No. 8 Bus Driver Fired After Ignoring Railway Crossing

BANGKOK — A bus driver for the notoriously dangerous No. 8 route was sacked for slamming his way past level crossing barriers in Bangkok earlier this week, transportation officials said Thursday.

Pratan Buaparn was fired after he admitted to the offense, which was captured in a video that went viral on social media, Bangkok Mass Transit Authority said in a statement. The company that runs the bus, 39 Group Ltd, was given a much lighter sentence of a 5,000 baht fine.

The bus in question was also banned from operating for seven days, the authorities said.

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The video posted by one of the motorists at the scene shows the No. 8 bus crashing through a closing railroad crossing on Si Ayutthaya Road on Oct. 8.

Ignoring level crossings is a cause of frequent accidents in Thailand, often with deadly results. A motorcyclist and his passenger were decapitated in April after dodging past a crossing in Bangkok.

It’s also the latest traffic misconduct associated with No. 8 buses, which gained notoriety among Bangkokians for their reckless driving and long history of accidents.