Economics help drive
Thailand's cheap baht buses
By Fred Knapp, Stars and
Stripes
Fred Knapp / Stars and Stripes
Baht buses in and around Pattaya are a cheap, but sometimes dangerous, way to get around
in Thailand. |
CAMP SAMAESAN, Thailand — Using a baht bus is a cheap way for
U.S. troops to get around Thailand, but the dangers may outweigh any potential savings.
Regardless of their pros and cons, baht buses — pickup trucks
with benches in back, named for the Thai currency — are a fixture for Americans on
liberty here for another reason: They generate money for the Thai military.
“There is some pressure to use the baht buses because of the
money it brings into the community,” said Marine Maj. Stanley Salamon, camp
commandant here.
The money generated by the U.S. military can be substantial, Salamon
said. About 400 soldiers using baht buses can generate thousands of dollars for the local
economy; significant where annual wages are about one-fifth of those in the United States.
Last year, the baht buses were made off-limits to U.S. troops after
two U.S. Marines were seriously injured while riding in one.
The buses have no seat belts, and the Marines were thrown from the
vehicle, and one suffered a fractured skull. The second Marine had broken ribs.
Under regulations adopted for this year’s Cobra Gold exercise,
U.S. servicemembers are allowed to use only baht buses approved by the Thai military.
“The folks that drive the baht buses are the Thai
military,” Salamon said. “They work all day long, and when they get off, they
drive the baht buses.”
To members of the Thai military, where pay starts at less than $25 a
month, the additional income is welcome.
The buses have apparently worked well this year, with no accidents
involving U.S. servicemembers. Baht buses carrying Americans are required to have a cargo
strap across the back.
Other new regulations include driving no faster than 55 mph, and one
passenger is supposed to ride in the cab with the driver to ensure that speed limit is
observed.
“The baht buses are very tightly controlled,” said Salamon,
adding that if a driver goes too fast or gets in an accident, his permission to serve the
U.S. troops is terminated.
However, some soldiers who have ridden the buses this year said the
speed limit is sometimes ignored, depending on the time of day and the inclinations of the
driver or the passengers.
Still, baht buses are a cheap and efficient means of getting through
the sometimes-chaotic traffic here. For as little as $2, U.S. troops can ride from Camp
Samaesan, where many are housed during Cobra Gold, to destinations like such as Pattaya, a
beach resort and entertainment center about 25 miles away.
Regardless of their pros and cons, baht buses are likely to remain a
part of future Cobra Gold exercises.
“There are … some political restrictions within the Thai
military for other means of transport,” Salamon said.
As for U.S. motivations, Salamon said, “One answer is the
economics: One of the big reasons why we have the exercises is to support our
allies.”
“Finances certainly play a big part in that,” he said.
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