After the Pathum Thani Fire drama, customers are having second thoughts about security.
Following a dreadful vehicle fire that claimed the lives of 20 kids and three professors on Tuesday, the Ministry of Education has issued a directive to stop field trips by open schools .
Thawatchai Wongwanitkanwarn, an operator in Nakhon Ratchasima, said his organization was very rigid about health. It routinely checked the state of the cars, vehicles, personnel, and safety equipment to make sure they adhered to the requirements set by the Department of Land Transport.
He continued,” We were given simple information about the location of emergency windows, car fire extinguishers, and a glass-breaking nail.”
Some tour bus operators would be affected by the suspension of scholar field trips, according to Mr. Thawatchai.
His company has 10 visit cars, generally double-decker designs, and all are fuelled by fuel not gas. The company offers standard tours, as long as schools adhere to the rules and are not required to use double-decker buses for their excursions.
His brother operators, he claimed, had single-decker buses for school trips, while the majority of his customers were state agencies or private companies looking to take their personnel on excursions.
The vehicle that was involved in Pathum Thani’s horror on Tuesday had been operating for more than 50 years and had undergone numerous modifications. It had been refitted to use gasoline but the assembly, involving 10 vehicles, was apparently not up to standard. The licensing of its Sing Buri-based controller has been suspended pending further investigations.
Authorities on Wednesday announced a number of measures in response to the drama, including improved health education for teachers and students, standard demands for trucks used on school field trips, and inspections of hundreds of gas-powered trucks nationwide.
While state officials reevaluate security measures, education minister Permpoon Chidchob announced a temporary moratorium on research trips by state institutions.
39 learners from Kindergarten 2 through Mathayom 3 and six educators from the Wat Khao Praya Sangkharam class in the Uthai Thani district of Lan Sak were on the vehicle that caught fire on Tuesday. On Wednesday night in Uthai Thani, five weeks of funeral rites for the 23 patients started.
Double-decker visit cars in Nakhon Ratchasima await orders. ( Photo: Prasit Tangprasert )
Mr. Tawatchai claimed that vehicle operators outside noticed a sharp decline in the number of passengers using their services during the Covid-19 epidemic. Since the pandemic ended, the treatment has been delayed, with traveler figures still hovering at 50 % of pre-Covid rates.
He added that the users ‘ problems will only get worse with the restrictions on school field trips.
Chamroon Wannapas, 53, the owner of Ae Transport Co in Khon Kaen, said about 80 % of his clients had cancelled deals following Tuesday’s brutal vehicle fire. His company has eight tour cars, both double- and single-decker designs.
According to him,” Bus service fees for each getaway vary depending on many things, including the length and the itineraries for travel to various locations.”
” Typically, the rates are 5, 000 to 15, 000 ringgit a day. About 50 % of our customers are schools, 40 % are state agencies and the remaining 10 % are general customers hiring tour buses for merit-making trips.
” Today, many clients, mostly universities, have cancelled trip bus services following Tuesday’s horror. We are aware of the reason for the cancellation and send condolences to the families of the subjects.
Chamroon Wannapas, 53, user of Ae Transport Co in Khon Kaen, said about 80 % of his clients had cancelled trip deals following Tuesday’s brutal vehicle fire. ( Photo: Chakkrapan Natanri )