KHON KAEN: A bus driver has been fined 10,000 baht for leaving his seat to speak with his argumentative girlfriend.
The Land Transport Office in Khon Kaen on Wednesday fined Anuchit Namsri 10,000 baht.
A provincial land transport official said the driver was fined 5,000 baht for careless driving and another 5,000 for inappropriate behaviour.
A video clip posted on Facebook by Supatta Sansoem on April 26 showed the driver leaving his seat to talk to a woman whose name was not disclosed.
The incident occurred a bus going from Khon Kaen to Loei.
"Do not mix personal matters with your duty. People on the bus depend on you to take them to their destinations," Ms Supatta wrote on social media.
The video clip showed a woman passenger saying she wanted to get off the bus after seeing and hearing the two exchanging words.
The driver said on Wednesday he had left his seat behind the wheel only after stopping to allow passengers to alight at a bus stop.
Khon Kaen Muang Loei Co, which owns and operates the bus, suspended him from work for 15 days after the video clip was posted.
