Hundreds of passenger minivan drivers staged a protest demanding a raise in the vehicle age limit in Thailand.

Drivers and operators gathered in front of the country's Ministry of Transport in Bangkok to air their grievances on March 14.

Panya Lertngim, president of the Public Passenger Van Association in Bangkok, said the group wanted the age limit to be raised to 13 years compared to the current 10-year ceiling.

He said van operators had fewer customers during the Covid-19 pandemic, so they could not immediately switch to more modern but expensive minibusses, as the transport ministry requires.

He added that some drivers were still paying installments for their vehicles amid Thailand's poor economic performance during the pandemic.

As a compromise, Panya said the drivers will change their vans within one to two years if the economy picks up.

Aside from raising the age limit, the protesters also demanded a change in van routes.

The transport ministry has sent a representative to obtain their list of requests, which will be discussed at a meeting of the Central Land Transport Control Board.

The issue must be settled before March 31, or hundreds of vans older than 10 years will not able to serve passengers during the coming Songkran Festival.

The protesters said they expect a response by March 17, and will hold another protest in early April if no progress is made.