The Transport Ministry plans to commission the Transport Institute of Chulalongkorn University to study the feasibility of replacing passenger vans with mini buses to cater to the need of passengers travelling from one province to another.
The move follows an instruction from the National Council for Peace and Order for relevant agencies to study the possibility to use mini buses to replace passenger vans which are regarded as unsafe.
Transport deputy permanent secretary Daroon Saengchai said that, previously, mini buses were used to service passengers on inter-provincial routes and it was proven that they are safer than passenger vans if the vehicles are not modified and not overloaded with passengers beyond the limits.
Land Transport deputy director-general Chiroot Visarnchit, meanwhile, said that, initially while the feasibility study is not yet completed, some mini buses with 18-20 seats would be introduced for trial run on certain routes between Bangkok and some provinces.
