THAILAND-TRANSPORT: Motorcycle Taxis Prove a ‘Necessary Evil’

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Prangtip Daroueng

BANGKOK, Jan 23 1996 (IPS) - No sooner than a gap emerges in Bangkok’s almost perennial bumper to bumper traffic and they are through, the pinion rider holding on for dear life as the motorcyclist zips between cars and trucks.

In another moment, they are on the sidewalk — this time weaving through scattering pedestrians hurling obscenities at the oblivious motorcyclist already looking for another break in the traffic to make his way back onto the main motorway — this time ignoring the blaring horns of angry drivers.

Although there are no relevant official accident statistics, the danger is obvious to all concerned, but none will protest too loudly. In Bangkok’s gridlocked traffic system, these motorcycle taxis are easily the quickest and cheapest mode of transport. They might even be regarded as a necessary evil.

And it is not only ordinary workers that are prone to enlist the services of these licenced operators; suit clad businesspersons that may be late for an appointment are not pinion shy either.

“Yes it is risky, but it is quick,” says Sawad Sinnakorn, a maid who works for a big company in downtown Bangkok.

Sai Balaji, a computer engineer from India who has worked in Bangkok for the past six months, however bucks the trend. When asked why he would not travel on a motorcycle taxi, he said that he honestly felt he “could die”.

“Motorbikes in Bangkok go on footpaths. They don’t follow traffic rules and they park anywhere, disrupting traffic and even poor pedestrians,” he adds.

Before 1981, there were less than 100 motorcycle taxis in Bangkok. Today, according to the Bangkok Police Department, as many as 37,500 are registered. Counting in illegal operators, the figure is closer to 40,000, making motorcycle taxis numerically the main form of public transport in the Thai capital.

The reason, according to the Thai Development Research Institute, an independent think-tank, is because the government has failed to provide an adequate transport system.

In a recent report compiled by the institute, Bangkok’s population increased more than three-fold between 1970, when it was 2.5 million, and 1988 when there were eight million people living in the Thai capital. In 1993, Bangkok’s population had risen to ten million.

The public transport system has simply not kept pace. In 1970, there were 4,740 buses operating in the capital; most recent figures included in the report show that in 1988, there were 4,865 buses, or 125 more buses serving 5.5 million more people.

The government actually took over the bus system in 1975, and analysts say this is partly the reason for the lack of improvement in the quality of the service. For while fares have remained low through state subsidies, this has in turn meant that there is little incentive to boost the overburdened service.

“Bangkok has expanded without any real planning,” says Nipon Poapongsakorn, who prepared the report ‘The Economic Analysis of the Hired Motorcycle Service in Bangkok’ for the Thai Development Research Institute.

“Therefore, street space in urban areas makes up only nine per cent of the whole space — a lot less than the standard which is 20 per cent. Because of that, most residential areas have to locate far away from the main streets. This creates the need for a transportation service like motorcycles,” explains Nipon.

Bangkok’s suburban population has been increasing at about 4.4 per cent a year as more and more people flock to the capital in search of more lucrative work. Many of these people are not serviced by the public transportation system, and depend solely on the motorcycle taxis.

“It is almost dark when I get home,” says Sawad. “I take a bus back, but the bus only takes me as far as the bus stop on the main street. It then takes me just ten minutes by the motorcycle to get home.”

As such, there are as many as 2,500 different motorcycle services operated by individuals and companies near to market areas, department stores and side streets across Bangkok. Some operators own as many as 100 motorcycles — many starting the service only when the noticed the great demand.

Somboon Boonsakdi, a government worker, runs a motorcycle taxi operation on the side. He started out his business in 1981 to provide a service to the 500 families who lived in his hometown.

“The area is 1.2 kilometres from the main street and in the evening people had to walk home in the dark. At that time, there were about two or three motorbike owners in the area who would provide free rides. Then a group of motorcycle owners started the service which soon became very popular,” he explained.

But besides some of the obvious dangers posed by the reckless manoeuvres of many of the motorcyclists, environmentalists are concerned about the added air pollution caused by the growing number of motorcycles on the city’s already congested streets.

The ministry of science and technology estimates that the motorcycles daily spew out the equivalent of 3.4 tonnes in exhaust fumes.

To curb this, the government has adopted new legislation that as of July 1997, motorcycles manufactured in Thailand can produce a maximum five grammes of hydrocarbon and 13 grammes of carbon monoxide per kilometre.

But critics of government say the root of the problem lies in the failure of the authorities to solve the capital’s traffic woes. Surveys have shown that the average Bangkok resident spends the equivalent of 44 days stuck in traffic.

Government’s main efforts up to now have been to change working hours of banks and other service industries in metropolitan Bangkok. But the later opening and closing times have brought little visible results. Government offices and schools may also soon see their doors opening later.

Until there is major improvement in the traffic situation, Sawad is prepared to take the risk and put up with the pollution in the interest of saving time. “Besides, nobody can escape from Bangkok pollution, no matter what kind of transportation service they provide,” she says.