National —
On September 10th, 2024, Mr. Atthawit Rakjamroon, the Acting Managing Director of the Thai Transport Company Limited, announced the company’s participation in a recent Thai-Lao road transport meeting.
The discussions, held on September 4th-5th by the Thai Department of Land Transport and the Lao Department of Transport, focused on enhancing road transport cooperation between Thailand and Laos, including launching new tourism routes linking airports with high-speed rail services.
In alignment with the policy of Thai Deputy Transport Minister Surapong Piyachote, Transport Company Limited plans to reopen all international bus routes and introduce new routes to connect with airports and high-speed rails.
Key developments include:
- A new bus route from Udon Thani to Vang Vieng, via Udon Thani International Airport and Nong Khai, will launch in early November 2024. This route aims to facilitate seamless travel between the airport and the Lao-China high-speed railway, which has been temporarily suspended for upgrades.
- Studies are underway for five additional routes, including Chiang Mai to Boten, Bangkok to Savannakhet, Pattaya to Pakse, Pattaya to Vientiane, and Pattaya to Savannakhet, to offer more travel options between the two countries.
- The Transport Company will enhance ticket sales for all international routes through online platforms and E-Ticket systems. Currently, nine international routes operate between Thailand and Laos, with 92 daily trips serving around 3,000 passengers per day.
- The Bangkok-Pakse route will see an upgrade from standard air-conditioned buses to premium services, maintaining two daily trips.
- The Mukdahan-Savannakhet route will add three more buses, increasing the daily service from 13 to 17 trips.
- The Transport Company will increase staffing at the Nong Khai Immigration checkpoint on the Nong Khai-Vientiane route to improve passenger processing.
Additionally, the Transport Company officials visited the Morning Market Bus Terminal in Vientiane to enhance signage and information in both Thai and Lao languages, ensuring better accessibility for Thai and international passengers.
This article originally appeared on our sister website The Pattaya News.
