Social and economic aspects of minibuses in Chiang Mai, Thailand | |
| Author | Tepprasit Suntaranont |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.GT-81-39 |
| Subject(s) | Minibus--Social aspects Minibus--Economic aspects |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | This research dealt with socio-economic factors pertaining to minibus operation in Chiang Mai, Thailand. There were two major types of minibus system: urban minibuses and rural minibuses, and comparisons were made between them. It was found that the minibus has played a very important role in public transport for Chiang Mai ; about 87 percent of all daily person trips by public transport are made on minibuses. In general, the passengers who use minibuses come for every occupation and walk of life. the low and middle income people, however, were likely use this service rather than high income people. Minibus service is the most popular mode of public transport in Chiang Mai. There are several reasons for this. They have great flexibility in both routing and scheduling, reasonable fares, and their journey speeds are faster than the public buses. Ease of access and directness of service seem to be the foremost attributes of the minibus service. Operating schedules and arrangements are decided by the operators, without evident Government intervention. It was found that most drivers are natives of the vicinity. the age of drivers mainly rangers from 25 to 44 years of age, with most having a primary education. Drivers' household size are relatively small, and their income from driving is, on average, fairly good. The four major existing problems which minibus drivers encounter in their operating environment were seen to be: competition among the drivers themselves seemed to be the most important problem: low fares, especially in view of the rising price of motor vehicle fuel; conflicts between drivers and the Traffic Police, and the difficulties of conforming to certain traffic regulation. |
| Year | 1982 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology |
| Department | Department of Civil and Infrastucture Engineering (DCIE) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Geotechnical and Transportation Engineering (GT) |
| Chairperson(s) | Jones, John Hugh |
| Examination Committee(s) | Vokes, Richard W. A. ; Prapon Vongvichien |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | The Government of Netherlands |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technolo |