Formally introduced nationally last February, the law banning upright passengers on baht buses has been skillfully ignored. Pattaya baht bus collective spokesman Katee Bangprapa said his colleagues were under a legal obligation to pick up passengers on request and risked being assaulted if they refused. He also pointed out the high cost of fuel which meant that maximum capacity, especially at rush hours, was just common sense.
The police stress that the legal contradictions have not yet been resolved by superiors. One unusually-cognizant Pattaya expat was bold enough to complain to City Hall the ban wasn’t working, but was advised to wait for the next available vehicle to come along. Some passengers allegedly prefer standing for assorted reasons such as less likelihood of being pickpocketed or because the view is better.
Pattayans in any case are very good at circumventing legal obligations. Since 2018 smoking on beaches in the kingdom has been outlawed to protect the environment, but the only known prosecution occurred when a hapless drunk set fire to a no-smoking sign. A local ordnance for Pattaya in 2017 restricted the number of recruiter-ladies standing outside beer bars to two, but the news never arrived at Sexy Soi Six.
Prosecutions are not always successful. A Pattaya go-go dancer was accused of indecent display under the old Entertainment Venue Act by provocatively dancing totally nude on a club stage, but the charge was dismissed after her lawyer provided evidence she was wearing a top hat. However, she was found guilty of the use of ping pong balls and live goldfish in a lewd cabaret act which was a breach of animal welfare legislation.
According to The Lawyer Portal, there are thousands of unenforceable laws all round the world. In Scotland it is still an offence to refuse to let anyone use your home toilet if he or she asks, whilst a bye-law still demands the death penalty for anyone reckless enough to walk through the streets of Cambridge with a crossbow. Perhaps we shouldn’t be too harsh on the Pattaya baht buses.
