Bus No. 8 (Bangkok)

Bangkok Bus Line 8 is a bus route in Bangkok, Thailand. Running between Happy Land Village and Memorial Bridge via Lat Phrao Road, Phahonyothin Road, and Worachak Road. It is operated by many private-joint companies. The Line 8 is notorious for reckless driving and atrocious customer service.[1] Riders filed 345 complaints about the poor services of No. 8 buses in 2015, the highest number of BMTA complaints.[2] On average, Bus Line 8 receives about 20 complaints per month.[3] In informal polling, it has been ranked as the worst bus service in Bangkok.[4]

8
Overview
OperatorPrivate Joint Companies
Route
StartHappy Land Village
ViaThe Mall Bang Kapi
Lat Phrao Road
Lat Phrao Intersection  BTS   MRT 
Chatuchak Weekend Market
Victory Monument  BTS 
Ramathibodi Hospital
Wat Saket
Sampheng
EndMemorial Bridge
Service
LevelDaily
Frequency5-15 minutes
Operates04:00–24:00
← 7ก  Bangkok Bus  9 →
 Thailand portal
 Transportation portal

Current route

The Line 8 operates via these primary locations:[5][6]

Fares and payment method

The line is operated by several private companies under concessions from the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA). No. 8 line bus drivers are not paid a salary, but rather are paid a percentage of each day's receipts. This motivates them to make as many runs during their shifts as possible to earn more money.[2]

Incidents
  • The BMTA punished two drivers of the No. 8 bus service for fist fighting on 14 May 2018. A dispute arose over whose bus would get more passengers. The two drivers confessed to having engaged in a fist fight, which was caught on camera and posted online by a Thai social media user. The BMTA fact-finding committee fined the driver who started the fight 5,000 baht and suspended him from work for seven days. His employer, Sap 88, was held accountable for the driver fighting in public and fined 5,000 baht. The second driver was fined 2,000 baht. Both men also received formal warnings.[7]
  • On 25 March 2016, a No. 8 bus crashed with a motorbike taxi, running over the head of the taxi's female passenger, killing her instantly. This prompted the BMTA to warn operators of No. 8 buses to improve services and ensure passenger safety or lose their concessions. BMTA officials briefed drivers and attendants of No. 8 buses at their terminals before the start of their shifts. They were told to stop at bus stops, not to race against one another, to follow traffic rules, and not to leave the slow, left lanes.[2]
  • On 23 June 2015, a No. 8 bus crashed headlong into a pickup truck, two cars, and a BTS Skytrain pillar. Two passengers and the driver sustained injuries. The driver was charged with reckless driving.[8][9][10]
  • In March 2014, a No. 8 Bus hit and crushed a motorcycle, instantly killing a 13-year-old boy.[11]
  • In 2011, a person was killed and another injured while waiting at a bus stop when a No. 8 Bus was vying with another bus for space at a bus stop.[11]
  • In October 2019, the driver of a No. 8 bus was sacked for "...slamming his way past level crossing barriers..." in Bangkok. The incident was captured in a video that went viral on social media. The bus is operated by 39 Group Ltd. which was fined 5,000 baht.[12]

Inclusion in Grand Theft Auto

The No. 8 bus has been created as a game mod for the popular game Grand Theft Auto (GTA). On 30 June 2015, a user uploaded an episode on YouTube which showed the bus running amok on Bangkok streets, speeding and hitting buildings, until a final collision sends the bloodied driver flying from the bus.[13]

References
  1. Parpart, Erich (20 August 2018). "Dark enough for you?" (Opinion). Bangkok Post. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  2. Mahitthirook, Amornrat; Fredrickson, Terry (22 August 2018). "Bangkok's fearsome No.8 bus line ordered to improve". Bangkok Post.
  3. Jitsamruay, Patranit. "Fast & Furious Bus Line 8: An investigation into poor service". Pratchatai English.
  4. Phooriphokhai, Krit (December 2016). Bangkok Bus Service Improvement; A Case Study of Bus Line 8 (Thesis). Bangkok: Thammasat University. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  5. BMTA Site, Bus Line 8
  6. Bangkok Bus Club Wiki
  7. "BMTA punishes rival Route 8 bus drivers after fist-fight". The Nation. 2018-05-15. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  8. "Fast & Furious: Bus No. 8 slams into skytrain pillar, 3 injured". Coconuts Bangkok. 2015-06-24. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  9. "เมล์สาย8พุ่งอัด"ตอม่อ" เก๋ง3คันยับ-เจ็บระนาว". เดลินิวส์. 2015-06-23. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  10. "Anything but lucky, Bangkok's No 8 buses given a "last chance"". The Nation. 2016-04-04. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  11. Jitsamruay, Patranit (2015-08-04). "Fast & Furious Bus Line 8: An investigation into poor service". Pratchatai English. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  12. Charuvastra, Teeranai (10 October 2019). "NO. 8 BUS DRIVER FIRED AFTER IGNORING RAILWAY CROSSING". Khaosod English. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  13. "Bus No. 8 finds game fame". Bangkok Post. 2015-07-02. Retrieved 20 August 2018 – via PressReader.
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