Suphamas Orders Consumer Protection Committee to Expand Bus Recklessness Investigation, Demands Window Damage Reimbursement from Passengers
An elderly bus passenger injured in a high-speed turn was wrongly charged 4,300 baht for window damage; Thailand's consumer protection minister has ordered an investigation and demanded reimbursement, calling it a violation of passenger rig
On May 18, 2026, Suphamas Israpakdi, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister's Office and overseer of the Consumer Protection Board (CPB), addressed the incident involving bus line 4-3E on the Victory Monument-Mo Chit 2 route. An elderly female passenger suffered a head injury when the driver made a sharp turn at high speed on May 16th, causing her to strike and shatter a window. She was detained and forced to pay 4,300 baht in damages before being taken to the hospital.
Suphamas confirmed the victim should not pay this amount and ordered the CPB to coordinate with the Land Transport Department to improve public transportation safety standards across the system to prevent similar incidents. She emphasized the matter extends beyond disciplining the two employees involved, as it constitutes a violation of consumer rights under Section 4 of the Consumer Protection Act B.E. 2522 in two key areas: the right to safe service use and the right to compensation for damages.
Charging an injured passenger for damages caused by employee negligence is an improper burden-shifting, and consumers bear no responsibility for damages they did not cause. Suphamas urged all state and private transport operators to remember that once they collect fares, their primary duty is to safely deliver passengers to their destination. If an incident occurs, passengers must be taken to a hospital immediately. Under no circumstances should operators detain passengers or threaten them to extract payment. She advised the public never to pay under pressure, to document evidence, call 191, and file complaints with the CPB immediately.
