This is perfectly legal although it might not make you any friends in the passenger transport industry.

Accident rates on long-haul buses are almost equal in Thailand as well as in Malaysia, and, when they happen, they are usually fatal. However, situations in both countries are improving as the authorities seem to be giving more attention to safety measures. There are hundreds of thousands of people taking long-haul overnight bus trips in this region, and accidents like that do not happen as frequently as we think. So, I'd say, do take bus trips, and better still, buy tickets from reputable operators with proper offices or booths, they usually have better drivers and better vehicles.